SAN DIEGO–Noël Coward is alive and well at Cygnet Theatre. With the current run of Coward’s “Private Lives” receiving raves on the mainstage, Associate Artistic Director Francis Gercke has assembled a stellar cast of San Diego favorites to deliver a staged reading of his most famous drama, “The Vortex.”
This performance marks the continuation of Cygnet’s highly popular Playwright Companion Series which seeks to deepen the theatre-going experience for its audiences with uniquely diverse “partner pieces” to each of Cygnet’s main-stage shows.
First staged in 1924, Coward specifically wrote “The Vortex” as a means of proving his ability as a dramatic writer and actor. The story centers on a nymphomaniac, married socialite named Florence and her newly-engaged, cocaine-addicted son, named Nicky. Coward played the role of Nicky himself. His performance, as well as the production, became a sensation as much for its scandalous subject matter, as for its fascinating characters and finely-tuned dramatic core.
Cygnet’s staged-reading of “The Vortex” will include Rosina Reynolds (Noises Off, Copenhagen, The Little Foxes) as Florence; Stephen Lone as Nicky; Amanda Morrow (A Christmas Carol) as Bunty; Brian Mackey (The History Boys) as Tom; Tom Stephenson (The History Boys, My Fair Lady, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof) as Pawnie; Jessica John (Private Lives, Noises Off, Mauritius) as Helen, Jim Chovick (A Christmas Carol, Desire Under the Elms, Copenhagen) as David and Francis Anita Rivera (upcoming…The Norman Conquests) as Clara. Gercke, who co-directed Private Lives, will direct.
Admission to “The Vortex” is free with a $10 suggested donation. This one-night only event will be performed Monday, June 21 at 7 p.m. on Cygnet’s Old Town Stage located at 4040 Twiggs St. in Old Town San Diego State Historic Park.
For more information, visit Cygnet’s website at www.cygnettheatre.com, or call the box office at (619) 337-1525.
