Wyndham’s theatre, London Grant brings shock-haired vigour as a vain novelist forced to welcome his boho children’s surprise guests in comedy of clipped social embarrassment Hay Fever, now one of Noël Coward’s best-known and most-performed works, hasn’t always been a smash hit. British critics who found its West End debut in 1925 amusing enough nevertheless noted its lack of plot, and the first Broadway production was a flop. A critic for Vogue called it “funny in places”, which sounds like the kind of stinging putdown you’d expect from the playwright’s own hand. A century of performances have proved the play’s lasting power, but its comic effect has always lain less in the words as written than their delivery – it is, after all, about a family that is “artificial to the point of lunacy”. At their centre is diva Judith Bliss, who has retired from the stage to take up the role of country hostess. When she, her husband and their self-consciously bohemian childre...
This year features two Ashes series, a Lions tour to Australia and the 2025 Euros Novak Djokovic will be aiming to begin the new year by doing something he failed to do throughout 2024 – win a grand slam title. It is a somewhat remarkable drought for an athlete of Djokovic’s standards which in part explains why he has asked Andy Murray to coach him in Melbourne . The partnership should make for a fascinating dynamic, on and off court, but may well not prove strong enough to see the Serb secure a record-breaking 25th slam given the form of reigning champion and world No 1, Jannik Sinner. In the women’s draw, Aryna Sabalenka will be seeking to win the title for a third time in a row. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/pDyTWN0 via IFTTT