Hay Fever

Hay Fever is a witty comedy written by Noel Coward in 1924 and is set in a country House in the 1920’s. It deals with four members of the Bliss family and their outlandish behaviour when they each invite a guest to stay for the weekend. The self-centred behaviour of the hosts finally drives their guests to flee while the Blisses are so engaged in a family row that they do not notice the furtive departure of their guests.

Sorel Bliss was delightfully played by Mia Luft. She most definitely was the epitome of an upper- class socialite but encompassed the spoilt, self-centred, immature nature of the character wonderfully. Mia’s flirtatious mannerisms were so evocative and her lapses into frenetic bickering were divine. Her brother, Simon, was superbly played by Jamie Beesley. He was equal in every aspect of being upper-class, very dramatic but rather more bohemian and upbeat in nature. His spats with his sister were incredibly executed and their love-hate relationship was palpable. Judith Bliss, the matriarch of the family, was outstandingly portrayed by Alicia Bloundele. As a retired actress still yearning to return to the stage, her embodiment of the over theatrical and grandiose gestures were abound in her every elegant action. She delivered the superficiality of the character superbly flitting outrageously between being overly ostentatious, a loving mother and a seductive temptress - a truly magnificent performance. David Bliss, her husband, was yet another excellent portrayal by Chris Gale. He totally gave us the impression of an over indulgent and successful novelist as well as being extremely charming, somewhat flippant and at times very over-the-top. There was definitely no love lost between the two of them. First of the guests to arrive is Sandy Tyrell, a boxer friend of Judith. He is posh, kind, confident, very enthusiastic and well mannered and Luke Gannon captured all of these aspects terrifically. Next to arrive was Myra Arundell a vampish friend of Simon. Liz McKenzie portrayed the confidence, the independence, the assuredness and the very outspoken nature of Myra with such panache and style and her delivery of sarcastic asides were just brilliant. Richard Greatham, a guest of Sorel, and Jackie Coryton, a guest of David, arrived together. Richard, a very posh English Diplomat, was very confident but for most of the time was definitely out of his comfort zone. This was another fine performance by Peter Wilmot, and his facial expressions of utter bewilderment were just amazing. The incident where he touched a  barometer on the ‘wall’ and it fell to the floor had the audience, including myself, gasping, but apparently it was all part of the script! Jackie, a young flapper, was so very sweetly played by Rachel Callen. She embodied the naivety and uncertainess of Jackie most impressively. As Clara, the harassed housekeeper come maid, Susan Devaney was just perfect. She bustled around quite sullenly and impatiently, trying to acquiesce to their requests. It was only when she was given a substantial tip that her demeanour very dramatically changed and she even sang, most beautifully I might add, as she went about her chores. There were many splendid scenes and the arguments and bickerings that ensued throughout, were all so exquisitely executed.

There were many costume changes, all in keeping with the era, and all were absolutely stunning, none more so than the sumptuous evening attire, especially those worn by the ladies. Appropriate music, good sound and lighting, together with excellent props all added to the ambience of the evening but, my only concern was with the actual staging. I understand that setting the performance on the floor of the hall instead of on the stage gave a much larger and flexible performance area plus the use of the central aisle as an entrance to the ‘garden’. However, with the audience being on the same level it did mean, I felt, that it was at the detriment of some of the many interactions that took place when characters were seated as they were then obscured from many in the audience. Otherwise everything about the production, particularly the superb acting which was truly top notch, was extremely entertaining and reflected the hard work that most definitely went into it. Many congratulations to everyone involved and also many thanks for the very warm welcome that I received.

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