HIGH SOCIETY | UK TOUR @ EDINBURGH PLAYHOUSE
★★★
“Freddie Fox is a revelation; surprisingly light on his feet and with great comedy chops…”
GENTLE, if not always genteel, this new production of High Society proves an enjoyable dalliance with the songs of Cole Porter and Philip Barry’s tale of love amidst the wealthy denizens of Newport, Rhode Island.
Pretentious Long Island socialite Tracy Samantha Lord, a woman ‘lacking an understanding heart’, is planning her wedding to humourless businessman George Kittredge surrounded by her affluent and somewhat unconventional family; grumpy kid sister Dinah, ever tipsy Uncle Willy, regal mother and unfaithful father, Seth.
However, when her ex-husband Dexter Haven turns up to warn them that tabloid reporters Mike Connor and Liz Imbrie will be arriving to cover the wedding for Spy magazine, disguised as guests. Dexter has invited them to stop Spy from publishing an exposé of Tracy’s father’s affair with a dancer. When Mike and Liz arrive, Tracy and Dinah hatch a plan… and as confusion reigns there are surprising romantic repercussions for all concerned.
With the show’s two leads, Call The Midwife’s Helen George and co-star Julian Ovenden, stuck in London due to the chaos of a UK-wide air traffic control failure, Isobel Snaas and Andrew Coshan stepped into the central roles of Tracy Lord and Dexter Haven, respectively.
While it takes Snass and Cohan until the middle of the first act to warm to their roles, by the time they sing the anthemic True Love, both are flying; Cohan is a bold and dapper Dexter, Snass a feisty, confidently underplayed Tracy.
Indeed the opening scenes in general are a slow burn. It’s not until Freddie Fox and Carly Mercedes Dyer, as Mike Connor and Liz Imbrie, arrive on stage to bring some much needed energy to proceedings with a brilliantly funny rendition of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire that the show really hits its stride.
Fox is a revelation as the undercover journalist. Surprisingly light on his feet, the accomplished actor can also sing and demonstrates great comedy chops. His pairing with Dyer is glorious casting. They share a mischievous chemistry, the latter also delivers a quite beautiful rendition of I’ve Got You Under My Skin in Act Two.
Elsewhere, strong support comes from Josefina Gabrielle and Malcolm Sinclair as Mother and Seth Lord, and from Nigel Hume, a spirited and likeable Uncle Willie.
If the staging of set pieces such as I Love Paris are somewhat underwhelming, Anthony Van Lasst’s choreography is never quite as fluid as it could be, they still receive appreciative approval. That’s the trouble with so many of the ‘classic’ musical theatre repertoire, the songs have become such loved standards that it’s often difficult to determine if the applause is for the performance, or the songs themselves, as each favourite is ticked off. That said, Be A Clown is a real crowdpleaser as is Well Did You Evah?, which finds Cohan and Fox on fine form.
In these days of digital backdrops being a popular choice with producers, it’s lovely to see a properl old-school set. Tom Rogers stately design offers a gorgeous space on which to play and is cleverly inventive. Howard Hudson’s lighting adds to the magic, including a lovely immersive moment where house lights come up as Tracy address her wedding guests, the audience, as her happy ending nears – albeit a happy ending with the help of one over-enthusiastic audience member (“Go for it darling!”), which raises laughs in the house and smiles from all those assembled on stage.
As romantic comedies go, there’s something nicely comforting about this escape to more frivolous times, it’s safe, gorgeous to look and with some memorable performances.
Full details and tickets HERE
