Well, did you evah! What a swell show High Society is. Coming almost direct from the Barbican, this glossy production of the Cole Porter musical is in Cardiff’s New Theatre this week.
The set’s title screen is unintentionally humorous. “Welcome to Newport” – that’s Newport, Rhode Island, home of the Lord family and setting for Tracy Lord’s (second) wedding. The musical is based on the 1956 film of the same name, which in turn was based on The Philadelphia Story, a play turned into one of cinema history’s classiest screwball comedies.
With Tracy Lord about to marry a fiancé that everyone dislikes because he’s boring, the upcoming nuptials are further complicated by the arrival of Dexter, the first husband, who’s still in love with Tracy. Of course, this isn’t enough: add to the mix two ‘undercover’ reporters, who the family decides to mess with, and people pretending to be different people. Still, it’s definitely not as complicated as it sounds and we all know what’s going to happen in the end.
The cast have the double set of iconic shadows to dance in – stepping into the shoes of Grace Kelly, Bing Crosby and Frank Sinatra, plus The Philadelphia Story stars Katherine Hepburn, Cary Grant and James Stewart. Of course nobody can match these names, but if you can banish them from your mind (or aren’t overly familiar with cinema history) you’ll have fun. Helen George, who’s also the magnetic Trixie in Call The Midwife, plays the waspish Tracy and it’s easy to see why she captivates the characters.
Julian Ovenden is more than a safe pair of West End lungs, and – in his first musical – Freddie Fox looks like he’s having fun, with a great voice to boot. His and Ovenden’s Well Did You Evah duet is a highlight. Nigel Lindsey not only shines as the comical drunken Uncle Willie, but promptly outshines himself by leading Now You Have Jazz, with onstage jazz band concluding in a full ensemble number. Quite a way to end the first act.
Performed in front of an almost completely white-haired audience, High Society may be old-fashioned, but this production is definitely not dusty. The musical is soft and edgeless, but it’s shiny and entertaining, and it’s a treat to hear those Cole Porter classics played and sang live.
High Society, New Theatre, Cardiff, Tue 21 July
On until Sat 25 July. Tickets: from £36.50. Info: here
words CHRIS WILLIAMS
