Hay Fever - Review

Wyndham's Theatre, London

*****

Written by Noel Coward

Directed by Emily Burns

Richard E. Grant and Christine Baranski

Marking a trifecta of Noel Coward's work that has played on London's stages in recent weeks, Hay Fever has just opened a two-month residency at the Wyndham's Theatre. It speaks volumes for Coward’s writing that, when sublimely performed as in this instance, a farce that is firmly fixed in the Roaring Twenties can make for exceptional entertainment some 100 years later.

A wealthy household, headed by the eclectically appalling and bohemian Judith and David Bliss, and shared with their equally appalling adult children Simon and Sorel, sees each of that quartet having invited a guest to stay for the weekend. While romantic intentions may have inspired each of those four invitations, such is Coward’s genius that the carefully laid plans all go deliciously awry. Imagine if you will The Great Gatsby having been given a comic makeover, and you start to get close to how this classy confection of a play gloriously parodies England after the Great War.

The show’s star billing sees Christine Baranski and Richard E. Grant sparking off each other as Judith and David, with Will Close and Ophelia Lovibond as their petulantly privileged offspring. The evening’s comedy however is driven not by its leads (gifted though they are) but rather by the entire company, in a show that offers possibly the finest ensemble work in town. Nancy Carroll, Charles Edwards, Ash Hunter and Lucy Karczewski complement the Bliss family as their respective paramours with the acting and interacting between the eight, combining  to create a production of comic excellence.

Fusing acid barbs with immaculately timed and withering silences - matched only by moments of excruciatingly brilliant awkwardness - each of Coward’s quips lands perfectly, Emily Burns having helmed a magnificent company. Credit too to Jo McInnes as the much put-upon housemaid/domestic, Clara. As with Still Life, Coward’s gimlet eye picking out the nuances of the English class system.

The show’s production values are equally sumptuous. Frankie Bradshaw has designed a stunning lounge for the Bliss residence where all the action takes place, lacing the room with sufficient doors to enable the farce to run like clockwork.

Frightfully fabulous five-star farce!

Runs until 12th December

Photo credit: Marc Brenner