Hay Fever at The Royal Exchange 1st July - 9th August 2008

In Theatre

Ben Keaton as novelist David in Noel Coward

Written after a weekend holiday at the home of actress Laurette Taylor, Hay Fever shows Noel Coward's genius for piercing satire to its fullest extent.

When each member of the Bliss family invites a guest home for the weekend, they are delighted. Who wouldn't be charmed at the idea of spending a weekend with glamorous (and recently retired) actress Judith, her novelist husband David and their eccentric children Sorel and Simon? But the guests get more than they bargained for as each member of the family determines to outdo the others and the weekend dissolves in a hilarious flood of melodrama, flirtation and confusion...

Following from his recent success in Cyrano de Bergerac, Ben Keaton stars alongside Belinda Lang (best known for her role in 2.4 Children) and Lysette Anthony (seen in Woody Allen's Husbands and Wives) in this made-for-summer production. The play follows the beautifully styled production of The Vortex shown at the theatre in 2007, mirroring Coward's career as Hay Fever premiered a year after the success of The Vortex in 1924.

Directed by artistic producer Greg Hersov, Hay Fever promises to be one of the summer's most deliciously funny nights out.