Hay Fever | Wyndham's Theatre

“I wanted a nice, restful weekend...and now the house is going to be full of discord - not enough food, everyone fighting for the bath - perfect agony! I wish I were dead!”

Judith Bliss (Christine Baranski)’s melodramatic outburst neatly sums up the events of Hay Fever, currently in a new staging directed by Emily Burns at the Wyndham’s Theatre.

Noël Coward’s famous “comedy of appalling manners” takes place in the Bliss’ country house in Cookham, where David Bliss (Richard E Grant) is hoping for some peace and quiet to finish his novel and retired actress, Judith Bliss (Christine Baranski), is attempting to learn to garden while contemplating a return to the stage. Meanwhile, their adult children, Sorel (Ophelia Lovibond) and Simon (Will Close), are mostly bickering and judging their parents’ choices. 

The plot, such as there is, begins when it is discovered that each of the family has invited a guest to stay for the weekend, each with their own peculiarities. When these rub up against the Blisses’ own eccentricities, the only result can be a farce of epic proportions. 

While audiences will flock to the Wyndham’s Theatre for stars Christine Baranski and Richard E Grant, with Baranski’s West End debut being a particular draw, it is others in the strong supporting cast who often capture the attention. 

Lucy Karczewski, especially, shines as dim-witted flapper Jackie Coryton, spending much of her stage time utterly perplexed about everything that is happening around her and the rest in floods of tears demanding to go home. 

She plays particularly well opposite Charles Edwards, whose stuffy diplomat Richard Greatham is consistently delightful. A scene in which the pair attempt to make small talk about Greatham’s travels is as hilarious as it is excruciating. 

This is not to say that Baranski and Grant disappoint. While his stage time is relatively brief, Grant milks every drop of comedy from his appearances, with his backwards handshake a particular delight. And, despite a sometimes wobbly British accent, Baranski brings a nuanced portrayal of the central matriarch.

Set and costume designer Frankie Bradshaw has created a country house set piece which matches the colour scheme of the theatre, all blues, beiges and golds. All of the on-stage action takes place in one room, negating the need for elaborate scene changes, although we are allowed glimpses of the rest of the house: Judith’s new pet project, the garden, is visible throughout through the windows lining the back of the stage, while the neighbouring library is used to great comedic effect on a number of occasions. 

Oliver Fenwick’s lighting design deftly moves the house through the transition from morning to evening and then back to morning, as the farce on stage builds to a crescendo. 

More than a hundred years from its first performance, Hay Fever has more than proved its ability to stand the test of time. It is, quite simply, a very fun way to spend an evening (which is more than can be said for the party it depicts).

Hay Fever runs at the Wyndham’s Theatre until 12th December. For more information and tickets, follow the link here.

★★★★☆ (4*)

Gifted tickets in return for an honest review | Photography by Marc Brenner