We’re excited to have started rehearsals for Noël Coward’s The Vortex – our first show of Festival 2023!

Joining Lia Williams and Joshua James, the real-life mother and son playing their fictional counterparts Florence and Nicky Lancaster, are Jessica Alade as Clara, Priyanga Burford as Helen, Richard Cant as Pawnie, Sean Delaney as Tom, Hugh Ross as David, Evan Milton as Bruce, and Esme Scarborough as Preston.

Fifty years after his death, Noël Coward’s brilliantly witty and stinging portrait of the darkness beneath the glittering surface of the Jazz Age is as vivid today as when it premiered, causing a sensation and catapulting its young writer to his first great success. Directed by Daniel Raggett, it opens on 28 April and runs until 20 May. Read more about the play and cast, and book your tickets!

We joined the company on the first day of rehearsals and spoke to CFT’s Artistic Director Daniel Evans, and director Daniel Raggett, about the relevance of the piece, how it catapulted Noël Coward to success, and how 99 years on it’s still “as fresh as a daisy”.