High Society

How many reviews have effervesced about shows bubbling and fizzing like champagne? Well this High Society positively guzzles down the bubbly, fuelling the frenetically paced farce of this cheeky musical romp, sparklingly conceived by director Helen Dallimore, assisted by co-conspirators in fun, musical director Daryl Wallis (and his snappy, versatile four-piece band), choreographer Cameron Mitchell and a ‘swell-partying’ ensemble cast.

High Society, a small-scale charm film (a star vehicle for Grace Kelly, Frank Sinatra, Bing Crosby and Louis Armstrong), is tough to successfully expand into a full-scale stage musical with big ensembles. This production succeeds where grander adaptation attempts have fallen flat; it remains intimate. A few stylish archways and pieces of furniture suffice for a glamorous mansion (as well as ensuring snappy scene changes), no incongruous chorus songs are interpolated … the size and budget constraints of the Hayes possibly provided the key.

If High Society doesn’t need to be big for the stage, it certainly needs far more Cole Porter songs than the film’s nine (not all make the stage version). Non-singer Grace Kelly shared just one duet in the film, which would never be enough for a music theatre diva of Amy Lehpamer’s caliber. Luckily there’s a vast catalogue of Porter standards and lesser-known character / comedy songs to draw from, stretching back to the 1920s. MD Daryl Wallis and his small band work impressively to make a diversity of Porter’s old-fashioned musical comedy songs, standards and sophisticated later career Hollywood songs blend into a relatively unified score.

Yet again, The Hayes has attracted a top-notch ensemble of eleven performers with impressive commercial musical theatre credits.

Amy Lehpamer, a genuine quadruple threat (the usual triple, plus violin, cleverly slotted in), adds brilliant physical clowning to the multitude of talents I’ve previously enjoyed. Stunning in evening and wedding gowns, her drunken / hung-over second act antics are a scream, and her singing, to-die-for. She brings whole a joyous musical theatre dimension to socialite Tracy Lord, stamping her own unique mark on the iconic Kathryn Hepburn / Grace Kelly role.

Like Celeste Holm before her in the movie version, Virginia Gay brings engaging warmth and scene stealing laconic comic flair to the feisty photographer Liz Imbrie, together with fabulous musical theatre pipes.

Newcomer Jessica Whitfield displays great comic timing, so bright and cheeky as Tracy’s very knowing younger sister Dinah.

Bobby Fox charms as journalist Mike Connor – apparent bravado, somewhat bemused, with a dash of cynicism. Bert LaBonte croons amiably and eloquently, subtly ingratiating Tracy’s ex, CK Dexter Haven (played by Bing Crosby in the film), with the audience, setting up (and making us want) that well-known, twist-in-the-tail happy finale. Scott Irwin is delightfully starchy, a humorless fall guy and butt of comedy as Tracy’s fiancé George.

Lecherous, forgetful, perpetually inebriated Uncle Willy is an archetypal, politically incorrect musical comedy throwback, a spirit delightfully captured by Laurence Coy.

Mavis (Michelle Barr) and Chester (Phillip Lowe) provide a bright, witty Upstairs Downstairs commentary and an engaging rapport as the hired help, showing real panache executing nifty set changes.

If there’s one disappointment it’s that the roles of Tracy’s parents Margaret and Seth Lord are pretty thankless, under-utilising the considerable talents of Delia Hannah and Russell Cheek, despite capable performances.

Pacy and deliciously timed, this production is peppered with extra farce, and topped up with a feast of Cole Porter treats (well loved standards, of course, but there’s great fun to be had in a smattering of Porter obscurities too).

For anyone who is perhaps a bit put off by memories of the disappointing, large-scale stage version of High Society staged here in the 1990s, don’t be.

On the tiny Hayes Theatre stage, Helen Dallimore has achieved what big Broadway bucks couldn’t; tongue far further in cheek with High Society than previous stage incarnations of the iconic film, she’s concocted an affectionate, rib-ticking, mildly risqué musical theatre confection.

Neil Litchfield

Photographer: Kurt Sneddon