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Regional Reviews: Washington, D.C. Hay Fever
The laughs begin before the actors even appear with John Coyne's scenic design, which incorporates theatrical posters, antlers, a tambourine, sports equipment, untidy stacks of books everywhere, even a taxidermied ostrich. This is the English country home of Judith Bliss (Valerie Leonard), a great lady of the stage; her husband David (Matt Sullivan), a novelist; son Simon (Chris Dinolfo), an aspiring artist; and daughter Sorel (Audrey Bertaux), an outrageous "bright young thing" in London society. The Blisses drive each other crazy with their histrionics and bizarrely out-of-context pronouncements, and they are horrified to discover that each of them—unknown to the others—has invited a guest for the same weekend. Sandy Tyrell (Jon Hudson Odom) is a young athlete besotted with Judith; Myra Arundel (Beth Hylton), a calculating divorcee whom Simon loves; Richard Greatham (Michael Russotto), a pompous "diplomatist" who has caught Sorel's eye; and Jackie Coryton (Susan Lynskey), a rather vapid flapper whom David has invited "for research purposes" because he wants to base a character on her. Director Eleanor Holdridge has worked with her actors to cultivate the hothouse atmosphere of the Bliss family in all its eccentricities. (Where will the squeeze-bulb horn turn up next?) Sorel periodically complains about the lack of manners and her desire to be a wholesome, out-of-doors kind of young woman, but that's all part of the pose; when faced with the outside world, the Blisses stand together. Leonard commands the attention whenever she appears, whether kicking off a pair of galoshes or spontaneously going into character, but all four family members bring a heightened intensity to every line. Interestingly, Russotto and Lynskey have appeared opposite each other in the past, so they have a rapport that has nothing to do with their characters. Olney Theatre Center
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