Flowers For Mrs Harris Reviews

"Jenna Russell shines in this charming feelgood musical adaptation"

"Russell is great as Mrs Harris, effortlessly combating the ‘saintly working-class’ stereotype with flashes of frustration and the smallest, sharpest moments of heartbreaking grief. It’s also a lot of fun to watch her and Anne Wensak as neighbour Violet basically hustle her clients to raise the money for her flight to France."

"Lagan’s production bursts into life when the scene switches to Paris. Designer Nik Corrall’s cleverly whimsical set becomes a whirl of opening doors as the rest of the cast – doing double duty as characters in France as well as the UK – fully embrace playing the Parisians whose lives Mrs Harris improves in a day."

"This show brims over with a kindness that may be more wish fulfilment than reality – that people’s efforts pay off and hard graft is ultimately rewarded – but there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that right now. Soak it up and cheer Mrs Harris along."

"Glorious musical bouquet"

"Jenna Russell is exquisite in this glorious musical of grief, friendship and self-discovery"

"With a brisk book by Rachel Wagstaff, and music and lyrics by Richard Taylor that blend pretty tunes with an edge of Sondheim-esque minor-key chromaticism, it’s shamelessly sentimental. But its sweet, heady fragrance is offset by thorny themes of class division and the quiet, relentless agony of loneliness and bereavement. And Bronagh Lagan’s production is so beautifully performed by a cast led by the magnificent Jenna Russell that it leaves you both emotionally wrung out and elated."

"By the time the show delivers its poignant, unexpected ending, the entire audience is awash with tears. Simply gorgeous."

"Sweetly unassuming musical with dreams of chic"

"Jenna Russell gives a shining performance of quiet resolve in this musical adaptation of Paul Gallico’s novel about a widowed cleaner in gloomy postwar London who sets her sights on purchasing a Dior dress in Paris"

"Based on Paul Gallico’s 1958 novel Mrs ’Arris Goes to Paris – which was also filmed last year with Lesley Manville – the show could use secateurs. It takes forever to get Ada to “bleedin’ Paris”, and Bronagh Lagan’s production only takes flight when she reaches Avenue Montaigne."

"Even when the musical risks slackening the thread of Ada’s quest, Russell keeps it taut, giving a shining performance of quiet resolve."

"As Ada, Jenna Russell’s richly expressive voice and quality of contained goodness are as colourful as the iridescent organza that she sees in a client’s wardrobe. She lights up the heart of the show, a beacon of hope. But around her, Bronagh Lagan’s production has lost some of the fizz needed to propel this simple story forward. It sometimes seems a bit too slow and drab to unleash its potential."

"Nevertheless, there is still much to relish. Annie Wensak is a good-hearted comic pleasure as Ada’s best friend Violet, obsessed with the idea that her next-door neighbour is getting snooty – “Cos you live closer to Clapham, you think you’re la-di-da” she snaps – before inevitably coming round to her pursuit. Hal Fowler provides generous support both as Ada’s long-dead Albert and a sophisticated French Marquis, while Kelly Price adds a touch of elegance as a sad soignée Parisian."