FIVE STARS
WATCHING Maria
Friedman's production of High Society is like being at one big
fantastic and "swell" party.
It is full of
champagne, great music, convivial characters, joie de vivre, fun and
frivolity and if you don't leave with a spring in your step you must
be very hard to please.
Written by Cole Porter
and now on at the Old Vic, it is staged in the round which adds to
the party atmosphere with a piano that rises from the floor on which
musician Joe Stilgoe tinkles the ivories while the cast drink and
dance around.
And while there is a
definite feel good factor it is a story full of snobbishness and
class - where everyone knows their place.
It features the
extremely wealthy Lord family, and their servants, on the eve of
daughter and Long Island socialite, Tracy Lord's nuptuals to working
class man made good, the rather stiff and boring George Kittredge.
All is going swimmingly
until Tracy's ex-husband, Dexter Haven (Rupert Young), appears at the
house to try and persuade her to ditch boring George and get
re-married to him.
Things for Tracy are
complicated further when tabloid hack Mike Connor, brilliantly played
by Jamie Parker, arrives to cover the nuptials, and finds he too
takes a shine to the bride-to-be.
With three men vying
for her affection Tracy has a big decision to make but plenty of
music, song, dance and champagne, plus a naked swim in the family
pool, help her realise that dullard George just isn't really her
type.
Not only that when the
hangover hits, she realises that despite her petulance at chucking
Dexter in the first place, he really is the one for her.
It is a fantastic show
- the direction, staging, singing and acting are top notch and with a
stellar cast headed up by the fantastic Kate Fleetwood as Tracy, it
really does have the wow factor.
High Society is on at
the Old Vic, The Cut, until August 22. Tickets from £10. Visit
www.oldvictheatre.com or call the box office on 0844 871 7628.
No comments:
Post a Comment