High Society

By Robert Iles - 24th Sep 2004

This tale of the vacuous life of the rich and privileged is based on an original stage play by Philip Barry (The Philadelphia Story) but is far more famous for the film version which starred Grace Kelly (on her way to becoming a real Princess), Frank Sinatra, Bing Crosby and Celeste Holm. Even if you have never seen the film (where have you been!) many of the Cole Porter’s songs used will be familiar to you; Who wants to be a Millionaire?, What a swell party, True love.

For this touring musical, the 1997 Arthur Kopit version of the story is used with a slightly different song set to the film and a more constrained story. With around 20 people on stage and 9 named characters it’s a big production and we are presented with a big, and most impressive set, to contain it. Whilst the set is good, I am curious as to why the programme claims it is a number of different locations, little effort is made to move the play geographically so it is odd that the programme makes such a thing of it.

The story revolves around the imminent second wedding of Tracey Lord (Katherine Kingsley) at their elegant and expensive Long Island home. She is surrounded by her mother (Susie Blake), younger sister (Lara Pulver) and comedy drunken uncle (Royston Kean) when in walks her ex (played by Graham Bickley) who is clearly still the darling of the family and in love with her. He announces that, to avoid a scandal involving their father (James Jordan) and a dancing girl, he has had to invite two journalists to the wedding. Ria Jones (love that voice) and Paul Robinson as Liz Imbrie and Mike Connor (the journalists) and Bryan Torfeh as the proposed new (and boring) husband complete the main cast. It’s a ‘will she wont she’ tale, which guy will she marry, the right one, the wrong one, or the new one!

The “servant ensemble” work hard and with a commendable precision and attention to detail, there is a real energy to the show whilst they’re on stage. Sadly, either the sound system or the nature of the auditorium meant that I couldn’t catch all the words in all their songs, which or Cole Porter numbers, with their sparkling wit, is a real shame.

There are some really good moments in this show, a too short duet between Katherine and Ria and a lovely rendition of True Love by Katherine and Graham and some great asides from the Butler (David Alder) to name but three. Musically it is a delight but there is no great depth to either the story or the characters, still, what do you expect from what is still essentially a 1950’s Hollywood musical! For lovers of this type of showy musical I’d say, Go see it, you’ll have a great time, you know you will!

Robert Iles