For year 27 of the Free Classic Series, Coronado audiences will be transported to England to meet the outrageous and opinionated Bliss family in Noël Coward’s Hay Fever. In this biting script, a quiet vacation goes awry when David and Judith Bliss’s children Simon and Sorel crash their holiday, bringing along unassuming guests. A torrid game of charades, a whirlwind engagement, and dramatic fainting all occur in a single act!
The vain characters’ emotive personalities and curt bickering play against the atmosphere of English high society in this layered comedy. The self-absorbed Bliss family fails to recognize their own petulant behaviors as the weekend unravels.
“I am taking the Hay Fever that was set 98 years ago and bringing it into 2023,” says Director Hannah Meade, “complete with social media and all of the modern-day validation dopamine hits. The Bliss family is completely ego driven (in all of its forms) and I feel that fits perfectly in our inherited 2023 world!”
A cross between high farce and a comedy of manners, the play is set in an English country house and deals with the four eccentric members of the Bliss family and their outlandish behavior when they each invite a guest to spend the weekend. “Each of the guests finds themselves caught in these wildly outrageous love triangles,” continues Meade. The self-centered behavior of the hosts finally drives their guests to flee while the Blisses are so engaged in a family row that they do not notice their guests’ furtive departure. “A huge theme in this play is vanity – especially witnessed through the Blisses,” explains Meade, “which is one of the reasons I wanted to push it into modern-day because, if nothing else, we as a human race have found many more ways to receive that external approval.”
Coronado Playhouse offers the Free Classics Series to the public with a grant from the City of Coronado. Season subscribers receive reserved seats. Patrons can reserve up to five tickets free of charge. It’s important to release tickets if you are unable to attend to make available for other patrons. Schools and organizations can contact our Box Office to reserve large groups.
To learn more about tickets or sponsorships, contact the box office at 619-435-4856 or go to our website at CoronadoPlayhouse.org.
