Review: HIGH SOCIETY, King's Theatre
High Society runs at the King's Theatre until 5 September
High Society is a musical based on the play The Philadelphia Story by Philip Barry, with music and lyrics by Cole Porter and book by Arthur Kopit.
It’s the society wedding of the year: Tracy Lord (Helen George) is getting married to George Kittredge (David Seadon-Young) against the wishes of her family. There’s nothing particularly wrong with George; he’s just a bit dull. The family were extremely fond of her first husband, Dexter Haven (Julian Ovenden), and it's clear there are some unresolved issues between them.
It’s a pretty farcical story as under cover reporters try and infiltrate the wedding and there’s a case of mistaken identity. Nigel Lindsay excels as Uncle Willie and him and Julian Ovenden have excellent comedic timing. Tracy’s younger sister Dinah (Naomi Pacquette) also brings a lot of laughs with her sass and wisdom beyond her years.
The songs are classics such as “I’ve Got You Under My Skin”, “Let’s Do It” and “Let’s Misbehave” and this musical does best when it leans into the lavish full ensemble numbers. Tom Rogers set design makes the production gorgeous to look at.
A lot happens quite quickly in High Society, and it's difficult to connect with these multiple romances. The cast are excellent and make the characters likeable even though they are flawed. There’s also a wealth of vocal talent across the board.
The plot might be a little bit wooden in places, but a talented cast and stunning musical numbers make High Society a worthy production of a classic.
Photo credit: Pamela Raith
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