Sex (play) - Definition and Overview

Sex is a 1926 play, written by, and starring, Mae West. It was very popular for about a year before the New York Police Department raided West and her company, charging them with obscenity, despite the fact that 325,000 people had watched it, including members of the police department and their wives, by judges of the criminal courts, and by seven members of the district attorney’s staff.

West was sentenced to 10 days in jail, getting out two days early for good behavior. The resulting publicity increased her national renown.

External links

• Sharply critical review from the New York Times (http://theater2.nytimes.com/mem/theater/treview.html?html_title=&tols_title=SEX%20(PLAY)&pdate=19260427&byline=&id=1077011431378)