Written in 1924, The Vortex propelled Noël Coward to success in the Jazz Age. Hailed as the Bright Young Things’ Shopping and Fucking, the play’s themes of sexuality, addiction and loyalty all still resonate today and are made even more poignant by the coupling of Stephen Unwin’s direction and Neil Warmington’s design.

Young composer Nicky Lancaster returns home from a year away in Paris, with both a cocaine addiction and an English girlfriend, Bunty, in tow, only to discover his own mother, Florence, has cuckholded his father with the very man Bunty was previously engaged to. The fraught relationship between socialite mother and misguided son is the centre piece of Coward’s work. Across the evening, it becomes apparent, though, that it is not Nicky’s drug addiction which is the cause for social critique, but rather his not so hidden homosexuality. When Bunty and Tom, Florence’s younger lover, rekindle their romance, both mother and son become increasingly erratic, culminating in a final emotional bedroom scene, which bears striking resemblance to Hamlet and Gertrude’s closet scene in Hamlet.

Unwin’s clever staging serves to create frequent, beautiful moments of visual symmetry between the couples, overtly mirroring Coward’s work. Yet the stand-out quality of this production is certainly the aesthetic. Captured in a large broken frame, the set is minimal, yet sufficient to denote the liberated lifestyle of this 1920s family, whilst all the while hinting at the fractured relationships that will come to light. A square of haphazard blue paint confines the actors both physically and literally in this deteriorating family home, where Florence forgoes even the natural countryside pleasure of observing the view. It aptly creates the “vortex of beastliness” which Nicky proclaims they “swirl around in”. The music, too, is carefully chosen, with ‘Someone to Watch Over Me’ a deliberately ironic choice for Nicky to play in front of his mother.

Notable performances are given by David Dawson (Nicky) and Kerry Fox (Florence). Dawson pours detail into his performance, delivering an honest vulnerability and confusion to the drug-fuelled character, whilst Fox brings both disillusionment and a lavish quality to the glamorous mother.

Despite a few highly credible performances, there is a sense throughout this production that Unwin and Warmington have prioritised a stylish production over a quality performance, with many of Coward’s witty lines falling short of the mark. The choice to include two intervals is an unnecessary move which further drags on the pace of a production which was lagging behind to begin with. That being said, the Rose Theatre’s The Vortex encompasses an endearing, easy-going production, even if we develop a stronger relationship with the set than the characters.

The Vortex is playing at the Rose Theatre, Kingston until Saturday 2 March. For more information and tickets, see the Rose Theatre’s website.