Century-old comedy keeps going, resonating with audiences in 'Hay Fever' at Oyster Mill Playhouse | Center Stage | fox43.com
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Century-old comedy keeps going, resonating with audiences in 'Hay Fever' at Oyster Mill Playhouse | Center Stage

Written in the 1920s, the age-old story of wealthy people behaving badly continues to humor audiences 100 years later.

CAMP HILL, Pa. — Full of arguments, romantic escapades and more, Noel Coward's "Hay Fever" continues to make audiences laugh from its origins in 1924 and original run in 1925.

"One hundred years later, you still have the rich behaving badly and it's always fascinating," said Stephanie Trudenic, who plays Judith Bliss in the play.

And while a century old, cast members say it certainly doesn't feel it.

"It still has a modern-day sensibility to it, even though it was written a hundred years ago," said Craig Copus, who plays David Bliss. 

These two cast members also have a personal history with the play. Trudenic saw the play with her husband more than 20 years ago and "Hay Fever" was the first play in which Craig Corpus ever took part.

"I played the younger kid back then," Corpus said. "That's happening a lot where I keep revisiting plays but now I'm the father."

"They are just so blatant and they don't try to hide they are bad-mannered," Trudenic said. "That's just their life and Judith is the ring leader of that. It's hysterical."

And while not a show really meant to take a big message away from, the play serves as a showpiece itself best, and sometimes only seen best, on a local stage.

"[Noel Coward] was a master of making fun of himself and society at large, kicking apart of these stereotypes of the upper class," Corpus said.  "It's not something you're going to see at the movies, on TV but you can still go to your local community theatre and see this classic piece being done and being done well."

Holly Landis, who plays Sorrel in the show, talked more about the themes and her favorite part of the performance in the live interview below:

Performances of "Hay Fever" at Oyster Mill Playhouse in East Pennsboro Township, Cumberland County continue through May 26th. For more information, visit the theatre's website.

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