For his masterly revival of Hay Fever, the first Noel Coward play staged at the Noel Coward Theatre, director Howard Davies assembled a phenomenal cast, headed by the “consistently first class” Lindsay Duncan as the matriarchal Judith Bliss.

The production, which ran from February to June in 2012 reunited both director and actor who together received seven major international theatre awards for another Coward revival, Private Lives in 2001. Lindsay won her second Olivier Award for that performance opposite Alan Rickman. She also received a Tony nomination when the play transferred to Broadway.

Quentin Letts in the MailOnline opened his five star review, “behold Lindsay Duncan in full sail as Noël Coward’s nightmarish Judith Bliss”. The Telegraph’s Tim Walker added, Lindsay Duncan is on splendidly imperious form as Judith Bliss.”

Among Lindsay’s impressive CV is a little known fact that she was the voice of the android TC-14 in Star Wars, Episode I: The Phantom Menace to please her young son.