By Joy McKay.
It seems odd that it took 76 years for the 1935 musical film Top Hat to be turned into a stage show.
A Fred and Ginger classic with an Irving Berlin soundtrack that is so nostalgic you barely notice when it is being parodied; from Tom and Jerry to Family Guy; The Green Mile to Boss Baby. Top Hat just oozes 1930s Hollywood glamour, and with its sumptuous gowns and slick ensemble pieces was begging to be seen on the stage.
Mathew White and Howard Jaques could see the appeal of such a production and adapted the film for stage with the show premiering in 2014. They included extra songs but these are all taken from Berlin’s broader catalogue of work. This production is the 2025 Chichester revival directed and choreographed by Kathleen Marshall.
I sometimes forget to appreciate the beautiful Art Deco theatre we have here in Southampton, but whilst waiting for the curtain to rise I couldn’t help but enjoy my surroundings.
Mayflower Theatre was built as The Empire Theatre and when it opened in 1928 would have been the height of style and fashion. Almost contemporaneous with the setting for this production.
As the band started up with the Berlin soundtrack, so typical of the period, I knew I was in the best place to see this show.
Almost straight away the audience was delivered the dazzling footwork we were there to see. Phillip Attmore, playing Jerry Travers, had some big (tap) shoes to fill. Following in the literal footsteps of Fred Astaire, Attmore tapped and twirled at what seemed like impossible speeds.
However, it was when he was joined on stage by the ensemble that the show excelled. Top hats and tails, bow ties and canes it could feel cliched but instead this felt like an archetype, the template for so much musical theatre.
Stand out performances for me were James Clyde as Bates, Horace Harwick’s curmudgeonly gentleman’s gentleman and Emma Williams as the vivacious Madge Hardwick. Both performers carry much of the weight of the storytelling and managed to portray so much character I almost wanted to follow their stories more than that of Jerry and Dale.
So does a 91 year old farce stand the test of time?
Yes! It’s funny! It’s always been funny, and it’s sweet and fun and really just pure entertainment. Perhaps it’s its age that hasn’t aged it? Experience the lure of the Golden Age of Hollywood in our perfectly period theatre.
If only they served pink champagne, you’d feel like you were right there.
Tickets for Top Hat The Musical (Tuesday 7 – Saturday 11 April 2026) are on sale at mayflower.org.uk or 02380 711811.
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