Review: HAY FEVER, The Mill at Sonning

A staple of the British stage, Noël Coward's Hay Fever was inspired by the playwright's travels in New York meeting an eccentric family. Supposedly, the matriarch wasn't kind to Coward's perceptions of their lifestyle, but this comedy of manners still paid off and has become one of his best known works. In celebration of the 50th anniversary of Coward's passing, the charming Mill at Sonning is staging a new revival.

Hay Fever follows the self-absorbed Bliss family: matriarch and retired actress Judith, her snobbish author husband William, naive son Sam, and spoiled daughter Sorel. Through a series of convoluted events, each family member has invited a houseguest over the same weekend where romantic entanglements and nonsense parlour games ensue.

Something Coward himself acknowledged, there's no overarching plot in Hay Fever. Directed by Tam Williams, the decision to combine acts one and two in this traditionally three-act play affects the pacing. Often slow and laborious as characters walk in and out of Michael Holt's fanciful living room, I was left questioning if it was Noël Coward's best work. The snappy dialogue and chuckle-inducing moments are fleeting, as I spent my time wondering if the Blisses were as loathsome as they were perceived a century prior.

While not the wittiest farce, the Mill at Sonning's revival is a visually pleasing one. Michael Holt's aforementioned set design contrasts the manor's opulence with the Blisses' madcap props, complemented by Matt Biss' lighting design (although sometimes too bright). The sound design is not always in sync, but the songs are a welcome addition as the characters strut, dance and run around in their fabulous flapper dresses and dinner suits designed by Natalie Titchener.

The cast is delightful giving their static characters as much humour as the script allowed. Issy van Redwick is enjoyable as Judith Bliss, melodramatically singing and monologuing about her looks fading. Nick Waring is fitting as self-aggrandising author William, while William Pennington plays Sam as so dense you believed he would propose marriage after one kiss with guest Jackie. Emily Panes (also the play's musical director) shines as skittish teenager Sorel, but Joanna Brooks is the standout as beleaguered housekeeper Clara, making something as mundane as singing while clearing a breakfast table applause worthy.

The Blisses' unfortunate houseguests include Daniel Fraser as Judith's young admirer Sandy Tyrrell, looking bewildered as he is caught having salacious trysts in the library and a case of hiccups the next morning. Aretha Ayeh is also fun as flirtatious Myra Arundel until exploding in rage at the Blisses' antics. The performer most at home with the material though is Beth Lilly (The Play That Goes Wrong) as nervous Jackie.

While a well-dressed revival with a strong cast, I wonder if Hay Fever is the right work to celebrate Noël Coward's legacy. When the playwright himself said it wasn't his best piece (it was written in three days while travelling after all), its lack of plot and characterisation remain apparent. Definitely visit The Mill at Sonning, but there are other shows that play more to its and Coward's strengths.

Hay Fever is at The Mill At Sonning until 13 May

Photo Credit: Andreas Lambis

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