Review: Empathy Blossoms in FLOWERS FOR MRS. HARRIS at The Ruth

Empathy blossoms in both characters and audience at the North American premiere of FLOWERS FOR MRS. HARRIS at The Ruth and Nathan Hale Theater (The Ruth), formerly known as Hale Center Theater Orem. The new musical is performed in the Lindsay Legacy Theater, the more intimate of two new Pleasant Grove performance spaces for the company.

 

FLOWERS FOR MRS. HARRIS (book by Rachel Wagstaff, music and lyrics by Richard Taylor), which debuted in the UK in 2016, is based on a 1958 novel that was also adapted into the 2022 feature film MRS. HARRIS GOES TO PARIS. When London cleaning woman Ada Harris sees her first Christian Dior couture gown at the home of a client, she instantly finds meaning and dedicates her life to earning enough to travel to Paris and purchase one of her own. 

 

While the music isn’t always the most memorable, it does provide several moments of sheer delight with gorgeous vocal performances from the golden-voiced cast guided by music director Anne Puzey.

 

Erica Hansen as Ada Harris (double cast with laudable dialect coach Dianna Graham) demands attention while remaining demurely selfless.

 

Lauren Pope as Natasha Raimbault/Pamela Penrose (double cast with Neena Warburton) and Tanner Sumens as Andre Fauvelare/Bob Smith (double cast with James Duncan) are a smashingly enchanting pair in both acts, but most especially in their Parisian parts.

 

Every member of the cast should be celebrated for masterfully differentiating their London and Paris roles. Top performances include Ben Henderson as Albert Harris/Marquis de Chassagne (double cast with David Morley-Walker), Luone Ingram as Violet Butterfield/French Char Lady (double cast with Janae Koralewski Thomas), and Brittni Smith as Madame Colbert/Lady Dant (double cast with Melanie Muranaka).

 

The deft direction by Barta Heiner invites reflection, and the visual depiction of mid-century London and Paris is warm and striking, with set design by Carter Thompson, lighting by Mark Ohran, and props by Megan Heaps.

 

Befittingly, the splendid costumes by Dennis Wright are colorful works of art replicating Christian Dior’s signature style with harmonious hair and makeup design by Emilie Ronhaar.

 

This is a show that ultimately whisks you away and finds you not only rooting for the characters but feeling deeply for them.

 

FLOWERS FOR MRS. HARRIS plays through November 15, 2025.  For tickets, call the box office at 801-226-8600 or visit www.theruth.org.

 

 

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