I am not normally a fan of musicals, by which I mean the Abba and Queen variety*. But being a sucker for the old black and white singing and dancing films, especially Busby Berkeley movies such as this corker, and anything with Fred and Ginger in it, saying yes to this show was a no brainer.
This new stage version of Top Hat is wonderful. That Tom fella off the TV who won Strictly is in it and he's rather good indeed. As is Summer Strallen who makes tap dancing, especially high kicks, look so easy and, boy, can she sing! They are supported by a great supporting cast. I loved every minute of it. It's all based on the simple old story of boy meets girl mixed with mistaken identity (aren't they all?!). A few extra numbers that were not in the original have been cheekily added but hey, why not?!
Reduced seat prices are available here.
"Heaven, I'm in heaven..."
Now I feel the need to watch the original 1935 film of Top Hat again... here's a clip. Notice how it's mainly a simple continuous wide shot so you can see the dancing in full, which contrasts with all silly close-ups etc we get in films and on TV these days featuring unnecessary cuts to the audience. Also note the lovely soft film quality.
"I'm putting on my white tie..."
Nice.
No photos of the show, but here are some of my London hats:
Top: Hollen St, Chenies St, Goswell Rd, St James St
Middle: Ely Place, Hatton Gdn, Jermyn St, Shepherd MktBottom: Lambeth Walk, Prebend St, Wilkes St, St Martins Place.
*though I am always prepared to be proved wrong, so if anyone has any spare free tickets for any of the big 'modern' musicals, then please do get in touch ;-)
I'm no modern musical fan but that Astaire clip is pure bliss
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