Adapted from the 1935 RKO musical comedy starring Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, writers Howard Jaques and Matthew White transport us back to the golden age of Hollywood and a simpler but gloriously glamorous time: an era when plot lines were lighter than air and fluffier than a cumulus cloud and escapism was everything.
Broadway star Jerry Travers has arrived in London to star in a new show; there he encounters the glamorous and aloof Dale Tremont whom he sets out to win over. However, complications arise when she mistakes him for the husband of a friend. Throw in glamorous locations and jaw-dropping dance routines on the way to the happy ending and you’ve got Top Hat in a nutshell.
Peter McKintosh’s set design is a lot less sumptuous than previous productions, but the brightly lit, semi-circular, revolving design manages to be aesthetically pleasing enough and cleverly rotates to reveal a myriad of different locations. It must be said though that while the backstage crew must be working at full tilt to change the scenery behind the revolve so quickly, at times the thumping and banging is clearly heard. The costumes by McKintosh and Yvonne Milnes again are less expensive looking than previously seen, but evoke the era well enough. One disappointment is the iconic feathered gown made famous by Ginger Rogers in the movie, the feathers are still here but it is rendered in a cheap-looking silver lamé that bunches around the midrift. But what makes the whole production sing with life is the fact that this is all realised in glorious technicolor, bringing the much-loved tale to life in a way the old black and white movie never could.
The storyline is undemanding, providing a light and easy, escapist watch, but to 21st Century eyes some of the characters are drawn a little too broadly: the over the top “foreign” fashion designer and co-pursuer of Dale, Alberto Beddini being a case in point, that said, actor Alex Gibson-Giorgio manages to raise the laughs along with an on-point Emma Williams as Madge Hardwick. Bates the valet, whose homilies include such gems as: “fair words never buttered any parsnips”, punctuate the proceedings throughout also providing a fair number of the laughs. James Clyde delivers them with a wink and a smile. However, stand-out among the cast is James Hume as theatrical impresario Horace Hardwick, his easy charm and superb comic timing are a breath of fresh air throughout.
Top Hat is principally a dance musical, with the spotlight firmly on the many set-piece routines. Amara Okereke (Dale Tremont) is a competent dancer and strong singer, but the stand out dance star is Phillip Attwood as Jerry. Executing the routines with energy and an enviable ease. But it is the glorious music of Irving Berlin that makes this musical magical, songs such as: Isn’t it a Lovely Day to be Caught in the Rain, Cheek to Cheek and of course, Top Hat, White Tie and Tails that never fail to put a smile on the face of any lover of classic musicals. The choreography by Kathleen Marshall is elegant, no more so than in the title number, where a chorus line of silk top-hatted dancers tap together in perfect synchronicity.
In these cash-strapped, doom-laden times, a dose of well executed, elegant escapism is the order of the day and this is old-school entertainment at its best. Top notch nostalgia.
Runs until 24 January 2026 | Image: Johan Persson