The amuse-bouche upon entering the Performing Arts Theater for the UCSB Theater Department’s production of Hay Fever is the fine detail of the characters’ extravagant living room. Deco-era elegance is encased within lush, floral wallpaper, and a painted rug on the stage floor is as sharp and vibrant as stained glass. Set designer Maggie Welch’s bohemian take on a “proper” English sitting room is an ideal space for the wealthy Bliss family’s off-the-wall antics.
The play centers around the four members of family Bliss, who, unbeknownst to each other, have all invited a guest to stay for the weekend at their country estate. Aging actress (and apparent cougar) Judith Bliss is visited by an amorous young admirer while her husband, eccentric novelist David Bliss, is hosting a fledgling flapper from London. Both Bliss children are entertaining their own romantic targets. The interactions between these eight characters (punctuated by frequent visits from the exasperated maid) are constant exercises in histrionics as the Bliss family members (socially) torment their gaggle of guests.
Written by Noël Coward and directed by Julie Fishell, Hay Fever is a comic whirlwind of outrageous behavior that is deceptively difficult to pull off due to the necessity for quick, snappy dialogue and stylized physical comedy that feels at home way over the top. Phoebe Alva, as Judith, the family matriarch with a raging case of “main character syndrome,” sets a good pace with her constant, wild demands for attention, but there’s certainly room for the cast to run toward bigger, faster, and more outlandish.
Nevertheless, the actors seem to be having fun — I noticed many a delighted sparkle in the eye in response to the play’s ridiculous exploits. With the heavier, more academic work that accompanies a college education, it’s nice to see the actors kick up their heels for a likable comedy by a master playwright.