There is swooning and crooning aplenty in this lavish and swish production of Cole Porter’s exquisitely grand musical.
Directed by Rachel Kavanaugh, this new revival centres upon the glamorous Tracy Lord (Helen George), whose impending wedding to the delightfully bland George (David Seadon-Young) seems to excite nobody, including the bride. Supported by her gracefully elegant Mother (Felicity Kendal) and the amusingly goofy Uncle Willie (Nigel Lindsay), Tracy battles with her own emotions as the knot-tying draws nearer. Yet, the society event of the year threatens to be derailed with the arrival of Tracy’s former flame, Dexter (Julian Ovenden), and two spying reporters, Mike (Freddie Fox) and Liz (Carly Mercedes Dyer).
What follows is a charming, stereotypically grand Golden Age musical, where the pomp and grace of the American aristocracy deflects its cheekier underbelly, with characters popping too many champagne corks and throwing themselves around each other without fear. It is the height of decadence, and one that the production leans into greatly and with great effect.
As Tracy, George is terrific fun, directed by Kavanaugh to skit and float across Tom Rogers’ enormous, luxurious set design with a refinement which captivates. George is commanding in the leading role, with her acting and musical abilities blending to strong effect, especially in the musical’s second half, where Tracy’s anxieties and misbehaviours come to the fore. Meanwhile, the long-lasting spark between Tracy and Ovenden’s Dexter is not overdone, burning slowly largely thanks to Dexter’s subtle, romantic pining for the heiress, rather than being seen as the conniving ‘other man’. Ovenden is excellent here, with an attractive elegance that immediately makes it clear just who Tracy should be marrying, a point hammered home by her precocious sister Dinah (Naomi Pacquette).
Yet, despite the ‘will they, won’t they’ narrative, the book also finds time for great humour and even a bit of social commentary too. Nigel Lindsay’s Uncle Willie brings chaos and amusement, playing the nightmare Uncle at a wedding role with aplomb. Willie briefly pretends to be the Lords’ patriarch, Seth (Malcolm Sinclair), whose adultery threatens reputational damage to the family, in a standout comedic scene that disappointingly wraps the gag up a bit too soon. This scene is largely elevated by Kendal’s terrific reactions as the Mother, trying to preserve the family name and keep up the lie in a goofy exchange, which is emphasised by Lindsay and Kendal’s superb comic timing. Kendal’s poise, otherwise, as Mother is the epitome of sophistication, though she is a little underused.
Meanwhile, Fox’s Mike and Dyer’s Liz offer a neat subplot where their investigation sees them a little too integrated into the Lords’ lives of luxury. Here, temptations prove too powerful, with Porter’s book offering a cheeky nod towards the notion that everyone would want the Lords’ lives and finances, regardless of their origins. Who’d want to be a millionaire, indeed.
Like most weddings, eventually things get resolved, and the happy couple live happily ever after. Despite a few boggier moments in a slower second half, High Society fizzes with fun in a frolicking production which thrives both in performance and its music.
It is a production that will get under your skin with its charm, and one you will ll not want to ‘evah’ miss.
