A Play About “Nothing” From Another Time
By Skip Sheffield
Sir Noel Coward anticipated Jerry Seinfeld by 70 years or
more. His 1925 comedy “Hay Fever” is a play about “nothing.”
“Hay Fever” opens the Summer Repertory at FAU and continues
through June 26 in the Studio One Theater.
Director Jean-Louis Baldet admitted as much when he said “it
has no plot and remarkably little action.” This is a comedy of manners where
words and subtle human interactions are everything.
The setting is the grand Bliss Family House in Cookham,
England, June 1925. Judith Bliss is a retired actress who still yearns for
bright lights and adoring audiences. She is played by Equity Actress Kathryn L.
Johnson, whose first appearance at FAU’s Summer Rep dates back to 2006. She is
now a faculty member and assistant professor of voice, speech and accents.
Fellow Guest Equity Artist Barry Tarallo plays patriarch
David Bliss, who evidently is a novelist but does little else in the way of
work.
Mr. And Mrs. Bliss are what we call “idle rich.” They enjoy
little dalliances with younger characters to spice up their life.
The first jolt to the Bliss idyllic weekend is a visit by
their quarrelsome grown children Sorel (Samantha Kaufman) and Simon (Jordan
Armstrong). Each of the kids has romantic assignations in mind, but as the
house fills with guests that becomes increasingly difficult.
These visitors are Sandy Tyrell (Ross Frawley) a fawning
admirer of Mrs. Bliss; Independent-minded Myra Arundel (Kimberlee Connor), who
is Simon’s best girlfiend; Richard Greatham (Connor Padilla), a callow youth
who fancies Myra, and Jackie Coryton (Brianna Handy), a naïf who gets caught in
the crossfire.
Keeping her head while all others are losing theirs is
stalwart, all-knowing family maid Clara (Shannon Ouellette).
“Hay Fever” takes place in three acts: Saturday afternoon as
guests arrive and introduce themselves; after a 15-minute intermission Saturday
Evening, when things get complicated, and Sunday morning, which is the funniest
scene, as guests attempt to discreetly flee their hosts.
“Hay Fever” is an ideal actor’s exercise, which is probably
why Baldet chose this piece. Each gets to try out a British accent and
embellish the peccadilloes of their characters. The costumes and set are of
professional quality, which enhances the illusion of an English country manor.
There are no major tragedies or great life lessons learned. “Hay Fever” is a
pleasant diversion from our unlovely everyday life; an old-fashioned idyll, if
you will.
Tickets are $20 general admission; $15 FAU faculty, staff
and alumni and $12 students. Call 800-564-9539 or 561-297-6124.
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