Hay Fever Review"You'll want to catch Ann Arbor Civic Theatre's 'Hay Fever'"By Jenn McKee The thing about melodramatic people is, no matter how rational and grounded you may be, it’s nearly impossible to avoid getting caught up at times in the frenzied version of reality they create. (And yes, I speak from experience.) This principle of human nature is on witty display in Noel Coward’s “Hay Fever,” now being staged by Ann Arbor Civic Theatre. Focusing on the bohemian family of retired actress Judith Bliss (Wendy Katz Hiller) - which includes novelist husband David (Rich Roselle), and arguably grown children Sorel (Katie Meiners) and Simon (Ricky Herbert) - “Fever” shows what happens when four unwitting guests come to the family’s country estate and find themselves, in turns, being rudely ignored and aggressively seduced by the Blisses. Director Wendy Wright oversees this snappily-paced-yet-unhurried production, which runs two hours and 15 minutes (with 2 intermissions). Coward’s work, of course, is famously dialogue-dense - or as one patron put it, “It’s really talky-talky, isn’t it?” - and while there were a few minor traffic accidents regarding line cues on “Hay Fever”’s opening night, A2CT’s well-cast ensemble generally does impressive justice to Coward’s script, English accents and all. For while the playwright himself noted that “Hay Fever” didn’t have much in the way of a conventional plot, what it does have is an irresistibly appealing sense of fun. Just watching the play’s first act unfold reminded me precisely how masterfully and smartly Coward works in necessary exposition while simultaneously moving a play forward. But even the best scripts must be well-executed - I’d wager that most of us have been to productions of Coward plays during which we never laughed once - and thanks partly to Wright’s guidance, nearly every actor on stage finds multiple opportunities to earn real laughs. For example, Erin S. Dion’s giggly anxiety in the face of the family’s (and the servant’s) disregard upon her arrival at the house conveys precisely how unnerving it is to have subtle conventions and courtesies upended. And Hiller’s seduction of Sorel’s guest, a diplomat named Richard (Rob Roy), is wonderfully deliberate, aggressive, and over-the-top, as are her pronouncements upon learning her son and daughter are reportedly “in love” with two other guests. For his part, Roy offers terrific moments of comic bewilderment when Richard is suddenly spurned by Judith mid-seduction, and later gets to flex his physical humor muscles in the third act. Finally, Meiners and Herbert play off one another marvelously as a petulant, self-absorbed pair of children who are still powerfully focused on putting on a big show for their drama queen mama. Despite some puckering here and there on the walls, and the use of pale pink as the backdrop (such a bland color seems incongruous to the Bliss family’s mien), Cathy Cassar’s set, outfitted with Charlie Sutherland’s props, effectively brings the Blisses’ tasteful country home to life. Meanwhile, Debra Reichard’s flapper era costumes, and Marilyn Gouin’s hair and wig design, place us more solidly within the roaring ‘20s. At one point in the first act, after Sorel’s guest Richard arrives at the house, Sorel says something like, “I’m afraid you’ll be bored here.” But even this early on in the play, the line smacks of false humility. For it’s hard to imagine anyone, be she houseguest or audience member, ever growing bored when such outsized personalities are in perpetual high-drama mode. Jenn McKee is the entertainment digital journalist for AnnArbor.com. |