True to form, the Company of Ten gets its new season underway at the Abbey Theatre in St Albans with a light-hearted crowd-pleaser from that master of comedy, Noël Coward. 

Hay Fever, one of Coward’s earliest works, is a play which even director Alison Wright admits has no real plot as some critics said when it was first performed in 1925. 

But that does not matter because Alison’s astute direction and a first rate cast make it a pleasure to watch. 

Played out on the Company of Ten’s usual excellent set and with the cast dressed in authentic twenties costumes, it is a real throwback to the period when it was written. 

It centres on the Bliss family, each of whom has invited a guest to stay at their country home for the weekend. 

But from the minute the guests arrive, it is clear that they are second to the family dynamic to such an extent that when the visitors decide enough is enough, the family barely notices their departure. 

The key character is retired actress Judith Bliss for whom life is but a stage on which she is the leading character. Celia Roberts is marvellous in the role, responding to every nuance of the action in theatrical over-the-top fashion. 

Grace Carson and Chris Vincent as her offspring Sorel and Simon respectively are the embodiment of spoilt children who can act just as theatrically as their mother when the situation arises. 

Patriarch David Bliss, played by Ben Fricke, has a more minor role but comes into his own in his scenes with the delightful Sarah Hudson as sophisticated good-time girl Myra Arundel. 

Harrison Huntley as Sandy Tyrell, Clive Pullen as Richard Greatham as Clive Pullan and Amy Wedgwood as Jacky Coryton capture just the right amount of disbelief about what they have been lured into. 

And I particularly liked put-upon maid Clara, played by Shelley Bacall, who unashamedly resents the weekend interlopers for the extra work they make her. 

As you would expect from a play written in 1924, Hay Fever is not hilarious by today’s standards. But it has a steady vein of humour which Alison and her talented team nurture throughout with a combination of spot-on timing and clever emphasis. 

Hay Fever runs until Saturday, September 21 and tickets can be obtained from the box office on 01727 857861 or go to www.abbeytheatre.org.uk.