What do the Grandes Dames of the theatre do when they finally withdraw from the limelight? If Noël Coward is to be believed, they retire to the Berkshire countryside, where their overindulged children engage in sketching and punting while their husbands churn out racy novels. This then is the life of the Bliss family in Coward’s Hay Fever. Their bohemian daily routine of arguing, flouncing out, and making up again is disrupted one weekend when each of the four family members independently invites a – relatively normal – guest to the house. The play then documents the astonished and occasionally outraged reactions of the visitors to the excesses of the far from domestic Blisses.

While there is not a single weak performance in this production, the undoubted star of the show is Val Shelley as faded ingénue and matriarch Judith Bliss. By turns wistful, sarcastic, wounded, and playful – but always oh so theatrical, darling – Shelley’s commanding performance makes Judith the centre of attention whenever she is on stage. She is well supported by her equally dramatic children, Simon (Matthew Fifeld) and Sorel (Anna Griffiths), and her husband David (Stephen Briggs). The artistic temperaments of the family are contrasted by the down-to-earth guests, notably Elena Wright as the flirty Myra Arundel and David Robertson as straightforward diplomat Richard Greatham, who eventually find common cause with public school sportsman Sandy Tyrell (Charlie Vicary) and nice-but-dim flapper Jackie Coryton (Becca Hare). The cast is completed by a delightful performance from Erin Burns as Judith’s former theatrical dresser-turned-housekeeper Clara. Credit must also go to director Debs McKenna for making good use of the Unicorn Theatre’s small stage and for keeping the action light and fast paced, and to her crew for the set design and costumes, which perfectly evoke the 1920s.

While Hay Fever perhaps lacks the biting wit of Coward’s later plays and has little plot to speak of, it is highly enjoyable with plenty of laughs, and the Studio Theatre Club have done ‘The Master’ proud.

Review provided by a member of the Studio Theatre Club:

Saw this show last night - it was great fun!

A delightful theatre, with some lovely 1920s set dressing and costumes giving the show a charming look. Add to that a talented cast with no weak links and Coward's sparklingly witty script - it was a fine way to pass a couple of hours!

If you have an evening spare this week (it's on until Saturday), then it's definitely worth ambling along to the Unicorn Theatre to catch a spot of 'Hay Fever'.