“Heaven, I’m in heaven…”
A large and appreciative first-night crowd was clearly transported, rising as one to cheer a sparkling band of hoofers at Bristol’s Hippodrome theatre at the end of a Top Hat delivered with gusto, and no little wit.
Irving Berlin’s classic musical still has the power to lift us up from the despond of austerity 80 years after its massive box office success in 1930s America. All the elements are there – celebrity, wealth, (discreet) sex, love and a happy ending. In this Strictly Come Dancing age, Berlin’s magnum opus has the appeal to draw a wide age range, not just the silver foxes that remember the wonderful Astaire and Rogers’ prototype. Dance is the new rock n’ roll.
Stepping into the large shoes vacated by Fred and Ginger come two marvelous talents: Alan Burkitt, who plays dancing star Jerry Travers, and Charlotte Gooch who plays love-match Dale Tremont. These two held the eye throughout the show with utterly confident performances that wedded romp with romance, fun with fantasy. Burkitt and Gouch were voice and step perfect – flashily gorgeous athletic tappers of the first order, supported by a dazzling ensemble. Against a beautifully realised deco-styled set by Hildegard Bechtler, the dancing was enhanced by the quality of the thirties-styled costumes by designer Jon Morrell. It felt like the colour swatch at Farrell and Ball had taken flight!
Top Hat is nothing without its theme of true love winning out in the end. In the supporting roles Clive Hayward was perfectly cast as impresario Horace Hardwick the hen-pecked husband of Madge (Rebecca Thornhill). Thornhill put in an exhilarating shift as the match-making rich man’s wife and was matched by uproarious performances by Sebastien Torkia as Italian dressmaker Alberto Beddini and John Conroy as Hardwick’s butler Bates. They all contributed well to the silly nonsense surrounding the mistaken identity that forms the backbone of the plot.
But it’s all about the dancing of course. The ten-piece orchestra, led by Musical Director Jae Alexander, gave the proceedings a sharpness and when it mattered a romantic lushness to match the swirl of the dresses. As the set mutated brilliantly from hotel foyer to bedroom, park bench to Venetian piazza with great fluidity and panache, this production enjoyed more pace than the original with the action never dipping from the off – this was a flamboyant extravaganza of pure entertainment that did what it said on the tin. It’s a big hit, enjoy! ★★★★★ Simon Bishop 19/11/14
