Article:10027; Posted: July 25, 2015 at 1:00 p.m.

A weekend in the country may sound blissfully relaxing, unless you have “Hay Fever,” which in the Noel Coward vocabulary is a hilariously over-blown reaction to the pollen of melodrama exuded by the self-absorbed Bliss family. Hope Summer Repertory Theatre’s final show of the season is a perfect example of a play that’s still sparking laughter 90 years after its debut.

You know how some people can spin a personal problem into a cyclone, sucking in unsuspecting bystanders? Such high drama isn’t just a product of today’s minute-by-minute Facebook posts and media obsession with bad-mannered celebrities. It’s the sort of story Coward spins in his 1925 comedy.

Unbeknownst to each other, the four members of the Bliss family – novelist David, his retired actress wife Judith and their equally expressive grown children Sorel and Simon – have each invited a weekend guest to their home in the English countryside. But the unflappable housekeeper Clara welcomes each newcomer with the sort of ease that suggests surprises are routine in this household.

The play’s pace is very much the traditional 1920s three-act, although director Louis Rackoff has wisely eliminated the break between the second and third act. The opening act dawdles a bit by today’s standards introducing the crazy family members and their befuddled guests – Judith’s theater friend Sandy, the suspiciously vampy Myra, the diplomatic diplomat Richard and the painfully shy Jackie.

The comedy cyclone spins into full-force in the second act as the family and their guests play a parlor game and then pair up for games of romantic intrigue. No wonder by the next morning each guest is eager to escape while the Bliss family is still spinning in its own narcissistic world.

Susan Ericksen is perfect as the flamboyant, but –always-in-control Judith. Mark Kincaid has a nice touch as the debonair David, though the character isn’t on stage as much as I would have liked. Shannon Huneryager does a wonderful job of taking the small role of the housekeeper and making it shine with toe-tapping glee. The same is true of Kira Alsum who radiates discomfort as the shy Jackie. All the remaining cast members – Lucie DeSancy, Connor Briggs, Nosh Bridgestock, Ashlee Elizabeth Bashore and Kristopher Kuss – make excellent contributions to the witty whirlwind.

Director Rackoff makes good use of long pauses in the dialogue, when no one knows what to say, interrupted by perfectly timed bursts of characters speaking at once. He also has hilarious staging, such as the distinguished David riding around on a child’s tricycle or using the tricycle and a child’s rocking horse as acceptable guest seating for an otherwise formal tea with china cups and saucers.

The tricycle and rocking horse are part of an inspired set by Joe Flauto. The comfortably appointed cottage living room opens into a beautifully framed outdoor patio which becomes the stage for more than one pantomimed scene behind the main-stage action. The proscenium of this second stage is framed with paintings of harlequins and comedy/tragedy masks. The main set piece is a large fainting couch perfect for Judith, Sorel or Myra to arrange tempting reclines, and appropriate for fainting or other falls.

Kudos to sound designer Jeffrey Levin for the Chinese gong doorbell that creates its own anticipatory comedy. Kathryn Wagner’s costumes from Judith’s sparking evening dress to Myra’s deeply pleated, hip-hugging gown and Jackie’s eye-hiding cloche were perfect complements to all the dramatic excesses.

Between the British accents and the melodramatic acting style, I fear I missed the subtlety of many of Noel Coward’s well-written lines. But the audience was enjoying themselves. This is one “Hay Fever” you don’t mind catching.

SHOW DETAILS:
Hay Fever
Hope Summer Repertory Theatre
DeWitt Stage, 141 E. 12th St., Holland
July 24, 25, 27, 29, 31 and August 4, 6
Evenings at 8:00 p.m.
$25.00-$30.00
616-395-7890
Hope.edu/hsrt