Hay Fever

1:23:56

Hay Fever - starring Michael Williams, Patricia Hayes...

trevurr

(4 Sterne)

A frothy production. It's hard to tell whether the performances by Judy Dench (Judith Bliss) and Celia Imrie are over-acting, or their interpretations of these two self indulgent women. Here, Celia Imrie's Myra Arundel happily reminds me of her priceless Charlotte Graves, the mesmerizingly awful sociopathic solipsist 'actor' youngest sister in Simon Brett's A1 sitcom ''No Commitments'' (BBC radio.) Michael Williams as usual subsumes himself into the part he plays - the father & fiction writer who understandably cares more about the cat ('Has zoe had any lunch?') than about his wife's serial ''affairs''. Judith Bliss is the same toe-curdling (sic) embarrassing type as the much darker chilling Mother in 'The Vortex'. Geoffrey Palmer, as an unfortunate guest ( 'a diplomatist' - ow! Simon -) manages to inflect his fairly colourless Richard, with a personality sufficiently attractive for us to sympathize & identify with - so that we as secret onlookers - can heartlessly laugh at the horrible experience of this weekend while being equally relieved we aren't part of it. Palmer is a top flight radio artist & never fails to convince. Patricia Hayes of course almost steals the show as Clara the 'old family retainer', qualifying the obligatory 'Sir', 'Miss' with 'dear', subtly nullifying any apparent respect with a patronizing familiarity - yet still with resigned affection. Sorrel, daughter of the house, admirably played by Alison Reid, shows a shaft of self awareness, & significantly an impulse to change 'for the better'. This is vital: most audiences need an intimation at least of some sort of change by the end of a play, otherwise the sensation leaving the theatre - even an armchair theatre, - is of a souffle that's imploded. Sort of thing. Or at least flat, doubtful analogies apart. Patricia Brake (Fletcher's memorable daughter in TV's 'Porridge') excels as Jackie, another guest-casualty of the weekend, hinting at more personality & certainly more aimiability than the self absorbed hosts' appalling treatment of Jackie allows to show. Of course 'Hay Fever' is very entertaining. But I suspect it has always remained in production because of its depths which are apparent at subsequent hearings and / or viewings. And its issues are timeless. stifling & irritating families, working from home, idling at home, aging, love, other family members' unwanted house guests, toothache, accepting an invitation then desperately wishing you had not... My heartfelt thanks to the clever and painstaking person or persons who by ''internet archiving'' these shows make them readily available to so many.