Some justice is done to the unfailing wit of Noel Coward's writing by the Bermuda Musical and Dramatic Society's production of "Hayfever", playing this week and next at Daylesford Theatre.

The awkward atmosphere that can exist between hosts and guests is milked dry when the Blisses, an unconventional English family, each invite people to their country house for the weekend.

The result is a raucous comedy that proves outrageous and, at moments, hysterically funny, mostly because of the simple detestability of the hosts, who sneer and patronise at every given chance to great comedic effect.

The guests are unable to bear it and within hours of arriving, are literally running for the door to escape them.

Thankfully, this production doesn't have the audience doing quite the same thing.

It merely plays on those uncomfortable feelings we all know so well and makes us grateful that we'll hopefully never have to go through what the poor people on stage do.

As there is little plot, it relies heavily on the simple and, often, absurd situations that arise and on the ability of the actors to carry through the scenes with the correct timing and subtle attention to the different levels of each character that makes a performance that much more engaging.

"Hayfever" represents the final performance of theatre veteran Sue Power and fittingly she takes the main role of Judith Bliss, playing it with enthusiasm and vivacity, gesticulating wildly as the pseudo-emotional actress has-been.

Power seems to enjoy the whole thing very much, but at times, I found her wild, melancholy monologues to be tedious and it was not her performance that struck me as the most notable.

The show is more or less held together by three actors in particular, who play the remainder of the Bliss family.

Richard Dymond takes on the role of David Bliss with suitable lip-curling pomposity and his sneered, dry delivery of Coward's words makes almost every scene he is in intensely watchable. The completely spot-on portrayal of this rude and brash man with just a hint of knowing shame leads one to forget that this is an amateur performance at times.

Particularly notable is a duologue in which he attempts to woo debutante guest Myra Arundel, played by Monica Dobbie, just before his wife walks in and finds them.

Dymond is supported by Simon Jack and Julia Pitt, who play his children Simon and Sorrel Bliss with a spoiled impoliteness and a rampant moodiness that, in their capable hands, comes across as believable and delightfully callous.

Jack's whiplash-tongued artist and Pitt's spoiled, unpredictable mummy's girl play off each other particularly well in a hilarious climactic scene at the breakfast table.

The supporting players do well in their rather banal roles, ranging from a dodgy accented diplomat to a rather simple Canadian, and they don't get in the way of other actors playing the more outrageous characters.

In the end, this is a entertaining production of what has been described as Coward's best comedy, and it is well-directed, even if this is more of an actor's play than anything else. That in mind, it does include some wonderful performances that shouldn't be missed.