Rather than being a play-in-a-play, Indecent dramatises the stories that surrounded a play’s opening over a century ago. Opinions have changed and viewpoints have shifted, but was Indecent an immoral take on society, or just ahead of its time. Don’t miss the London premiere of Paula Vogel’s Indecent at the Menier Chocolate Factory. Indecent tickets are available on London Theatre now.

In 1906, Polish-Jewish playwright Sholem Asch began writing The God of Vengeance, a Jewish drama about a brothel owner who wanted to marry off his daughter. During the play, scenes of a sordid nature take place, which had early twentieth-century audiences up in arms. Could The God of Vengeance be a work of religious defamation? Even though the play had its critics, it was Broadway-bound, making its US premiere in 1923. But when a theatre owner was convicted, the future of The God of Vengeance and indeed what could be told on stage became a court matter.

This is where the Indecent play steps in to continue the narrative. Debating whether The God of Vengeance is a piece of Jewish culture or traitorous libel, Paula Vogel’s drama tells the lives of those who risked their careers for the performing arts.