Hay Fever Tickets: Christine Baranski and Richard E. Grant at Wyndham's Theatre

Every so often a piece of West End casting makes you sit up, and this is one of them. Christine Baranski, the Emmy and two-time Tony winner adored for The Good Wife, The Good Fight and The Gilded Age, is making her West End debut, and she is doing it in one of Noël Coward's funniest comedies. Hay Fever opens at Wyndham's Theatre this autumn with Baranski as the impossible Judith Bliss, opposite Richard E. Grant as her long-suffering husband, for a strictly limited twelve-week season. tickadoo is built by the founders of London Theatre Direct, so a star turn like this is exactly the kind of show we want on your radar early. Here is everything you need to know, with live prices verified on 19 June 2026.

Who is in Hay Fever?

The headline is Christine Baranski's long-awaited West End debut. A two-time Tony winner and an Emmy winner, with three Screen Actors Guild Awards to her name, she is one of the great deliverers of a withering one-liner, which makes her close to perfect casting for Judith Bliss, the retired actress who cannot stop performing even at home. "I attended my first West End play as a student at Juilliard in 1971," Baranski has said, "so it's rather a dream come true to perform at Wyndham's."

Opposite her is Richard E. Grant, the Academy Award nominee of Withnail and I, Can You Ever Forgive Me? and Saltburn, returning to the West End stage for the first time in around twenty years as Judith's novelist husband David. The production is directed by Emily Burns for producers Wessex Grove and Gavin Kalin Productions. Further casting, including the Bliss children and the weekend's mismatched guests, is still to be announced, so keep an eye on the listing as the full company is confirmed.

What is Hay Fever about?

First staged in 1925, and, by Coward's own famous boast, written in just three days, Hay Fever is a comedy of gloriously appalling manners. It takes place over a single chaotic summer weekend at the country home of the bohemian Bliss family at Cookham, beside the Thames. Each of the four Blisses, the actress Judith, the novelist David and their grown-up children Simon and Sorel, has secretly invited a guest for the weekend, and not one of them has any intention of actually playing host.

What follows is two hours of self-absorbed theatrics, romantic mix-ups and parlour games, until the four bewildered visitors finally creep down the stairs and flee the house while their hosts, lost in a private family row, fail to notice they have gone. It is Coward at his wittiest, and one of the most revived English comedies of the twentieth century.

Why Hay Fever is one of 2026's hottest tickets

Judith Bliss is one of the great comic roles for a leading lady, most recently played in the West End by Judi Dench in a celebrated 2006 revival. Handing it to Christine Baranski, in her first London stage appearance and on a run of just twelve weeks, is the kind of event that defines a season. In our experience, a screen star's West End debut on a strictly limited run is exactly the sort of show whose best seats and best dates go first, so it pays to book ahead rather than wait for the reviews to land after opening night on 1 October.

Hay Fever dates, running time and tickets

Hay Fever plays at Wyndham's Theatre on Charing Cross Road, a two-minute walk from Leicester Square, from 22 September to 12 December 2026. The running time is around 2 hours 20 minutes including one interval, and we would suggest it for ages 12 and over, with the venue confirming final age guidance. You can see live availability and book Hay Fever tickets on tickadoo, with instant confirmation and mobile tickets.

More West End plays to book

If a great play with a starry cast is your idea of a night out, two more have just gone on sale.

The Cherry Orchard brings Kristin Scott Thomas to the Harold Pinter Theatre as Lyubov Ranevskaya, in a new version of Chekhov's final masterpiece by Conor McPherson, directed by Ian Rickson, from 3 October 2026. The Cherry Orchard tickets.

Glengarry Glen Ross gets a bold all-female reinvention at The Old Vic, led by Rosa Salazar and Indira Varma and directed by Patrick Marber, but only until 18 July 2026. Glengarry Glen Ross tickets.

Frequently asked questions

Who stars in Hay Fever at Wyndham's Theatre?

Christine Baranski makes her West End debut as Judith Bliss, opposite Richard E. Grant as her husband David Bliss, in a production directed by Emily Burns. Further casting is to be announced.

What is Hay Fever about?

Noël Coward's 1925 comedy follows the bohemian Bliss family over one disastrous country-house weekend at Cookham, where all four of them have secretly invited a guest, with very funny results.

When is Hay Fever on, and how long is it?

Hay Fever runs at Wyndham's Theatre from 22 September to 12 December 2026, with opening night on 1 October. The running time is around 2 hours 20 minutes including an interval.

Where can I buy Hay Fever tickets?

You can see live availability and book Hay Fever tickets at Wyndham's Theatre on tickadoo, with instant confirmation and mobile tickets.

Is Hay Fever suitable for children?

Hay Fever is a witty comedy of manners with no strong content. We would suggest it for ages 12 and over, and the venue confirms final age guidance.

Book Hay Fever tickets

With a screen icon making her West End debut on a strictly limited run, Hay Fever is a book-ahead show. Browse dates and book Hay Fever tickets on tickadoo, or explore more of what is on at the tickadoo London hub.