We all know people like the Bliss family in “Hay Fever”. Friends who are basically rude, but fun, and we let them get away with it. They genially invite you round for a drink, are horrified when you actually arrive, and then point out they have no milk for your tea, nor tonic for the gin.
Noel Coward’s “Hay Fever” is a study of such character. Bohemian: joyfully unworried about what other people think; manipulative; unconstrained by social norms. “Abnormal, that’s what we are!” cries the daughter, Sorel Bliss early on in the play. She’s determined to do something about it…..for about five minutes, before the distraction comes along.
The behaviour of this nutty foursome is thrown into high relief when each of the family members invites a guest to stay for the weekend. A diplomat, an ingénue, a hunk and a vamp all duly arrive, bourgeois flies ready to be woven into the Bliss family’s funny but formidable web.
All characters in this Coward play are finely etched to represent the 1920’s flamboyance and flagrant disregard for all confining elements of society, and Director Fay Walters assisted by Clancy Arnold have chosen a cast of fine actors to bring the play to life.
The cast includes, Anna Swift, Paul Flynn, Tim Lancaster, Rose Parker, Cat Hadler, Jackson Balme, Kasey Kennedy, Bob Hitchens and Margaret Bannister.
Hay Fever runs each Sunday afternoon in August in the School of Arts Basement Theatre. Sunday 4th August saw the opening show played to an almost full house and the following Sundays ie 11th ,18th & 25th August at 3 pm are sure to be filled to capacity.
