High Society Media Launch at The Barbican
If there’s one thing Everything Theatre loves almost as much as a glamorous press night, it is a sneak preview. That’s exactly what we got thanks to an invitation to the official press launch of Cole Porter’s High Society, the latest summer blockbuster due at The Barbican later this month. The event, hosted swell-egantly by TV’s Katie Derham, offered a first glimpse of a production set to bring considerable star power to the stage.
We were shown three numbers in stripped-down, rehearsal form featuring stand-in props and a scaffolding set. The results were more than enough to whet the appetite. Helen George, best known to many for Call the Midwife, steps into the role of bride-to-be Tracy Samantha Lord. Felicity Kendal brings a safe pair of hands and trademark comic timing to matriarch Margaret Lord, while Freddie Fox makes his musical theatre debut as journalist Mike Connor. Alongside them, Julian Ovenden’s Dexter Haven suggests a natural fit for High Society‘s suave world and Carly Mercedes Dyer adds further pedigree as Liz Imbrie. We met the ensemble too: all legs, teeth, smiles and harmonies. It’s clear there’s a crack team at work.
There’s no denying High Society is pure escapism, telling, as it does, of the romantically frothy trials and tribulations of wealthy New Yorkers. But, in a point made by Felicity Kendall in a brief interview, the world isn’t much fun for many right now. Surely, joy, hope, and talent seem more important than ever. The show has apparently been reworked to reflect modern tastes, and six songs from the wider Cole Porter catalogue, including ‘I’ve Got You Under My Skin’ and ‘Let’s Do It’, have been added to the mix. So, even if you feel familiar with the bubbly champagne-light party that is the Frank Sinatra & Bing Crosby film version, you’ll find something new here.
Overall, the tone of the press event remained celebratory and fresh. There’s no suggestion that the Barbican is simply trotting out an old favourite to follow on from recent productions of Anything Goes and Kiss Me Kate, both critically acclaimed commercial successes. Nobody is resting on their laurels. This is the real deal. A committed, ambitious, full-blooded, unapologetic piece of whimsical musical comedy awaits that looks every inch the big, polished, crowd-pleasing summer hit the Barbican has become rather good at delivering.
High Society runs at the Barbican Theatre from Tuesday 19 May to Saturday 11 July with tickets available through the Barbican and HighSocietyMusical.com.
Music and lyrics are by Cole Porter.
Book by Arthur Kopit, based on Philip Barry’s The Philadelphia Story.
Directed by Rachel Kavanaugh
Choreographed by Anthony Van Laast
Produced by Sir Howard Panter for Trafalgar Theatre Productions and Brian and Dayna Lee
Presented in association with the Barbican.
