High Society (tour)

This tale of the vacuous life of the rich and privileged is based Philip Barry’s original stage play The Philadelphia Story but is far more famous for the movie musical version which starred Grace Kelly (on her way to becoming a real Princess), Frank Sinatra, Bing Crosby and Celeste Holm. Even if you’ve never seen the film, 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 production of High Society – first seen at Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre last summer and now recast for a UK-wide tour – the 1997 Arthur Kopit version of the story is used with a slightly different songset to the film and a more constrained story.

With 20-odd people on stage and nine named characters, it’s a big production and we’re presented with a big, and most impressive set, to contain it. (That said, while the set is good, I’m curious as to why the programme claims it’s a number of different locations, little effort’s made to move the play geographically.)

The story revolves around the imminent second wedding of Tracey Lord (Katherine Kingsley) at the Lords’ elegant Long Island mansion. While in the company of her mother (Susie Blake), younger sister (Lara Pulver) and comedy drunken uncle (Royston Kean), in walks her ex CK Dexter Haven (played by Graham Bickley), who’s 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 the journalists Liz Imbrie and Mike Connor 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’s a real energy to the show when they’re on stage. Sadly, on the night I attended, either the sound system or the nature of the auditorium meant that I couldn’t catch all the words in all their songs, which for 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 Tracy and Liz; a lovely rendition of “True Love” by Tracy and Dexter; and some great asides from the Butler (David Alder), to name just three. Musically, High Society is a delight, though there’s no great depth to either the story or the characters. Still, what do you expect from what is still essentially a 1950s Hollywood musical?

– Robert Iles (reviewed at Oxford Playhouse)