Noel Coward | Get Your Coats On

“Why not put on play where you can forget the outside world and just laugh?”

WHO: Martin Foreman: Director

WHAT: “Meet the wealthy, self-obsessed and eccentric Bliss family; grande dame of the stage and mother Judith, novelist and father David, and their two children Sorel and Simon. Each has invited a guest to spend the weekend at their country house in rural England – and each has neglected to tell the others. Needless to say friction and hilarity ensue in this classic British comedy of manners.

As we enter the new decade EGTG takes us back 100 years with Noel Coward’s Hay Fever. Inspired by Coward’s acquaintance with silent film star Laurette Taylor, Hay Fever has been popular with audiences since its premiere in 1925, remaining relevant with its astute observations of family life and human folly.”

WHERE: Assembly Roxy

DATES: 25 – 28 March

TIMES: 19:30

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Why Hayfever?

The end of March, when the play is put on, is the beginning of spring, just the right time for something light and frothy. Besides, whether we’re talking climate change or domestic or international politics, last year was turbulent and this year is turning out to be just as bad – and that’s before we factor in coronavirus. Why not put on play where you can forget the outside world and just laugh?

If you scratch below the surface, however, you can see both how cleverly plotted Coward’s play is. Independently of each other, the younger generation of the household invite older guests while their parents bring in visitors young enough to be their children. The volatile dynamics of the household – everyone strong-minded and with few restraints on their behaviour – mean that conflict is inevitable and the guests struggle to keep their emotional balance as the repercussions ripple through the evening. And while the cast – particularly the Bliss family – are close to caricatures, there is enough humanity in each of them to hold our attention and to find their situation believable. By the end of the play it is almost a relief to find that the storm has passed and everyone has come through it more or less unscathed.

What’s the one thing about this show that everyone should know BEFORE they take their seats?

Zoe is a cat.

All right, if you want something more substantial, the fact that Coward based the character of diva Judith Bliss on an American actress, Laurette Taylor. Whether she knew that was the case – he confessed in an autobiography that was published several years before she died – is unknown. I like to think that Taylor would have been flattered by the comparison.

What makes this production unique?

The cast! A group of very talented actors, half of whom are EGTG regulars and the other half new. Everyone is very supportive and rehearsals are definitely fun. I don’t want to name any of the nine-strong cast in particular because they are all good and contributing the same enthusiasm.

I would like to say something else, but when we proposed a significant change to the Noel Coward estate that we felt would enhance the comedy while keeping the spirit of the play, they said no. Perhaps we will go back to them in a few years to see if they have changed their mind.

What’s the one thing you know now that you wish you’d known at the start of rehearsals?

We didn’t pay attention to the fact that there are far too many props! It’s a very complicated play to put on on a relatively small stage. Drawing paper, drinks, flowers are just a few things that are brought on and have to be taken off. Meanwhile Clara the housekeeper has to serve breakfast for eight at every performance. Haddock, anyone?

Costumes are another issue, since everyone has to dress for dinner and the dressing-room will be crowded with skirts coming off and gowns going on, while the men fiddle with ties and braces. But practice makes perfect and with backstage help – without which no play goes well – I expect the production will run smoothly.

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Rosemary Boyle, Susan Wooldridge, Charlie Archer. Photo credit – Mihaela Bodlovic

“Susan Wooldridge is sensational as Judith Bliss”

Editorial Rating: 3 Stars: Nae Bad

The overarching theme in Noel Coward’s Hay Fever is one of contrast: theatre vs real life; keeping up appearances vs showing your true colours. And while capturing a lot of the inherent comedy in such situations, this latest production from the Lyceum Theatre Company and the Citizens Theatre, for me, goes one contrast too far in creating a production of paradox which ends up being somehow less great than the sum of its parts.

Without the traditional curtain opening at the start of the show, Tom Piper’s stark and stripped back set, which exposes a lot of the “backstage” area, is immediately visible. On first impression, it feels cheap and unfinished, leading me to worry I’ve walked into the theatre a week too soon. It does, however, create a rugged bohemian mood, which seems to make a lot more sense as the piece progresses.

When the action begins, much of it early on feels quite forced, with the first scene in particular a mass of very obvious stage directions with vases, cushions and sitting down. Thankfully, Rosemary Boyle as Sorrel allays many of my fears by capturing that much-needed sense of balance between theatricality and reality, with charming facial expressions, tone and timing all making her compelling to watch. In contrast her on-stage brother Simon (Charlie Archer) consistently leans towards being melodramatic, and it’s only in the final scene where his character starts to blend with the rest of his family that he feels like part of the same play as everyone else.

Indeed, this sense of mismatched acting styles also applies to the guests. Pauline Knowles brings a wonderful Jordan Baker coolness to Myra, with a clear journey in mood as she resists the madness around her, while Nathan Ives-Moiba (Sandy) seems quite content to bark his lines at anyone and everyone, with little subtlety or variation throughout.

Considering all of the above, perhaps what jars most about this production is how difficult it is to believe any chemistry or relationship between the family members and their guests. Susan Wooldridge, who is sensational as Judith Bliss in the second half of the piece, with commanding presence and vitality, is perhaps too old and withering to be believed as Sandy’s obsession, while Benny Baxter-Young’s frustrated and frumpy David seems the exact opposite of what Myra and Jackie would endure a trip to this house for. Individually the characters work, but together they don’t.

Hywell Simons and Katie Barnett. Photo credit – Mihaela Bodlovic

In saying that, there are some moments of brilliance. My personal highlights include the hilariously awkward arrival of Jackie and Richard – deftly played by Katie Barnett and Hywel Simons – which captures just how amusing British politeness can be to the outside eye, while Clara (Myra McFadyen) dazzles every time she sets foot on stage, particularly in the unexpected interlude. Even more unexpected (for everyone concerned) in this performance was the breakfast trolley’s stage direction to topple over, which though admirably covered by quick-fire improvisation, perhaps most deftly sums this production up: funny but off-balance.