Direct from its tremendous success in London, winning three Olivier awards for Best New Musical,Best Choreography, Best Costumes and the Evening Standard Award for Best Night Out, this spectacular West End production brings the glamour of Hollywood's golden age and the glorious, tap-dancing magic of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers to the stage in one of the greatest dance musicals of all time. Read more …
Packed full of Irving Berlin's greatest hits, including Cheek to Cheek, Top Hat, White Tie & Tails, Let's Face the Music & Dance and Puttin' on the Ritz, Top Hat tells the story of Broadway sensation Jerry Travers who dances his way across Europe to win the heart of society girl Dale Tremont. An uplifting and hilarious romantic comedy celebrating 1930s song, style and romance, Top Hat dazzles with over 200 beautiful costumes, breathtaking dance and a love story that will set the pulse racing!
Stepping into the shoes of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers in the lead roles of Jerry Travers and Dale Tremont, are Alan Burkitt and Charlotte Gooch, who both return to Top Hat having performed these roles in the West End.
Directed by Matthew White and choreographed by Bill Deamer (Olivier Award winner for Best Choreography), set designs are by Hildegard Bechtler (Olivier Award nominee for Best Set Design), costume designs by Jon Morrell (Olivier Award winner for Best Costume Design), lighting design by Peter Mumford, sound by Gareth Owen (Olivier Award nominee for Best Sound Design), new orchestrations by Chris Walker and musical supervision by Richard Balcombe.
Despite the shortcomings of the storyline, and despite any reservations about having yet another musical that is drawn from an old film rather than displaying any originality, it would be churlish to deny the impact of this production. For simple entertainment value, it cannot be recommended highly enough. Whether you think you like musicals or not, for a great evening out this would be hard to top.
This production is class at its finest with slapstick and wit injected to fully immerse the audience. With tops and tails for the gentleman and alluring feathers and cocktail gowns for the ladies, Top Hat is an evening to dress your best for.
For some frantically enjoyable escapism, Top Hat really can’t be beaten.
The colossal team involved in Top Hat deserves its high accolades for putting on this ritzy show.
In these cash-strapped, doom-laden times, a dose of perfectly executed, elegant escapism is the order of the day and this is old-school glamour at its best. This simply is top class – not to be missed.
Immediately it is easy to see why Irving Berlin’s Top Hat is award-winning. The choreography and costumes are stunning, as is the set design. You really are transported back in time and across the world from New York to London and Venice.
Festival Theatre, Edinburgh from Tuesday October 7, 2014, until Saturday October 18, 2014. More info: http://www.edtheatres.com/festival
Theatre Royal, Glasgow from Tuesday December 2, 2014, until Saturday December 13, 2014. More info: www.theambassadors.com/theatreroyalglasgow/