Hay Fever

It’s a very long time since I have seen this play and, for me, it still stands the test of time.  The characters are all distinctly different and the cast delivered those characters beautifully.

Rebecca Sibthorpe, playing the lead role of Judith Bliss, was excellent.   Although she looked a bit young for the part initially, as the play progressed her characterisation took over and we were able to see the excellence of her mannerisms, accent and voice.  All absolutely right for this delightfully bizarre part.  Joe Drury (Simon Bliss) and Christie Clark (Sorel Bliss) also produced strong performances as Judith’s two grown up, but totally dependent, children.  Eric Smith completed this dysfunctional family with his strong performance as David Bliss.

The four guests were all very good performers, each bringing the character to life and the abundance of facial expressions speaks well of their capabilities and understanding of the play.  They were Colin Gibbons (Sandy Tyrell) David Carey (Richard Greatham) Lauran Jones (Myra Arundel) and Stephanie Firth (Jackie Coryton).  Last but by no means least, Michelle Ward as the maid, Clara.  All of them had studied the parts well and produced terrific performances.

I was struck by the ‘farce’ like aspects of the play, long before the genre became theatrical staple.  I didn’t remember this aspect from my previous experience, but that was many years ago!    Noel Coward was a master of the art of play writing and this one has, quite rightly, long been a favourite for drama directors.

The scenery was excellent, beautifully dressed and it worked really well.  The costumes were also beautiful and the attention to the period detail was outstanding.  Well done to director, Luke Coldham, for getting everything so right, including the way the cast dealt with the obligatory need for smoking on set.

If I have a criticism at all, it is that one or two of the characters failed to project throughout the performance.  This theatre has excellent acoustics and mics are not needed, as long as the performers project!  I appreciate that sometimes the speeches needed to be lower in tone, but we do still need to hear them.

Overall a delightful evening’s entertainment and my thanks for the hospitality shown to us.

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