High Society – a musical by Cole Porter, based on the play The Philadelphia Story by Philip Barry.
The Old Vic until 22nd August 2015
Much is promised in the preamble with a pianist playing requests and warming up the audience for a fun night. Unfortunately the first half is so disjointed that the audience nearly looses hope and it takes a farcical second half to restore our humour. By the end, most people jumped up which was surprising. Somehow partial redemption now equals standing ovation.
For the most part the scenes didn’t flow well and there was a lack of chemistry between the leads. It is almost impossible to wipe the memory of the wondrous classic 1956 film that starred Bing Crosby, Grace Kelly and Frank Sinatra. All three stars were destined to play those roles, which, unfortunately, cannot be said for this stage production. Kate Fleetwood brings a glorious voice with cheekbones to match, but otherwise is a far cry from the finnesse of the late Princess Grace.
The staging was very clever and imaginative lighting delivered a David Hockney style swimming pool but the wall mounted model sailing boat dampened the overall effect. The latter comic pre-wedding scenes were entertaining but I still left with the feeling that maybe real classics shouldn’t be tampered with.
http://www.theoccasionalnut.co.uk
The Occasional Nut is the blog of Olga, a squirrel lady-about-town who seeks to discover the latest and greatest around London. From eateries and fine-dining to the latest films, plays and musicals. If it's public, she's there.
