The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1925-09-10
AMERICAN JAZZ
Is VORTEX"
TEXT
By. JESSIE MacBRIDE

is having its American premiere
at the National Theater this
week-strangely linked with MI
sic, in the person of It's author
and leading man. Noel; Coward.
Sc the play falls under logical
consideration at the hands of a
music scribe.
And how? ~
One may regard THE Vortex"
thinking musically as a visual
ization of modern tone.poeTn,
sar0onic in the extreme as that
category may seem.
Because the mad impassion I'd
"Lempos of music of the moment.
in Gershwin's, Rhapsody in Blue
among other things, beat. an eve;'
intensifying rhythm beneath the
drama, or sometimes roared above
ii as "NiclIy'' (Noel Cowafd)
sought to drown In sound the
tragedy that he madly watches
untold before his eyes.
Because modern life, into whose
vortex he sees his own idealized
mother being sunk, is so "jazzed
that it's Vanities have overcome
It's soul-stuff, Nicky, erratic pi-
anist, just home from a year in
Paris nlaelstronl, swirls along as
he. plays the piano through most
OF the second act, like a Svengall
try!ng to overcome sordid heart
breaking facts by the dynamic
impetus. of his art.
~
ut was the thought of that
scene, of music speaking an emo
ton more potently than words
can do, that prompted me to
write the play corroborated Mr.
Coward In his dressing room after
the matinee of yesterday.
You see she 1.-THE mother), was
so used to his music that she
was not even aware of 1t. lie
gave the hopelessness of the
boys. isolation with. a gesture.
Nor in the drama did he let
her be conscious that he was a.
witness to the revelation t6at a
lover now obsessed her petty So
cfal scheme of things. Yet the
music, as he plays, registers his
realization of this crushed ideal
beneath that barharic jazzed ia
ta-tum, ta-ta-tum" of rhythm in
an astounding way. coupled with
the, remarkable facial play OF
this English actor-author, in its
decadent nerve-frenzy with which
dope has tinged his imagination.
Do you remember "Dr. JeEyl
and Mr.. Hyde OF Richard Mans
field?
Noel Coward has. painted, in
his own characterization of his
musical neurotic, a modern Jekyl
and Hyde, for the hope and
H.
through surprisingly young at
times.
That's the tragedy!
\ =
Youth is being sucked down.
Old youth it is, too, with seeing
disillusioned eyes. The pace has
been so. swift. the lapse of bar
barrie rhythms so bald, that. ten.
dernees and beauty and truth
have taken wings.
1t 1eaves-on an unresolved
cadence-two broken hearts, two
broken human beings.
That Is its tragedy.
And it ends, just touching,
family brushing certain completes
that the psycho-analyst. or the
Greek tragedy of old, has lifted
the curtain on.
Life devastated by frivolity. it
might be called. And it Is inspired
and set to the American musical
idiom OF the nour-Jazz.
Which path will lure you
strongest" Mr.. Coward was asked,
music or the drama $50 strong
is the musical urge OF his play
that was last seasons sensation
in London.
Il adore the theater." he re-
piled. I've been in the theater
since ] was ten years old. ] love
American music, too" he replied.
Then he told how George
Gershwin had played some Of his
Jazz symphonic music" for him
since his arrival.
But we must tell him that,
though 1t Is of the hour, this is
not all of American music. Let
him go to the mighty mountains
OF, our own Edward MacDoweH
and feel the influence, that he
has set to music, of the giant
crags and cathedral pines. Let
him peep into his I'm Deep
Woods" and find how American
immensities have entered into her
native music, as well as American
rush and speed.
Jazz and Gershwin, much as
one admires the composer. are
but the Greenwich Village of
American music.
Passing comments in the theater
brings out such exclamation as
How wonderfully they talkr'
But that is another matter that
speaks OF the vivid dialogue; that
does not concern the music.
1T does concern. however, the
fact that Michael Arlen-that
choice raconteur OF the human
WITNESSES and bizarre folly of the
social worlds one of Mr.. Cow
ards best friends. read a cable
gram from him felicitating his
friend upon his American debut.
Michael Arlen made it possible
for me to produce this play. He
financed it. in other words. He
said that he was having success
now and that might as well
share it,"
That was before the London
success that put Noel Coward on
his way to what prophecy will
he a season on New York's CAV
White Way.
Meet Noel Coward and vouth
and enthusiasm and certain
eaSerness in which is love of his
art. They give almost the lie. to
the singing denuncia ton of this
1aZz era contained within his play.