Citizens Theatre and Royal Lyceum Theatre Edinburgh Present HAY FEVER

Considered to be one of Noel Coward's most enduring comedies, Hay Fever will be staged by Citizens Theatre in Glasgow and the Royal Lyceum Theatre Edinburgh this March and April under the direction of Dominic Hill. Revelation, romance and outrageous behaviour set the tone of this 1920s' comedy which explores the games people play to avoid the realities of everyday existence. The production opens at The Lyceum on Friday 10 March and plays at the Citizens Theatre from 5 - 22 April.

Set in the rural retreat of the eccentric Bliss family, this riotous farce charts the unconventional antics of a self-dubbed 'bohemian' family of four. This evening each family member has invited a guest to stay. As the party settle down to a post-dinner parlour game, the hapless visitors become playthings in the Bliss' self-made melodrama

Mother of the Bliss family, Judith, is played by BAFTA award winning actress Susan Woolridge and father, David, by Benny Young. Glasgow-born Benny is well known for his many stage performances including Waiting for Godot (Royal Lyceum Theatre Edinburgh). Patrick Walshe McBride, a finalist for the Michel Bryant Award (Theatre) and the Carleton Hobbs Award (BBC Radio) and Rosemary Boyle, who most recently appeared in The James Plays (National Theatre of Scotland/Edinburgh International Festival/National Theatre of Great Britain), take on the roles of siblings Simon and Sorel Bliss.

The Bliss' guest list includes Hywel Simons (Betrayal, Citizens Theatre and Poldark, BBC), 2016 Royal Conservatoire of Scotland graduate Katie Barnett, Nathan Ives-Moiba (As You Like It, National Theatre and Jekyll & Hyde, Sell a Door), Pauline Knowles (Marilyn; Citizens Theatre and Royal Lyceum Theatre Edinburgh, Jumpy; The Lyceum and This Restless House, Citizens Theatre for which she won The CATS award for best female performance) and Myra McFadyen. Myra returns to the Citz stage having previously performed in The Choir and Glasgow Girls and at The Lyceum in I am Thomas.

Dominic Hill, Artistic Director of the Citizens Theatre and director of Hay Fever says, "The Citizens Theatre and Royal Lyceum Theatre Edinburgh have long enjoyed a close relationship. Working together has enabled our two theatres to present some fantastic co-productions in recent years, and I'm delighted that we'll be working together again. I've always loved Hay Fever; it is a genuinely funny and insightful play with an acerbic cruelty that lifts it above a simple comedy of manners."

Dominic will reunite with designer, Tom Piper MBE on Hay Fever. Tom has designed many Citizens' shows including King Lear (2012), The Libertine (2014) and Endgame (2016). He is probably best known for his 2014 collaboration with Paul Cummins and The Tower of London on 'Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red', an installation of 888,246 ceramic red poppies which marked one hundred years since the first full day of Britain's involvement in the First World War and for which he was awarded his MBE.

Tickets for Edinburgh performances are available to buy from the Royal Lyceum Theatre Edinburgh Box Office by calling 0131 248 4848 or online at lyceum.org.uk.

Tickets for Glasgow dates are available to buy now from the Citizens Theatre Box Office by calling 0141 429 0022 or by visiting the Citizens' website citz.co.uk.

Photo credit: Alex Brady

To post a comment, you must register and login.