High Society reviews: sitcom star Felicity Kendal shines in lavish revival

"This is the show of the summer"

“Helen George, Freddie Fox and Felicity Kendal dazzle in a show of pure theatrical escapism.”

“Rachel Kavanaugh’s revival of High Society turns out to be as uplifting as Kathleen Marshall’s Anything Goes, which blew away the post-lockdown blues five years ago.”

“As the wilful Tracy, Helen George more than steps out of the shadow of Grace Kelly.”

“Felicity Kendal quietly steals scenes as Tracy’s worldly mother.”

"A fabulous cast including Helen George, Freddie Fox and Felicity Kendal bring the house down in this must-see musical."

"High Society provides a lovely slice of escapism in a troubled world."

"Helen George proves her acting talents are matched by her singing and dancing prowess as Tracy Lord. Julian Ovenden as Dexter matches her every step of the way, his beautiful tenor voice a particular treat."

"In his first musical role, Freddie Fox plays Mike (well, did you evah?) and very good he is, too."

"It’s a beautifully staged production with fabulous choreography from Anthony Van Laast."

"Felicity Kendal steals the show in this delightfully frothy High Society"

“Bolstered by star turns – including an impish Felicity Kendal and the fantastic Freddie Fox, making his musical debut – and stuffed with witty, imperishable songs, Rachel Kavanaugh’s sleek production of High Society is an eminently welcome, frothy antidote to fretful times.”

“The most stirring ballad is a late rendition of I’ve Got You Under My Skin, sung by Mike’s lovelorn journalist companion, Liz (a sensational Carly Mercedes Dyer).”

“Fox immediately bringing charisma, comic vitality and commendable vocals.”

“The show could benefit from a more frenzied spirit, even a roof-raising tap routine.”

"With so many moving parts plot-wise, it takes a true beast of an ensemble to deliver the goods – and there really is a mighty company on offer here"

"Rachel Kavanaugh’s production does almost everything right, matching Kiss Me, Kate and only fractionally short of Anything Goes, in being a lavish, big-hearted revival that never leaves its audience shortchanged: a swellegant, elegant party indeed.”

“Helen George offers a wry, enigmatic spin on Tracy, keeping both her cards close to her chest and her heart full.”

“Opposite her, Julian Ovenden brings one of the best musical theatre voices on the planet to the role of Dexter.”

“Quips aplenty also come from national treasure Felicity Kendal, who follows up an appearance in Anything Goes to play Mother Lord.”

"Giddy, fizzy and sassy... this Cole Porter revival really is a swell party for summer!"

"The bar has been set very high, with the 2021 revival of Anything Goes starring Sutton Foster, the most spectacular musical staging I've ever seen. But Rachel Kavanaugh's production of High Society packs pleasures of its own, led by a sparkling Helen George."

"... what really fires up the stage in Anthony Van Laast's choreography is the spinning taffeta kaleidoscope in Let's Misbehave."

"Ovenden croons with a mellifluous tenor... As Dexter's love rival Mike, the floppy-haired Fox has a fine pair of lungs and is even an upgrade on the film's Sinatra."

"Upbeat and feel-good"

"Star-studded revival of the Cole Porter classic musical is a swell party"

"Following the success of Cole Porter’s Anything Goes and Kiss Me, Kate at the Barbican, this classic musical proves another treasure trove of the Great American Songbook."

"The director of this revival, Rachel Kavanaugh, is no stranger to manoeuvring large casts around a stage to maximum effect. Here, her job is helped immeasurably by Tom Rogers’ symmetrical, sophisticated set"

"Kavanaugh and choreographer Anthony Van Laast splash around in the shallow end, without taking too many risks, in a production that allows Porter’s fabulous songs plenty of air."

"In his musical debut, Fox acquits himself with honour, bringing a rich tone to Well, Did You Evah? and You’re Sensational, while Dyer almost stops the show with a wounding version of I’ve Got You Under My Skin."

"The show would benefit from a more conspicuous chemistry between the leading couple and crisper musical arrangements in some of the numbers. But nothing can obscure Porter’s smart lyrics and the production’s upbeat, feel-good nature. What a swell party it is."

"Smooth musical hardly misbehaves but the songs are heavenly"

"Impeccable vocals and slick staging make for dazzling set pieces in a tame production that’s missing the emotional centre of the 1956 film"

"Immaculate in its song and dance, it is smoothly staged from the minute the (doomed) multitiered cake is wheeled on for the upcoming wedding in Long Island. But something is missing from the love triangle"

"That missing something makes it a mechanical carousel of set pieces without the human drama, despite characterful but accompanying parts in Felicity Kendal’s wry Mother Lord and Nigel Lindsay’s charmingly roguish Uncle Willie."

"... it lacks that source material’s gorgeous languorousness and emotional centre."

"There is too little sense of romance between the central parties, and a lack of full-bodied characters as a whole. You barely get a sense of who these people are, what and who they desire."

"The book by Arthur Kopit remains rather wooden. Directed by Rachel Kavanaugh, the show seems so preoccupied with dazzling us musically and visually – with lovely choreography by Anthony Van Laast – that it forgets the importance of story, character, emotion."

"So, plenty of theatrical fizz but like Tracy’s drunkenness on the eve of her wedding to George, there is no genuine, joyful giddiness."

"It’s a very nice evening at the theatre - but it’s overshadowed by a production that was a proper event"

“In an unashamedly retro production, Ovenden is the standout as Dexter, charismatic in a way that’s both rakish and rueful.”

“Fox makes a very solid musical theatre debut: his voice is decent rather than revelatory but he handles the comedy very well indeed.”

“The songs are still amazing but this is an underpowered take on Cole Porter’s daft wedding comedy.”

“My biggest problem with this new Barbican Cole Porter revival is that five years ago the Barbican did another Cole Porter revival [Anything Goes] that was simply much better.”

"See this for George, Kendal, Dyer and Lindsay"

“It’s the women who impress in this reworked, airy Cole Porter musical set among a glamorous but feckless American elite, with Helen George very much in the lead.”

“It’s a star turn but George shares honours and space with Felicity Kendal as Tracy’s mother and Carly Mercedes Dyer as Liz, one half of the journalistic duo deployed to spy on her nuptials.”

“Nigel Lindsay brings hilarity and an undertone of threat to proceedings: he also brings the house down with the syncopated first act closer, Now You Have Jazz.”

“Kavanaugh’s staging is light, and sumptuous enough in its costumes and Anthony van Laast’s dance routines, but has an arch air, as if the actors are commenting on their characters not inhabiting them.”