Work has been dreadful lately, simply too much of it. For the last couple of weeks, I had been running on absolutely empty. Finally, this Friday, the various projects and activities came to an end, bringing an enormous sense of relief but also utter exhaustion.

I was therefore genuinely worried that my bruised and battered brain might not be capable of taking anything more in. I had never seen or read Hay Fever before, so I went in slightly concerned that it might ask rather more of me than I was capable of giving. Fortunately, there was no great deeper meaning to wrestle with, at least not when watching it today. Perhaps when it was first performed the social satire would have had more bite, but now, with the sumptuous staging and lavish costumes, it feels like a wonderfully light-hearted period piece, brimming with sharp quips, ridiculous situations and delightfully silly moments.

The spectacularly self-absorbed Bliss family turns a weekend in the country into a whirlwind of flirtations, squabbles and manufactured dramas. There is plenty of gloriously OTT acting and grand gestures, and Christine Baranski in particular has great fun with Judith Bliss’s compulsion to turn ordinary life into a performance. Much of the humour comes from watching their increasingly bewildered guests attempt to navigate it all, with their reactions to the Blisses’ extraordinary behaviour providing some of the best moments.

Yet beneath all the egos, arguments and outrageous goings-on, there is something weirdly positive about the family itself. For all their dysfunction, they are clearly incredibly close. They instinctively understand one another, operate as a unit and ultimately seem happiest wrapped up in their own peculiar little world. There is something unexpectedly touching about that, giving the play a real warmth amid all the silliness.

Ultimately, I laughed a lot and it was clear from the response around me that the whole audience was having an absolute blast. After weeks of feeling completely depleted, I came out somehow restored. Funny, joyful and wonderfully undemanding, Hay Fever was a balm for my battered brain and exactly what the doctor ordered.