Clurman is a highly respected literary critic and theatrical director. In this review, he offers the opinion that Coward's play is a distinctly British work that holds little appeal for American audiences.
It was Shaw, I believe, who said that America and England were two countries separated by the same language. I thought of the remark at the performance of Noel Coward's 1925 play Hay Fever at the Helen Hayes Theatre. I am not a theatrical chauvinist, but it has struck me on several occasions that certain English plays had best be left to the English. Coward's plays are among them.
The trouble with the present revival of Hay Fever is not confined to its lack of English actors, but that is part of it. The proper way to speak Coward's lines is to appear.....
This is a free excerpt of 135 words. This section contains 451 words. This
study guide contains 12,774 words (approx. 43 pages at 300
words per page).
Read the rest of this Literature Guide with our Hay Fever Access Pass.
