Christine Baranski and Richard E Grant to star in West End revival of Noel Coward's Hay Fever

Christine Baranski will make her West End debut this September in a new production of Noel Coward's comedy Hay Fever, calling the opportunity a 'dream come true.' The 73-year-old actress, known for The Good Wife and Mamma Mia!, will perform alongside Richard E Grant at London's Wyndham's Theatre for a 12-week run starting September 22. Baranski explained that her filming schedule previously prevented theater work, but finishing HBO's The Gilded Age in mid-August creates an opening. She has studied Coward's plays extensively, having performed in Fumed Oak, Private Lives, and Blithe Spirit. Grant returns to the West End after two decades, describing Baranski as 'sensational.' Director Emily Burns will helm the production by Wessex Grove and Gavin Kalin Productions. Baranski noted her theater roots, having begun as a stage actress before television roles in Cybill transformed her career. Hay Fever premiered 101 years ago and features a lead character inspired by Broadway star Laurette Taylor, whom Coward met in 1921. Taylor's husband Hartley Manners provided additional inspiration for the 'comedy of appalling manners.' Baranski emphasized her love for Coward's 'quicksilver delivery' and classical dialogue. The play follows the Bliss family's chaotic weekend with unannounced guests. Felicity Kendal last played Judith Bliss in the 2015 West End production.