United Kingdom Cole Porter’s High Society: Cliffs Pavilion, Southend-On- Sea, Essex, 28.7.2026. (JPr) ***
Wonders will never cease and at last a musical comes to the Cliffs Pavilion whose source material I know! It is based on the 1940 film The Philadelphia Story (from Philip Barry’s Broadway play of the same name) and the 1956 film musical. Because I had seen both of them more than once will explain the reason I didn’t enjoy the current High Society revival – fresh from its success at the Barbican Theatre and embarking on a UK and Ireland tour (information here) lasting through to November – as much as my wife accompanying me who had seen neither film.
Tom Rogers’s set was outstanding (a two-sided seemingly marble staircase from a high balcony) though it was basically unchanging with different rooms or the poolside only suggested with changes of stage furniture. Jon Morrell’s period-style costumes are glamorous, colourful and match the Long Island socialite setting. The sound was perhaps the best I have heard at the Cliffs Pavilion allowing every word of the dialogue (such as it is) and Cole Porter’s lyrics to be heard clearly. The small band of 11 under MD Dan McLaughlin was exceptional and did full justice to Porter’s music.
High Society’s current iteration I understand is based on a 1998 Broadway revival with a book by Arthur Kopit using some of the songs from the film and then adding others from the Cole Porter songbook. For this production, director Rachel Kavanaugh has apparently adapted Kopit’s version but includes some other Porter classics; so songs not originally in the musical film include ‘Be a Clown’, ‘Ridin’ High’, ’I Love Paris’, (in a painfully unfunny Parisian spoof that shouldn’t have survived the first run through), ‘It’s All Right With Me’, ’Just One of Those Things’, ’Let’s Misbehave’, ‘Throwing a Ball Tonight’, ’She’s Got That Thing’, ’Say It With Gin’, ‘I’ve Got You Under My Skin’, and, in the finale, ‘Let’s Do It’. (For 2026 sensibilities it is probably best that the film’s ‘Mind If I Make Love to You’ has been discarded.)
Tracy Lord is a Long Island socialite who is divorced from C. K. Dexter Haven, a wealthy yacht designer, and is now engaged to George Ktteridge, her father’s accountant. Her younger sister Dinah disapproves, though her mother Margaret is more accepting. Dexter unexpectedly returns after a long absence as he has been away sailing on his yacht True Love which Tracy helped design and that is a symbol of their past love. Dexter tells the Lord family that an unscrupulous magazine editor intends to expose Tracy’s father’s affair with a New York dancer, Tina Mara, but Dexter has managed to stop this only by allowing a reporter (Mike Connor) and photographer (Liz Imbrie) to come to the wedding – as the supposed friends of a deceased cousin of the Lords, Junius – and while undercover to report on it. The undercurrent in both films is old money versus new money and those that have some of it or do not, alongside the idea of keeping up appearances at all costs. As such Tracy is a haughty, perfectionist ‘ice goddess’, intolerant of human frailty (notably her father’s), yet who eventually melts and realises her fiancé is rather boorish before finally succumbing to true emotion. Party loving Uncle Willie masquerades as Tracy’s father (and vice versa) and much fun is had by all, while exploring the idea that money does not of necessity bring happiness while Mike has to overcome his working class reverse snobbery over the ‘idle rich’. Meanwhile Liz Imbrie has to deal with her unrequited love (for Mike) while acting as a cynical commentator on all that is going on.
However, in 2026 the plot of High Society has been so filleted as to not care about much of this and unless you know the original, the ending will come as a total surprise because it doesn’t look to be heading that way. Helen George is just a fun-loving party animal; Dexter – now oddly teetotal – errs too much on the side of world-weariness and is actually rather detached from any genuine pursuit of Tracy; unlike Mike who seems to get on with her rather too well, having ditched his class resentment with his first drink.
I can understand how some extra filler songs are needed but it should not be at the expense of the story. Until the final moments which mirror the ending of the film all you get are a couple of lines merely to lead you into the next song or more often than not, song and dance number (not that Anthony Van Lasst’s simple face front and smile choreography is anything special). So, if it was just a Cole Porter jukebox musical loosely held together by a romantic storyline then that would be ok, but High Society it really isn’t. One example will suffice, straightway following the interval Mike says about Tracy to Dexter ‘You’re still in love with her’ and this leads immediately into a sober ‘Well Did You Evah?’ for no real reason and barely minutes later with Tracy having asked George to dance with her there is a full-on high energy ensemble rendition of ‘Lets Misbehave’ …again for no real reason.
The principal cast are fine comic actors and equally good singers (Malcolm Sinclair’s Seth notwithstanding) though their accents come and go. Helen Geoge gives a high-wattage performance as Tracy and a highlight was the soul-searching ‘True Love’ duet with Julian Ovenden’s Dexter. The eloquent charm of Ovenden’s vocals suggested a gala concert to me rather than him totally inhabiting his character, Freddie Fox as Mike is a pleasant singer but his acting is lightweight. Helen George is no Katharine Hepburn or Grace Kelly; Julian Ovenden is no Cary Grant or Big Crosby; Freddie Fox is no James Stewart or Frank Sinatra.
Perhaps the most rounded character was Carly Mercedes Dyer as Liz Imbrie who brought real emotional weight to ‘I’ve Got You Under My Skin’. Nigel Lindsay had great fun as Uncle Willie believing himself pursued by Liz and gives a bravura account of ‘Now You Has Jazz’ backed by a tight onstage 6-piece jazz band. David Seadon-Young wasn’t given much to work with as George Kittredge; Josefina Gabrielle was a tolerant and forgiving Mother and Malcolm Sinclair was the philandering Seth Lord. Finally, Naomi Pacquette caught the eye as a sparky Dinah Lord.
High Society in 2026 is undoubtedly splendid entertainment for those who simply love to see and hear the songs of Cole Porter given great performances, but what remains of the plot it is so trite and emotionless you’ll be eager to look at the original films again sooner rather than later.
Jim Pritchard
Featured Image: High Society: Helen George (centre, Tracy) and ensemble © Pamela Raith
Cast:
Helen George – Tracy Lord
Freddie Fox – Mike Connor
Nigel Lindsay – Uncle Willie
Julian Ovenden – Dexter Haven
Carly Mercedes Dyer – Liz Imbrie
Josefina Gabrielle – Mother Lord
Malcolm Sinclair – Seth Lord
Naomi Pacquette – Dinah Lord
David Seadon-Young – George Kittredge
James Hume – Chester
Bethany Adamson, David Austin-Barnes, Jabari Braham, George Bray, Andrew Coshan, Jordan Crouch, Frances Dee, Aaron Elijah, Tosca Fischer, Jacob Fisher, Heather Jackson, Aoife Kenny, Nell Martin, Isabel Snaas – Ensemble
Creatives:
Music & Lyrics – Cole Porter
Book – Arthur Kopit
Additional Lyrics – Susan Birkenhead
Based on the play The Philadelphia Story by Philip Barry
Director – Rachel Kavanaugh
Choreographer – Anthony Van Laast
Musical Supervisor and Director – Stephen Ridley
Set designer – Tom Rogers
Costume designer – Jon Morrell
Lighting designer – Howard Hudson
Sound designer – Adam Fisher
Arrangements – Gareth Valentine
Orchestrations – Larry Blank
Orchestrations / Copying – Mark Cumberland