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Summer 2008 Production
Hay Fever
by Noël Coward
Directed by Valerie Gerrard
NODA Review here.
Performed on the 18 & 19 July at Brampton Park Theatre, Brampton.
By arrangement with Brampton Park Theatre Club.
and on the 25 July at the BRJ Club in aid of the OCAG Free Fireworks. The
venue was provided free of charge by the BRJ Club.
Photos from the Brampton performance
here.
BRJ performance here.
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Poster |
Programme |
 |
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Cast List
| Judith Bliss | Jeanette Brown |  |
| David Bliss | Michael Black |  |
| Sorel Bliss | Sarah Ward |  |
| Simon Bliss | Phil Green |  |
| Clara | Daisy Spencer |
 |
| Sandy Tyrell | Chris Rogers |
|
| Jackie Coryton | Louise Nicholls |
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| Richard Greatham | John Morgan |  |
| Myra Arundel | Carol Wadey |  |
| Director | Valerie Gerrard |
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| Producer | Ann Monk |  |
Hay Fever is set in the hall of the Bliss family home. The eccentric Blisses—Judith, a recently retired stage actress, David, a self-absorbed novelist, and their two equally unconventional children— live in a world where reality slides easily into fiction. Upon entering this world, the unfortunate weekend guests—a proper diplomat, a shy flapper, an athletic boxer, and a fashionable sophisticate— are repeatedly thrown into melodramatic scenes wherein their hosts profess emotions and react to situations that do not really exist. The resulting comedic chaos ends only when the tortured visitors tip-toe out the door.
Upon its 1925 London debut on August 6, it won praise from both audiences and critics. Considered by many to be cleverly constructed, wittily written, slightly cynical, and undeniably entertaining, the work contains all the elements that would help establish Coward’s reputation as a playwright.
Huntingdon Drama Club first presented Hay Fever in the Autumn of 1984 as its 40th production. An extract was also performed in From Mafeking to the Millennium in the Autumn of 2005.
NODA Review
HUNTINGDON DRAMA CLUB : HAY FEVER
Director : Valerie Gerrard Producer : Ann Monk
This was the Club’s annual summer touring production at various venues and the light choice of play was ideal. Generally, the opportunities for women within this script are greater than for the men and all the women within this company gave strong, complementary performances which enhanced the production tremendously. The Bliss family itself, at the core of most of the action, was also well cast and worked effectively together as a team. This was one of the best performances that I have seen from Michael Black as David Bliss and the scene with Judith and Myra was particularly well done and a great credit to all three actors. Carol Wadey, as Myra, gave a very enjoyable interpretation of this role with good facial expression and there were also some nicely judged performances from Sarah Ward, Louise Nicholls, Phil Green and Daisy Spencer. This play is nothing, however, without a strong Judith and Jeanette Brown rose to the occasion admirably, creating a very believable character that fulfilled all the requirements of the text. A very pleasing summer entertainment.
Michael G Williamson
Noda Rep : District 1