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Hay Fever at Wyndham's: Richard E Grant and Christine Baranski lead Coward revival

Emily Burns's revival of Noël Coward's Hay Fever, starring Richard E Grant and Christine Baranski, has opened at Wyndham's Theatre, London. Reviewers praise Grant; The Guardian is more mixed on Baranski and the opening-night timing.

2 outlets · 1L · 0C · 1R First reported Account updated
Image: City A.M.
Image: The Guardian

1 / 2

The story, neutrally told

Emily Burns's production of Noël Coward's comedy Hay Fever, starring Richard E Grant as the novelist David Bliss and Christine Baranski as his wife Judith, has opened at Wyndham's Theatre in London. The play is set in the Blisses' Berkshire country house, where Judith, David and their children Sorel and Simon each invite a surprise guest for the weekend, and the guests are drawn into the family's self-absorbed squabbling. The cast also includes Nancy Carroll as Myra, Will Close as Simon, Ophelia Lovibond as Sorel, Charles Edwards as a visiting diplomat and Ash Hunter as the amateur boxer Sandy Tyrell.

City A.M.'s Adam Bloodworth called Grant "obviously perfect" for the part and "delicious", noting that Grant had not previously starred in a Coward play, though he said Grant's other roles, including Saltburn and Withnail & I, have tended to typecast him. The Guardian's Emma John said Grant brings his "trademark shock-haired vigour" to David and noted that he seems to be having a "heyday of robe-and-slipper roles". The two reviews differ on Baranski: City A.M. said she brings "heft and hilarity" and a flawless English accent, while The Guardian said her technically sound RP accent "oddly constrains her" and that Judith lacks enough "vitality" to make sense of the blow-ups.

The Guardian singled out Ophelia Lovibond's Sorel as the most vital character, praised Frankie Bradshaw's set and some of Burns's staging, and said that comic timing was not yet fully up and running on the first of multiple press nights, though the second half was stronger. City A.M. said the first half is fairly pedestrian and that by the interval one may think Coward outdated, but argued the play rewards patience and that Coward remains "our best chronicler of the family bust-up". The Guardian recalled that the play's 1925 West End debut drew comments about its lack of plot and that its first Broadway production flopped, while City A.M. noted Maggie Smith played Judith at the Old Vic in 1964; the production runs at Wyndham's until 12 December.

Every sentence links to the reporting it rests on.

Left1 outlet

Framing
A measured review that praises the set, staging and Grant, but questions Baranski's casting choices and notes uneven comic timing on press night.
Emphasis
Ensemble, design and direction; Sorel as the standout; the play's mixed early history.
Leaves out or plays down
Does not cover Ash Hunter's Sandy Tyrell or the 1964 Old Vic production.
Charged language
“shock-haired vigour”“robe-and-slipper roles”
For example
“He brings his trademark shock-haired vigour to the narcissist-novelist David” — The Guardian
“a technically sound RP oddly constrains her” — The Guardian

Centre0 outlets

No centre outlet in our sources has covered this story yet.

Right1 outlet

Framing
An enthusiastic review led by Grant's casting, presenting the play as still relevant to modern life, with only a slow first half as a reservation.
Emphasis
Grant and Baranski as stars; the play's contemporary resonance; Coward's family bust-ups.
Leaves out or plays down
Does not mention the production's design or the timing problems the Guardian notes; no criticism of Baranski.
Charged language
“posho”“poshos”“delicious”“perfect for Coward”
For example
“Richard E Grant is obviously perfect for the feverishly privileged, short tempered David” — City A.M.
“Coward is still more than capable of summing up our 21st century idiosyncrasies” — City A.M.