ONE question frequently asked in Noel Coward’s comedy Hay Fever is "Who is Sandy Tyrell?".

For Husthwaite director Lottie Alexander, however, the more urgent question is "Where is Sandy Tyrell?". "With rehearsals under way for our performances in February, we are one cast member short: someone to play Sandy Tyrell," says Lottie.

“We’re looking for a man aged 25 to 35 who is sporty looking, and anyone interested should contact me at lexietta88@gmail.com," says Lottie. “The part is for a young man who admires a star of the stage and is invited to her home for the weekend, but it turns out not to be what he expected.

"Hay Fever is Noel Coward’s funniest play and the plot revolves around one weekend in the home of the Bliss family. Each member invites a guest to stay without telling anyone else or the housekeeper. In a chaotic 24 hours, the guests find themselves deserted by their hosts but each taken up by another member of the family, resulting in hilarious consequences."

Hay Fever will be performed at Husthwaite Village Hall, near Easingwold, from February 28 to March 2 2019 with a cast of husband and wife Euan and Elizabeth Crawshaw as husband and wife David and Judith Bliss; Natalie Scurr as Sorel Bliss; Ned Murray, Simon Bliss; Sheila Mowatt, Myra Arundel; John T Law, Richard Greatham; Lizzie Dimouli, Jackie Coryton, and Anne Dowson, Clara.

"Although we still need our Sandy, I’m very pleased with the strong cast I have already and rehearsals are going well – when we can stop laughing," says Lottie, whose husband, Ray, is designing the set.

Should you be wondering which company is staging Coward's 1924 play, Lottie says: "There's no company as such; productions are ad-hoc but always produced by Husthwaite Village Hall, with our previous production being a pantomime, Cinderella, last spring. I think there'll be a drama group formed in the future; discussions are beginning."

Did you know?

EUAN and Elizabeth Crawshaw will be playing husband and wife for the second time on the Husthwaite stage in Hay Fever, having appeared as Baron and Lady Devilia Hardup in Cinderella.