Concert: Hay Fever

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You must have heard the age old Shakespearean adage 'All the world's a stage'. In 'Hay Fever' you can meet characters who bring this adage to life. These characters live their lives as if they are on stage, and lend a degree of truism to the aforementioned adage. Written by the drollest of playwrights, this Noel Coward play easily, gets the laugh out of the viewer. Though, its characters are outlandish, in every sense of the word, the play is not. It uses these dysfunctional characters to create a farce that is intellectually taut and gives you a reason to think as well as laugh. Those theatre enthusiasts, who are looking for a classic comedy to tickle their theatrical taste buds, will do no wrong if they give this play a look into. So, get your tickets, sit back, and laugh out loud.

Hay Fever is a comedy that is an almost trivial in its scope, but reaches tremendous heights through the writing ability of Coward and its performing star cast. It is about an ill-mannered family that has an inherent flair for the dramatic. The head of the family is David Bliss, a novelist who spends a large part of his time upstairs. But, he is just the titular head of the family, the real power rest with Judith, his wife who has just retired from the stage, but has never stopped performing. Their family is rounded off by two adult children, both talented and lazy, who have both inherited their mother's erstwhile dispositions.

The play is set in 1920s England, and so there is a good bit of garden touring, and tea-drinking taking place at the Bliss home, with very little work. One Saturday, unbeknownst to the others, each family member invites a visitor for the weekend. There are party games other social interactions, but the 'Blisses' are consumed by themselves. No Bliss cares about his or her invited guest and not surprisingly cares even less about those invited by the members of the family. The guests are flummoxed by their behavior and little do they know what lies in store for them. A melodramatic whirl, is what the family lives in and the guests realize that for the family reality blurs with their theatrical performances.

This classic play stars Dame Judi Dench and Peter Bowles with some taut direction by Sir Peter Hall. The performances are all likable with Dench's ultra dramatic, and withering look is priceless. The Director keeps things moving at a good space lacing this taut direction with fast one-liners and memorable eccentric characters.

All in all 'Hay Fever" is about anything and nothing. But if you scratch deep enough it is all about the incongruity between the way wealthy people appear and their actual behaviour. But it all depends on the audience whether they want to scratch the surface or not. Otherwise you can just enjoy the performances with a gay abandon and enjoy a play that does not tax your mind. So if you are in the mood for an outlandish comedy, go get your tickets for the play. Assuredly you won't be disappointed.