Noel Coward’s Hay Fever

You are cordially invited to the weekend from hell.

• The Place: Cookham.
  
• The Time: June 1925
  
• Your Hosts: The Bliss Family

Noel Coward’s classic comedy Hay Fever is set in the Thames-side country house of Judith Bliss, incandescent star of the London stage, who is now sampling the mixed blessings of early retirement with her family.

The Bliss family have invited various guests to stay the weekend – Judith has a fan coming to stay, Sandy Tyrell; her husband, David, a novelist, has a young flapper girl, Jackie Coryton, visiting in order to study her ‘in domestic surroundings’ for his next novel; Judith’s daughter, Sorel has a diplomat, Richard Greatham; and Judith’s son, Simon has invited Myra Arundel. Unfortunately none has told any of the others that they’ve invited a guest for the weekend…