In the spirit of eight degrees of separation, I once did a play with an old actor called Alton Harvey, who once did a show with Noel Coward. When I asked what he was like to work with, he told me a story I can’t repeat here. But it was from an era where being PC (Politically Correct) hadn’t been invented and cigarettes were an accessory de rigeur for every sophisticated socialite. So we were treated on Wednesday night to a step back in time of mannered speech and the fine line between poise and pose.
The directors note said that Coward abhorred plays with a message, and there is none, apart perhaps from Mother Bliss’ ironic answer to her son’s “What shall we do?”; “We shall just have to be nice to everybody.” It’s ironic because late in the play, in the funniest scene, we see all their visitors tip toeing a successful escape behind the entire family in usual argument! So what was it about? In Seinfeld Season 4, Ep 3, the writers probably thought they were being original talking about a script that was about “Nothing. It’s just conversation.” Well, many years earlier, so was this play. BUT, you didn’t mind. It was simply charming, even scrumptious and at times delightful! From the wonderful set , costumes and music, (it’s certainly unusual to see the Director, Rosane McNamara, also listed as Costume Coordinator), to the great performances of the ensemble cast, the whole production was lovingly presented.
Special mention must be made of Alice Livingstone, Jorja Brain and Tess Haubrich with stand out characterisations. But there were no weak links in this presentation. One can only hope you don’t recognise too much of your own family!
Well worth seeing. HAY FEVER plays at the New Theatre until November 2, 2013.
