High Society – Music & Lyrics by Cole Porter. Book by Arthur Kopit. Based on the Philadelphia Story by Philip Barry and the 1956 film High Society directed by Charles Walters. The Mill at Sonning, Sonning Eye, Reading RG4 to 20 January 2024.

3***: William Russell.

“Musical fare for Christmas more Turkey than Plum Pudding.”

As a dinner theatre the Mill knows its audience and this version of the 1965 film should prove seasonal fare although it is more a case of turkey than plum pudding. There are some good things – the band under Tom Noyes does Porter’s tunes full justice and as Tracy Lord, the wilful Rhode Island divorcee intent on marrying a stuck up prig while her ex husband turns up at the pre wedding celebrations and causes trouble, Victoria Serra looks lovely, can dance, has a fine voice,and lends a touch of class to proceedings more Canvey Island than Rhode Island. Part of the trouble, some astonishingly awful dresses apart, the show has been stuffed with more Porter numbers than are needed some of which are demolished by the goings on dreamt up by director Joe Pitcher. If they wanted to do the Cole Porter song book they would have been better advised to revive Cole the Mermaid Theatre’s 1974 revue by Benny Green and Alan Strachan. As it is songs like Lets Misbehave, which should be tantalisingly naughty, is reduced to slightly smutty when things get out of hand at that pre-wedding party, and whatever else is going on during Well Did You Evah? It is not an elegant, swellengant one.

Having worked wonders with a splendid staging of Gypsy last year this time round while there are some things to enjoy – the set is handsome, the lighting copes with the passage of time through the great glass windows showing the sound which fills the back wall of the stage beautifully, and the sound engineer has ensured that the words – like with Sondheim with Porter the words matter – do come across.

The cast work hard, keep exiting and entering through the audience until one starts to marvel how they manage not to trip as they belt up and down stairs which most of the audience crawl down, all of which distracts from the goings on on stage – not least those dresses Costume Designer Natalie Titchener has dreamt up which no high society lady would have been seen dead in – and mug a lot.

The stage musical of the film was first staged on Broadway in 1998 and ran for 144 performances which does not suggest it was actually a hit so reviving it does rely on folk memories of the film. It depended for its success at the time on its cast with Bing Crosby as the ex husband Dexter Haven and Frank Sinatra as Mike, the scandal rag reporter there to cover the event as well as Grace Kelly – the epitome of East Coast class – as Tracy being sung True Love to by Crosby and Celeste Holm as the lady reporter adding some bite to the lines especially in Who Wants to be a Millionair.

Best thing to do is shut your eyes, hum along to the tunes and consume quite a lot of whatever is your Christmas spirit of choice. Don’t go for champagne though – it will probably be flat.

Cast

Matt Blaker – Dexter Haven.

Tosca Fishcher – Mavis.

Samuel How – Edmund & Dance Captain.

Heather Jackson – Mother Lord.

Matthew Jeans – Mike Connor.

Kurt Kansley – Uncle Willie,

Katlo – Dinah Lord.

Bethany Rose Lithgoe – Polly.

Joe Press – Mario.

Will Richardson – George Ketteridge.

Victoria Serra – Tracey Lord.

Jennifer Jones – Alternate Tracey Lord.

Callum Train – Chester & Resident Director.

Laura Tyrer – Liz Imbrie.

Russell Wilcox – Seth Lord.

Creatives

Director – Joe Pitcher.

Choreographer – Jaye Elster.

Set Designer – Jason Denvir.

Costume Designer – Natalie Titchener.

Musical Arranger – Jerome Van Der Berghe.

Co-Lighting Designers – Nic Farman ^ Hector Murray.

Sound Designer – Chris Whybrow.

Musical Director – Tom Noyes.