Top Hat
Top Down
Top Hat
by Irving Berlin, adaptation by Matthew White and Howard Jacques
Kenny Wax and Jonathan Church for Chichester Festival Theatre Productions at the New Wimbledon Theatre until 18th October and then on tour until 11th April 2026
Review by Patrick Shorrock
Chichester Theatre’s musicals tend to be outstandingly good and often transfer from the south coast. Recent examples include Crazy for You, South Pacific, and Oliver! (the last of which is still a West End hit). If this version of Top Hat isn’t quite at that level, it’s still a damn good show and makes for an enjoyable evening.
Part of the reason – dare I say it – is Irving Berlin’s songs. Yes, Puttin’ on the Ritz, Cheek to Cheek, Let’s Face the Music and Dance, and Outside of That, I Love You are all classics, even if some of them, after a good start, fade into the bland, agreeable dance music that populates so much of the show. There is something inexorably magnolia at the heart of his writing: the tension and spice that would make a number truly memorable are often missing. Never was there a show where the dramatic stakes were so low. We know all will be well as soon as the heroine realises that the hero isn’t her friend’s husband, but someone else entirely, who is very definitely available: indeed, desperate contrivance is required to prevent her from realising this much earlier in the proceedings.
Kathleen Marshall’s direction and choreography is slick and efficient and makes the most of the chorus numbers. Peter McKintosh’s set looks stylish and enables the many scene changes to be rapid. This production is admirable and impressive, but somehow still a bit processed and unexciting. Philip Attmore is a bit smug and arrogant, but this is arguably part of the character. Compared with Charlie Stemp, he seems to be a bit heavy footed when it comes to tap dancing. He wasn’t helped by the wide trousers that Yvonne Milnes favoured for the men, although her costumes were otherwise rather splendid. The ensemble did a great job at switching from being individuals to members of a well-drilled chorus line as required. Lindsay Atherton, a last-minute substitution, fitted in well as Dale Tremont. James Hulme and Sally Ann Triplett provided some effective comedy and much needed edge. Outside of That, I Love You was the best number in the show for me. James Clyde as the lugubrious butler Bates made the most of his terrible jokes. Alex Gibson-Giorgio did the best he could with the embarrassingly stereotyped Italian fashion designer, but this part has not worn well.
This is a lavish and lovely show, but remains at heart something to take your grandmother to.
Patrick Shorrock, October 2025
Photography courtesy of CFT
Mark Aspen 