Top Hat
A show that unashamedly celebrates a golden age of cinema with its healthy slice of nostalgia and those unforgettable songs.
Question - When is the stage adaptation of a classic Hollywood musical more than just an adaptation? Answer – when it is a jukebox stage musical. For that is what Matthew White and Howard Jacques' stage version of Mark Sandrich's 1935 musical comedy Top Hat really amounts to – a two and a half hour musical spectacular which follows faithfully the plot of the original film, with tap dancer Jerry Travers and fashion model Dale Tremont randomly meeting in a London hotel before journeying to Venice and falling in love. Featuring just five songs from the original ‘Top Hat’ film, but beefing up the show with a sparkling array of Irving Berlin compositions from his Hollywood canon, 'Top Hat – The Musical' takes its audience on a journey from New York to London, and then on to Venice, with more classic hits than you can shake a cane (or a gondola remo) at.
Leading the assault on our senses is the pairing of Phillip Attmore and Nicole-Lily Baisden in the starring roles. Not only do they look good together, but they sparkle with a stage chemistry that is a delight to watch. Kathleen Marshall's direction and choreography maintains a real sense of the glamour of the era, whilst Peter McKintosh's hi-tech revolving stage set somehow manages to dazzle without ever feeling incongruous, or out of place. The live orchestra under the direction of Luke Holman adds further period authenticity, as do the glamorous costumes designed by Yvonne Milnes and Peter McIntosh. This allows us to really enjoy the show without ever having to worry about in which musical film we first heard all those classic Irving Berlin songs.
Because, in fact, only five of the fifteen musical numbers included in the show are taken from the original ‘Top Hat’, the film starring Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. The universally loved 'Top Hat, White Tie and Tails' and 'Cheek to Cheek' are joined by the lesser-known 'No Strings (I'm Fancy Free)', 'Isn't This A Lovely Day (To Be Caught In The Rain)', and the Adriatic dance drama of 'The Piccolino', all taken from the original film. Other Berlin hits that get shoe-horned into the show (and certainly have the audience humming) include the jaunty 'Putting On The Ritz' (taken from 1946's 'Blue Skies'), and the stirring 'Let's Face The Music And Dance' (from 'Follow The Fleet').
Not that any of this matters, or that anyone cares. 'Top Hat' is a show that unashamedly celebrates a golden age of cinema with its healthy slice of nostalgia and those unforgettable songs. If I have a criticism it is that the stage sometimes seemed a tad small for the number of dancers on stage, and the moves that they are made to go through, but as juke-box musicals go, this is a true classic.
