REVIEW
The Clarendon Players Hay Fever Memorial Hall, Royal Wootton Bassett
The Clarendon Players' entertaining production of Noel Coward's Hay Fever is directed by Rosemary Crayford, with technical direction by Dick Clark. The play benefits from an attractive, well constructed set and good individual performances that won first night acclaim on Thursday.
The superficiality and contrived emotions of the Bliss family increasingly perturb weekend guests at their riverside cottage in Cookham. Even an after-dinner word game disintegrates in discord.
Karen Smith is delightfully zany as Judith, who has retired from the stage but not from expressing drama in all aspects of life. She is well partnered by the more stable David, a novelist. Beccie Foxwell - wonderful as their ebullient daughter Sorel - and Ben Hart as son Simon, have both invited people to stay, unaware that their parents expect guests.
Alistair Aitken as Sandy Tyrell, Wendy Mitchell as Myra Arundel, Neil Edwards as Richard Greatham and Fiona Jacobs as Jackie Coryton are enmeshed in a country weekend beyond all expectations.
Paula Clifford as Clara, the maid, copes stoically with the deficiencies of the wildly dysfunctional household.
Classic moments of mayhem and peculiar personal encounters drive the guests to distraction. Don't miss this classic Coward comedy, on until Saturday March 17.
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