Top Hat @ The Mayflower, Southampton

There’s something about the glitz & glamour of Hollywood’s golden age that continues to intrigue theatre goers. Some love the nostalgia, for others it’s a link to a time they never had a chance to experience themselves. Top Hat is a perfect example, the epitome of style over substance, it nevertheless manages to consistently draw in the crowds!

First and foremost, if you’re here to see this show you’re expecting some spectacular footwork and the tap routines are as crisp as any I’ve ever seen and performed with gusto! The cast all sing wonderfully too and if, in places, the acting is a little dubious (oh my, those Italian accents) it simply adds to the period charm!

Alan Burkitt makes for a charming lead, dancing beautifully and singing with a voice that is a perfect fit for Irving Berlin’s tunes. Charlotte Gooch is every bit his equal and they have an easy, natural, chemistry. Elsewhere Rebecca Thornhill dazzles in her role and Clive Hayward & John Conroy add some wonderful comedy touches, particularly when the latter goes undercover as a dowager duchess!

In a cast full of wonderful tappers and movers Matthew Caputo stands out, his movements are uncannily fluid and natural and it feels a shame he doesn’t have more solo moments to shine!

You’re not going to see anything you haven’t seen before here, in fact this is a very simple and safe show, but it’s performed with pizzazz and a cast who are quite obviously having a ball, so if you want a few hours of great tunes and glorious dancing that lets you escape from the rest of the world grab your hat, your white tie and your tails and get to see this tour while you can

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