Fun, frolicsome and frothy, Noel Coward’s “Hay Fever” is the stage version of an entertaining summer beach read.
Set in the English countryside in the early 1920s, which could just as well be weekend in the Hamptons today, the farcical comedy of manners is a delicious slice of outrageous Bliss family life. It’s a wonderfully pleasing pick by the Hampton Theatre Company in Quogue, which is staging its production through June 7.
Mother Judith Bliss, played pitch perfectly by the luminous Rosemary Cline, is the beating heart of the eccentric family unit. A retired stage actress who relishes the spotlight, she’s dramatic and outlandish. Her precocious adult children, Sorel and Simon, happily stand in as her supporting actors, taking great pride in their practiced eccentricities. Actors Gabriella Campagna (great casting, as she and Ms. Cline very closely resemble one another in physicality and manner) and Bobby Peterson (debuting here but recently seen in Coward’s “Tonight at 8:30” at Guild Hall) absolutely nail it as the affected daughter and son. Husband David, ideally played with just the right touch of droll and dapper by Andrew Botsford, who shines in the role, is a novelist intent on finishing his latest creation. But first, some fun.
Eager to share their theatrical gifts with the world, the Blisses each invite a houseguest out for the weekend. Blissfully (intended wordplay, I’m sure) unaware of all but their own desires, the family then sets about amusing themselves, all the while peripherally juggling attempts to draw in and simultaneously repel the others.
Judith invites boxing boy toy Sandy Tyrell (Anthony Famulari) as a romantic diversion. She soon casts him aside for appropriately staid Richard Greatham (Matthew Conlon), who was supposed to be her daughter’s love interest. Similar setups occur when David and Simon swap partners. Take-charge Myra Arundel (Jane Cortney), invited by Simon, sets her sights on the successful writer father while the shy/out-of-her-league Jackie Coryton (Amanda Griemsmann) gets pushed aside by the patriarch and snatched up by his effete son.
Charismatic and engaging at first glance, the Blisses start to wear thin rather quickly. All the world’s a stage for the family of four, whether it wants to be or not.
“We’re a beastly family and I hate us,” says Sorel after a spirited parlor game, which ends in drama, greatly enjoyed by the Blisses. Not so much the guests.
“Posing self-centered egotists, artificial to the point of lunacy,” says Myra of the Blisses before she and her fellow travellers plot to escape their insufferable hosts.
Witness to it all is Clara, Judith’s former dresser-turned maid, played with effective aplomb by Diana Marbury, who also directs this pleasing production.
As with the leads, the supporting cast here is marvelous. Each embodies the character with style and wit. Well done to the actors, who kept the audience—including this reviewer—engaged, entertained and amused during the Memorial Day weekend Sunday afternoon sold-out performance.
Other standouts for “Hay Fever” include the stage set, lighting and costumes, which are always Broadway quality at the Quogue Community Hall. Bravo to Ms. Marbury, set designer Peter Tolin-Baker, lighting designer Sebastian Paczynski, costume designer Teresa Lebrun, and stage manager Chrissie DePierro. And to the rest of the production staff as well. Excellent work.
Coward wrote “Hay Fever” after a visit to the New York home of over-the-top stage actress Laurette Taylor (who later went on to become the original Amanda in Tennessee Williams’ “The Glass Menagerie”) and her husband, playwright Hartley Manners. This vivacious and vivid three-act play is grandiose, showy, and at times histrionic and ridiculous. It’s precisely the type of drawing-room comedy that works here on the East End. Go see it.
Hampton Theatre Company’s production of “Hay Fever” is staging at the Quogue Community Hall through Sunday, June 7. For tickets and additional information, visit www.hamptontheatre.org.
Dawn Watson on May 27, 2015