Baranski, Grant to star in Hay Fever West End revival
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- Christine Baranski will make her West End debut starring as Judith Bliss in a revival of Noël Coward’s Hay Fever at Wyndham’s theatre, 22 September–12 December.
- Richard E Grant will co‑star as Judith Bliss’s novelist husband, returning to Wyndham’s after a 25‑year gap and after recent film roles in The Thursday Murder Club, 100 Nights of Hero and Nuremberg.
- Emily Burns directs the production, bringing acclaim from recent Royal Shakespeare Company work.
- Baranski is a two‑time Tony winner (Best Featured Actress, The Real Thing, 1984; Rumors, 1989) and has Broadway credits in Hurlyburly (1985) and Boeing‑Boeing (2008).
- Grant previously played a publisher in Simon Gray’s Otherwise Engaged at the Criterion theatre in 2005, marking his first high‑profile stage return since then.
- Hay Fever is a 1925 Noël Coward comedy described by Baranski as a “101‑year‑old comedy of appalling manners” requiring “quicksilver delivery and suave flamboyance.”
- Fallen Angels at Menier Chocolate Factory is among a recent surge of Coward revivals, alongside Easy Virtue, The Rat Trap and two Manchester productions of Private Lives.
Why it matters: London theatres gain a marquee draw as Baranski’s West End debut and Grant’s return attract audiences, while the surge of Coward revivals signals renewed demand for classic British comedies, potentially boosting box‑office receipts for Wyndham’s and similar venues, reinforcing the West End’s reputation for high‑profile revivals.
