Everything you need to know about 'Hay Fever'

Noël Coward's classic comedy of bad manners returns to the West End this autumn starring Christine Baranski and Richard E. Grant.

Summary

• Noël Coward's classic comedy was first performed in 1925
• Emily Burns's new production stars Christine Baranski and Richard E. Grant
• The show runs from 22 September to 12 December 2026 at Wyndham's Theatre

Have you heard that Hay Fever season is coming soon? Bless you – better stock up on tissues and antihistimines! No, it isn’t the pollen allergy we’re talking about here – it’s the 1925 comedy by Noël Coward about the Blisses and their houseguests. A staple of high comedy, Hay Fever has received many revivals since it was first performed in 1925 (101 years ago!), and its wit remains as fresh as ever.

Directed by Emily Burns, the new production coming this autumn stars The Good Fight’s Christine Baranski in her West End debut as the self-dramatising actress Judith Bliss. Richard E. Grant, one of the most distinctive British screen actors of his generation, takes the role of David, her husband and long-suffering consort.

The critic John Lahr called Hay Fever "the first and the finest of Coward’s major plays". There’ll be no runny noses or streaming eyes here – just lots of parlour games and witty escapism while watching charming yet maddening people behaving badly.

Book Hay Fever tickets on LondonTheatre.co.uk.

What is Hay Fever about?

Hay Fever is a comedy about the bohemian Bliss family. Judith is a recently retired actress; her husband David is a novelist, and they have two young adult children, Sorrel and Simon. One summer weekend, they all invite potential romantic interests to their country home. A few days of chaos ensues as relationships and flirtations get tangled up and all four Blisses go off the rails, triggering an allergic reaction in their guests.

Who wrote Hay Fever?

Hay Fever is by Noël Coward (1899-1971), who remains one of Britain’s most popular and wittiest playwrights and one of the leading voices of the flapper generation, as well as being a celebrated composer, lyricist, performer, and personality. Aside from Hay Fever, his other most successful works include The Vortex, Fallen Angels, Private Lives, Bitter Sweet, Present Laughter, and Blithe Spirit. He also penned the screenplays for In Which We Serve, This Happy Breed, and Brief Encounter.

Coward was knighted in 1970 and the former Albery Theatre (originally the New Theatre) on St Martin’s Lane was renamed in his honour in 2007.

When was Hay Fever first performed?

Hay Fever was first performed at the Ambassadors Theatre in June 1925 (when Coward was only 25) and then transferred to the Criterion and played for 384 performances in total. The production starred Marie Tempest as Judith Bliss. When it transferred to Broadway later in the same year, the production was led by Laura Hope Crews (best remembered as Aunt Pittypat in Gone with the Wind) as Ms Bliss and was rather less successful.

Is there a film version of Hay Fever?

To date, there hasn’t been a feature film adaptation of Hay Fever. However, there were television productions in 1960 and 1968 starring Edith Evans and Celia Johnson respectively (both now lost). In 1984, the BBC produced a Christmas special that reunited the late, great Penelope Keith and Paul Eddington (stars of the sitcom The Good Life) as the Blisses. It has also been adapted for radio on numerous occasions.

Where is Hay Fever being performed?

Hay Fever is being performed at Wyndham’s Theatre, Charing Cross Road. One of the West End’s most attractive theatres, the Wyndham’s seats approximately 759 audience members on three levels. Recent production at this venue have included Inter Alia, All My Sons, and Born with Teeth. To Kill a Mockingbird will play a limited run over the summer.

When is Hay Fever being performed?

Hay Fever will be performed from 22 September to 12 December 2026. Performances tale place from Monday to Saturday at 7:30pm, with matinees on Wednesdays and Saturdays at 2:30pm.

How long is Hay Fever?

Hay Fever will be approximately 2 hours, 20 minutes long, including an interval.

Who is in the Hay Fever cast?

Hay Fever is led by Christine Baranski as Judith Bliss and Richard E. Grant as David Bliss. The production marks Baranski’s West End debut. Baranski, known for her acerbic presence, is a two-time Tony winner (The Real Thing, Rumors) who is also known worldwide for her roles as Diane Lockhart in The Good Wife and The Good Fight, Agnes van Rhijn in The Gilded Age, and Tanya in Mamma Mia! and its sequel.

The debonair Richard E. Grant is forever known for Withnail and I and he was Oscar-nominated for Can You Ever Forgive Me? His recent credits include Saltburn, Nuremburg, and The Other Bennet Sister, and he will be part of The Celebrity Traitors this autumn. He last appeared in the West End in 2006, in a revival of Otherwise Engaged by Simon Gray.

Further casting is to be announced. There are many plum roles in this play – in the most recent West End revival, led by Lindsay Duncan and Jeremy Northam, Myra was played by Olivia Colman, Sorrel by a pre-Fleabag Phoebe Waller-Bridge, and Simon by Freddie Fox.

Who is in the Hay Fever creative team?

Hay Fever is directed by Emily Burns. Burns directed Jack Absolute Flies Again and Dear Octopus (which also charts a weekend in the country, helmed by a matriarch who was also originated by Marie Tempest and in Burns's revival played by a former Judith, Lindsay Duncan), at the National Theatre, and her other credits include Reykjavik at Hampstead Theatre and Love’s Labour’s Lost and Measure for Measure for the Royal Shakespeare Company.

Further creatives are to be announced.

Who are the characters in Hay Fever?

Hay Fever features the following cast of characters:

Judith Bliss: a self-absorbed actress, recently retired from the stage but plotting a return.
David Bliss: her writer husband, struggling with his latest book.
Sorrel Bliss: their daughter, who longs for excitement.
Simon Bliss: their son, an aspiring artist.
Myra Arundel: a vamp, invited by Simon.
Richard Greatham: a diplomat, invited by Judith.
Jackie Coryton: a flapper, invited by David.
Sandy Tyrell: a sporty young man, invited by Sorrel.
Clara: Judith’s former dresser, now housekeeper.

What are some fun facts about Hay Fever?

• Marie Tempest, the original Judith Bliss, began her career as a soprano in light opera and musical comedy before moving into straight acting. She was made a Dame in 1937. She also has a notable legacy as a founder of Equity, the actors’ union.
• The character was inspired by the American actress Laurette Taylor, who was known for her eccentricity, and, in 1944 originated the role of Amanda Wingfield in Tennessee Williams’s The Glass Menagerie.
• Celebrated Judith Blisses throughout the years include Edith Evans, Celia Johnson, Rosemary Harris, Geraldine McEwan, Maria Aitken, Stephanie Beacham, Judi Dench, and Felicity Kendal.
• The 1964 revival at Laurence Olivier’s National Theatre (directed by Coward himself) marked the first occasion that company staged a play by a living playwright and helped to restore Coward’s image for the Swinging Sixties.

Book Hay Fever tickets on LondonTheatre.co.uk.

Photo credit: Christine Baranski and Richard E. Grant. (Photos by Emilio Madrid and Pip Seed).