Top Hat, Théâtre du Châtelet
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In 2021, we sadly missed the new production of Anything Goes at the Barbican Theatre. American director and choreographer Kathleen Marshall presented in London the work that had premiered on Broadway a few years earlier.
Now, the Théâtre du Châtelet is hosting her new production: Top Hat. After Cole Porter, Kathleen Marshall takes on another giant, Irving Berlin. Among the founding fathers of the American musical and the Great American Songbook, he is undoubtedly one of our favorite geniuses. This revival has been touring the UK since the beginning of the year, and we are incredibly fortunate to be able to attend a performance in Paris tonight. Top Hat is a fairly literal, yet free, adaptation of Mark Sandrich’s 1935 film, a classic from the Golden Age of RKO Studios, starring Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. Literal because the screenplay (as thin as cigarette paper) is faithfully preserved. And yet, it’s also free, because the addition of numerous musical numbers fleshes out roles that sometimes lacked depth. Each performer thus has the opportunity to express themselves, to shine, and to give more substance to their character, however minor.
The two adaptors, Matthew White and Howard Jacques, therefore chose, in 2011, to draw from Irving Berlin’s vast repertoire to enrich Top Hat. And it must be said that each song fits perfectly into the narrative. It even becomes difficult to identify which songs originally appeared in the film.
As suggested, the book aligns with the lightheartedness expected in a Hollywood musical from the interwar period. Fred Astaire found the writing a bit corny. We prefer to call it « light. » Personally, I revere these musicals for two reasons. First, they are brimming with joy and carefree spirit. Then, they herald the arrival of my favorite Hollywood genre, screwball comedy. In fact, not much of note happens in Top Hat. Nevertheless, the film and the stage show are gems, thanks to their irresistible charm and some truly breathtaking numbers. The most famous is, of course, Cheek to Cheek, during which Ginger Rogers seems to literally fly, barely supported by Fred Astaire’s arms. There’s something meaningful about seeing two performers of color on stage taking on roles made iconic by Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. We know the origins of tap dancing, a hybrid art form with multiple influences (notably Irish), practiced by enslaved people in the United States, then popularized by the Black dancer Bojangles (Bill Robinson). In an interview, Philip Attmore explains that this role is a double tribute for him: to Fred Astaire, and also to Bojangles and the Black dancers erased from history -confined in Hollywood, even in musicals, to roles of servants.
The film’s aesthetic is skillfully translated onto the stage. We are delighted to rediscover the talent of Peter McKintosh, whose designs we admired in Hello, Dolly! at the Théâtre du Lido. A vast Art Deco arch spans the entire stage and houses a revolving set, which alternately transforms into a London hotel room, and the patio of a Venetian guesthouse. A young American dancer arrives in London for a new show. What follows is a series of crossed wires between his somewhat meek producer and his rather cantankerous wife, a very Latin Italian designer, a very British English butler, and above all, the young leading lady. At first, Jerry and Dale (the two protagonists) detest each other. Then they fall in love. Then they misunderstand each other. Finally, they fall in love again. I may sound as though I’m implying the writing isn’t worth much. That would be wrong. While the plot may be slight, the dialogue is sharp and often funny. There are plenty of laughs in Top Hat. And one comes above all to be dazzled by the music and dance, more so than by the story. Luke Holman’s musical direction is especially impressive. We had previously seen his work on Gershwin’s repertoire during the lavish production of Crazy For You at the Gillian Lynne Theatre in 2023. We loved it. With an orchestra of only twelve musicians, he manages here to infuse all the vitality and exuberance one could hope for. I honestly thought there were many more of them. It’s a true pleasure to hear these songs, which we listen to so often, live. At home, the vinyl Ella Fitzgerald sings the Irving Berlin Songbook is constantly on the turntable. So hearing all these brass instruments resound and seeing this music embodied through the bodies of this remarkable cast is a deeply exhilarating. In the lead role, we discover Philip Attmore.
Winner of the Astaire Award (now renamed the Chita Rivera Award) for his performance in Shuffle Along, he has left us speechless on several occasions. He is a tap-dancing prodigy, with astonishing speed, precision, and virtuosity. His solos are moments suspended in time. The audience watches his polished shoes and feels the energy radiating throughout his body, right down to his broad smile. Tap dancing is the art of joy, certainly. But Philip Attmore joyfully adds another layer of joy to it, scattering parks in his wake. One can only sit spellbound and smile in return at such generosity of performance. Similarly, the pas de deux between Philip Attmore and Nicole Lily-Baisden are delightful. The couple forms and dissolves, over the course of the numbers. It is the young heroine who, incidentally, delivers some the most biting lines. Between playful jabs, she perfectly embodies the ingenue and creates moments of grace with her partner, notably in the famous « Cheek to Cheek. »
As in all marivaudage-style comedies of manners, the secondary romantic plotline is often quite enjoyable. Less sentimental and more witty, it allows Clive Carter and Emma Williams, mature ans disillusioned lovers, to perform the fabulous song « Outside of That, I Love You, » an ode to hateful passion. Between these two couples, we also find a butler obsessed with cross-dressing (James Clyde) and an Italian stylist who performs « Latins Know How » in a number that flirts with burlesque striptease (Alex Gibson-Giorgio). These four invigorate the writing and provide wonderfully reliable comic relief.
The Théâtre du Châtelet truly treated us with this production. It’s a real gift to witness Irving Berlin’s classics brought yo life with such talent. Top Hat is a sophisticated, vibrant, and slightly campy show, much like its delicate and ethereal melodies. I think we say it after every show, but given what the world keeps throwing at us, we genuinely revel in this whirlwind of carefree glam and glitter. As I left, I was thinking of this 1930’s song, popularised by Billie Holiday: « You go to my head / And you linger like a haunting refrain / And I find you spinnin’ round in my brain / Like the bubbles in a glass of champagne. » Yes—Top Hat is very much like the bubbles in a glass of champagne.
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