Top Broadway director Kathleen Marshall stages the classic musical Top Hat at Chichester Festival Theatre this summer
Filling the stage with elegance, glamour and swing, Chichester Festival Theatre’s eagerly awaited summer musical is Irving Berlin’s classic tap extravaganza Top Hat. The musical equivalent of a finest vintage champagne – effervescent, elegant and exhilarating! – Top Hatboasts some of Hollywood’s greatest songs: the immortal Cheek to Cheek, Let’s Face the Music and Dance, Top Hat White Tie and Tails and Puttin’ on the Ritz.
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Based on the classic 1935 film which starred Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, the stage adaptation’s original West End production won the 2013 Olivier Award for Best New Musical and the Evening Standard Award for Best Night Out. This brand-new production will be directed and choreographed by multi Tony and Olivier Award-winner Kathleen Marshall,whose recent production of Anything Goes wowed audiences and critics in London and on TV.
‘I’ve only been to Chichester once but it was such a magical place,’ says US-based Kathleen. ‘There’s something very special about summer festival theatres. Whether people have come for the weekend or the evening, there’s something joyous and festive – as the name suggests!
‘I’m a huge Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers fan. Their most famous movies came out during the 1930s Depression, when people needed to be transported away from the harsh realities of everyday life, and I think we need that sense of glamour, wit and romance today.’
Someone once described musicals as ‘an engine for happiness’; why is tap such an exhilarating form of dance to watch?
‘In Anything Goes we used to joke that we should sell tap lessons at intermission!’, Kathleen laughs. ‘There’s something about the unison and energy of ensemble tap numbers that’s cathartic; it adds a percussive element to the existing orchestration.’
What can audiences look forward to about Top Hat, apart from the glorious music and dance?
‘We want to deliver what people love about the film, but also something fun and fresh. What I also love about Top Hat is that it’s a farce. There’s all the mistaken identity and the high stakes and the ticking clock: how are all the elements going to come together to give us the big satisfying ending that we want? That makes for a delightful evening – it’s a great romantic comedy.’
Top Hat runs at Chichester Festival Theatre from 14 July – 6 September; book at cft.org.uk.