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About ‘Hay Fever’ and Noel Coward

We really enjoyed this play and this production marking its 100 year birthday! Noel was super-gay, and super-successful. He wrote ‘Hay Fever’ when he was 25,  and went on to become a cultural icon. Even more enjoyable was the Walnut Street Theatre itself (see some info below). Between this, the Bucks County Playhouse (New Hope, PA), and our beloved Music Mountain Theatre (Lambertville, NJ) we’re  never lacking great theater to see.

Noël Coward’s play “Hay Fever” is a perfect example of a comedy of manners, blending wit with farce to explore the chaotic dynamics of a bohemian family and their unsuspecting guests. Written in 1924 and first performed in 1925, the play centers around the Bliss family—a quartet of eccentric and self-absorbed individuals each obsessed with their own passions and pursuits. The family includes Judith, a retired actress; her husband David, a novelist; and their two children, Simon and Sorel. The plot thickens as each family member invites a guest to their rural retreat for the weekend, leading to a cacophony of misunderstandings, mismatched romantic entanglements, and humorous social faux pas.

I have to say I’ve never considered myself a teacher and I use the term “facilitator” in my workshops. I don’t see attendees as students, but as participants, and my role as encouraging their exploration and bringing-forth (I cringe at the word “manifest” for some reason) their own creative desires.

BUT … in the fiction writing  and self-publishing workshops I am teaching. There’s no flash writing or exercises, it’s all “how to” material. So yes, I’m a teacher. I’d never imagined it, until I did!

A client brought this back for me from her trip to Hilton Head. It’s now hanging at my writing desk with all my other magic objects and talisamans.

And a reminder you can see my photos these days at my Tumblr blog. I’ve left all things Meta (Facebook, Threads, and Insta-sham). Tumblr has been around forever and it’s a great place to share photos or blog.

I’ll be blogging here again, after a few years of not putting much up at Mark McNease. com. My LGBTSr website was corrupted and is down and not coming back (some things just aren’t worth the hassle), and my weekly Substack, Mark McNease On Topic (hey tree house mates!) is going well after two years. I still want to post about our travels and our lives, politics, whimsies and more, so here we are! Stay tuned for weekly posts about … whatever! Let’s start out with my most recent Substack, which I’ll add here every Monday as well. – Mark

A whimsical welcome

Before the child in all of us has beeen snuffed out by the corporal punishment that is the Trump regime … welcome and thank you to the new subscribers! Marit – I’m lookin’ at you.

This one is special for me: a monthly journaling group I’ve been asked to facilitate for New Hope Celebrates, a LGBTQ community organization in New Hope, PA. The first gathering is March 12, and I’m very excited. We have legacies, too, and this will be a safe space for us to write about and explore our lives at a time when our government would rather we fade away in silence. That’s not going to happen.

After a long wait, ‘Night Flight to Murder Town: A Marshall James Thriller (Book 4)‘ is about to hit  the runway. I’m just waiting for edits and a final polish, and then … liftoff!

It’s 1992 and Marshall has siezed an opportunity to get out of Los Angeles. After ten years in Hollywood and too many close calls with killers and cops, including the love of his life, LAPD Homicide Detective Mac McElroy, he boards a night flight to New York City. He expects a new life away from the ghost town that L.A. had become after AIDS laid waste to it. He lands in NYC only to discover, in his words, that “Death beat me to town on the red-eye.”

Money landering, high-profile criminals, drugs, the Chinese mafia, and a murder or two bring it all back in this fourth book in the series. But will it be his final curtain call? Stay tuned … releasing in April, 2025.

From the most recent 2 hour autobiographical writing workshop:

“I had a blast! Mr. McNease’s workshop was a revelation. His ability to quickly break through writer’s inhibition and get you to simply write is refreshing.  He quickly set my mind at ease! Highly recommend him.” – Al

“I thoroughly enjoyed your workshop for Guided Autobiography. The exercises were fun, and I enjoyed sharing with others in the group. I came away feeling less daunted about this sort of writing. It does not have to be a huge work. It can be fun and entertaining, a way to tell stories about life, that in the telling may unearth new thoughts and perspectives.” – Val

I conducted another 2 hour autobiographical writing workshop and they loved it! I’d donated this to the Uniteraian Universalist auction held several months ago for our congregation. It was at our friend Doris’s house. Our other friend Kathi, who only comes to visit once a year, was completely surprised: she had no idea we were doing this, and I even doubly suprised her by saying I was meeting with a client and had to go out for awhile when in fact I went to Doris’s house to prepare.

I keep getting very positive feedback on the workshops and my ability as a facilitator. My third (or fourth or fifth) act is going very well.

And yet, he persisted

This is the space at Bucks on Bridge Coffee Shop in Lambertville where I can now do in-person workshops! The collective Soupcon took it over and I joined. This is going to be a busy and exciting year for me. This was today’s 2 hour guided autobiography introductory workshop. They liked me (they really liked me)! But seriously, I learn so much from doing this, and it’s a privilege to have people share their lives in this process.