The Rose Theatre’s revival of Hay Fever opens next week and one of the show’s stars Sam Swainsbury, 28, took time out from rehearsals to chat to Will Gore about how to do justic to a Coward classic.

WILL GORE: Hay Fever is one of Coward’s most beloved plays - how has this Rose company gone about tackling it?

SAM SWAINSBURY: People can arrive at Coward and think they have to be camp and frivolous and there is an element of that style in his plays but you have to know what your characters wants and how they are feeling. Our director Stephen Unwin has asked us to be word perfect and just play the script as it is written. For lack of a better phrase you have to keep it real and play the emotional truth of the character. Verbally there is quite a lot to think about and do, especially for me as I am from Essex and I have an Essex accent. There is the etiquette of the time that we have looked at but we have tried hard not to ‘play’ Coward and to make it real.

WG: How do you make sure you nail the comic moments?

SS: As soon as you start thinking you’ve got to be funny, I find you are not - it is about not being self-aware and just being present in the situation that you are in. There are tricks such as getting the rhythm and the timing right but at the end of the day the comedy comes from the severity of the characters’ emotions and the ridiculousness of the situations they are in.

WG: Tell us about your character, Sandy Tyrell

SS: Sandy, bless him. He is a sporty lad and enjoys cricket and boxing but when it comes to the academic side of things he is not a thinker. He is mesmerised by Judith Bliss [played in this production by Celia Imrie] and when he is invited down to her home for the weekend he is expecting it to be romantic. He can’t believe his luck but is completely different to what he expected as he is thrust into this creative, intellectual world that he just drowns in. He is a really nice contrast to the flamboyancy of the Bliss family.

WG: You have performed with Celia Imrie before in The Rivals - what is she like to act with?

SS: Not only is she brilliant but she is also so caring and compassionate and for someone of her experience she could be more starry but she is so down to earth and she really makes you feel part of a company.

WG: You’ve also previously acted at The Rose before with the Propeller company - what is the theatre like to perform in?

SS:It’s terrific to play because the auidence feel so close. It is a really well made theatre and acoustically it is fantastic. For this production there is going to be a house on the stage - the audience will really feel part of the show.

Hay Fever, Rose Theatre, Kingston, September 23 - October 9, for ticket prices and booking information, visit rosetheatrekingston.org