JADAR

★★★★☆

Have you ever been to a performance that you see for the first time but somehow know all the songs? Top Hat is exactly that type of a musical.

The Chichester Festival Theatre production of Top Hat, which was originally adapted for the stage by Matthew White and Howard Jacques, brings the timeless charm of classic musical comedy, which first saw life as a 1935 American film, but with a freshness that makes the experience feel completely alive.

The plot itself is well-known, simple, and familiar: boy meets girl, misunderstandings escalate, chaos follows. Yet here it is put together with such precision and warmth that it feels endlessly funny and surprisingly relatable.

At its centre is the story of a Broadway tap dance star, Jerry Travers (Phillip Attmore), who has always floated through life convinced of his own irresistible appeal. He is a performer who knows that every woman who meets him ”loves his feet more than his face”. He “wears” his confidence like a top hat – polished, theatrical, glamorous and charming… until he meets that one woman, a model, Dale Tremont (Amara Okereke), whose beauty sleep is rudely interrupted by tap dancing in the London hotel suite above hers. Suddenly, the smooth talk, the dazzling talent, and the easy charm no longer work, and Jerry finds himself doing everything he can to win her attention. As he confesses with disarming honesty, he has “put all his eggs in one basket” — and for the first time, it matters.

What makes the journey especially delightful is how naturally Jerry begins to change. Little by little, he drops the cockiness and self-adoration, revealing someone much more sincere, vulnerable, and genuinely lovable. His transformation is balanced perfectly with the musical’s humour: classic jokes that have been around for decades yet never seem to age. The audience — whether young or old — laughs, enjoys the wordplay, and responds to the lightness of the comedy as if it had been written not a century ago but far more recently.

The production itself is filled with impressive, lively touches. Amara Okereke’s vocal control is remarkable, moving effortlessly between styles and emotions, filling the theatre with a voice that feels both powerful and intimate. The costumes (designed by Yvonne Milnes and Peter Mckintosh) and choreography (Kathleen Marshal, with associate direction and choreography by Carol Lee Meadows) are thrilling. There are not many things as magical as an ensemble that dances in sparkling dresses and sings at the same time, and this musical, under director and choreographer Kathleen Marshall, is rich with moments like that. 

Even though the set design (Peter Mckintosh) may seem simple and humble at first, with a few thoughtful touches and a play of light (Tim Mitchell), every scene was distinct and memorable. Some scenes even shifted with a cinematic smoothness, as if the stage momentarily becomes a film set, spaces emptying and transforming in seconds. And the iconic oyster-feather dress fits impeccably into the world of this show, even if from the other side of the curtain, it may look “like a chicken attacked by a coyote” (see The ‘Feathers’ incident for details).

Another strength of this production is that every character feels like a main character. No one is left in the background; each figure has their moment, their purpose, their reason to be loved by the audience. And the audience does love them. You feel their sincere support in both the bright, sparkling moments and the more fragile ones.

The relationship between Bates (James Clyde) and Horace (James Hume) brings its own flavour of comedy — wonderfully reminiscent of watching “Jeeves and Wooster”. Their dynamic has that same rhythm of dry wit and flustered chaos, and in this production, the actor playing Horace reminded me of Ted Lasso, adding an extra layer of warmth and instant likeability to the character. Bates, being told to be the man in disguise, adds another layer of playful chaos, enhancing the joke without ever distracting from the story.

Last, but not at all least, there’s something wonderfully honest in the way the musical portrays relationships, whether it is a five-year marriage, love at first sight, or blind obsession by an Italian dressmaker Alberto Beddini (Alex Gibson-Giorgio). The idea that everyone wants honesty feels something both philosophical and instinctive. When Madge (Sally Ann Triplett) requested the truth from Horace, she wouldn’t even think that the one she gets is that they share “a lot of hate and a little love”, or perhaps the other way round. But if that does not address the deep reality of day-to-day life then what does?

Top Hat runs at Opera House Manchester until November 29 2025 and tours the UK until April 11 2026.