Comedy is not to be sniffed at

12:17pm Thursday 26th June 2008

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NOEL Coward famously described his comedy Hay Fever as being a play about nothing in particular.

“But he also said it has to be played by experts, because it’s to do with timing and great lines,” says actor Ben Keaton, who is about to appear in the revival of this theatrical favourite at Manchester’s Royal Exchange.

The quietly spoken Dubliner is playing the role of aspiring writer David Bliss alongside Belinda Lang who appears as his stage wife Judith. Many people will remember her as the harassed housewife Bill Porter from the BBC sitcom 2 Point 4 Children, although, in reality, she’s had a long and highly varied career treading the boards. Rather like Ben himself, who’s also ventured into sitcom territory in the shape of that classic from Emerald Isle, Father Ted.

Returning to the plot of Hay Fever, David and Judith are part of an eccentric family who end up inviting guests to their home, only to treat them, according to Ben, “immensely badly.”

“Every member of the family has invited down somebody they rather fancy for one reason or another, much to the annoyance of the other members of the family. There’s a lot of partner swapping and the guests just get used as fodder,” adds Belinda.

Noel Coward is so revered in theatrical circles that he’s known as “The Master” and Belinda says his influence is there for all to see in more contemporary writers. However, I was rather taken aback by the first name that sprang to her lips.

“In rehearsals we were talking about how much he interviewed Pinter, bizarrely, but he definitely did. There’s an element of Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf in the play as well,” she says.

Ben agrees, while stressing that Hay Fever doesn’t have the bitterness running through it that’s so prevalent in Virgina Woolf.

“Our characters do love each other but there are games that they play as well,” he says.

Belinda believes that her sitcom experience will stand her in good stead for this play because playing Bill Porter required a “high energy” approach to acting. Neither of them have any plans to do any more sitcoms in the immediate future, but they both think TV comedy is in a healthy state.

* The Royal Exchange Theatre presents Hay Fever by Noel Coward from July 1 to August 9 at 7.30pm, including matinees. Tickets are available from 0161 833 9833.