Two stars from Call the Midwife and House of the Dragon are partnering up on the stage for a lavish new production at The Lowry theatre of a classic musical that’s been hailed as a ‘cocktail of romance and charm’.
Fresh from a record-breaking summer season at London’s Barbican Theatre, High Society has been hailed as a ‘glittering’ new take on the popular 1956 film of the same name, originally starring Bing Crosby and Grace Kelly.
The musical follows an Oyster Bay socialite who plans to wed a pretentious executive when her ex-husband returns onto the scene. It will star Helen George, who plays Trixie Franklin in Call The Midwife, and Freddie Fox, who currently stars as Gwayne Hightower in Game of Thrones prequel House of the Dragon, in the lead roles.
Click here for the latest on Manchester’s food & drink scene, gigs and more in our CityLife newsletter
The musical, which features classic Cole Porter songs including Who Wants To Be A Millionaire, Let’s Misbehave, and You’re Sensational, will be performed at The Lowry on a two-week run from September 22 to October 3 (tickets here), and Helen and Freddie both say taking part in the show is a moment they’ve both been longing for.
“I grew up listening to all the greats like Ella Fitzgerald and Frank Sinatra singing those wonderful Cole Porter melodies,” Helen explains. “Doing this show is really special for me because this is the music that I grew up with and sang along to.”
“I’ve been building up to this since the age of four when I saw my first musical at the National Theatre,” Freddie says as he recalls seeing Guys and Dolls on the stage at a young age. “I absolutely loved it, I learned all the words to all the songs and I sang them to anyone who would listen for a good few years afterwards.
“It’s what started my obsession with musicals and I later became besotted with Cabaret and The Producers, so finally getting to star in one now on stage is the realisation of a boyhood fantasy.”
In the production, Helen, who previously appeared on Strictly Come Dancing back in 2015, takes on the role of Tracy Lord, who the actress describes as being a bit of a ‘White Lotus’ level of appeal to her.
“She’s a very interesting character,” she explains. “One of my first questions was ‘Why would we care about her?’, because on paper she’s got it all. She lives in this fantastic house and there’s so much wealth behind her, but ultimately it’s a story about human relations and Tracy is trying to control her life in the best way that she can.
“It’s a bit like The White Lotus because everybody’s in this world of wealth and fabulousness, and how can we relate to that? But actually we can’t take our eyes off them and there are really relatable themes about love and pain amidst all the fun and fantastic songs.”
Helen adds: “I think what’s interesting about her is that she’s a divorced woman in 1951, which is rare and actually quite brave. It’s interesting to explore the fact that she’s free and independent and only needs a man for love, not money.”
Freddie, meanwhile, will play the sharp-eyed tabloid reporter Mike Connor, who is constantly hunting for scandal and heads to the Oyster Bay house for hopes of his next big scoop. “He’d like to think of himself as a socialist, but he’s probably more of a champagne socialist, to be honest,” Fox laughs.
“He’s a sort of middle-class intellectual and a very good writer, but he has only ever written one book that nobody read, so he has to make money as a journalist – which is something that he hates doing but it pays the bills.
“When he arrives at this fancy-schmancy house in Oyster Bay he’s thinking ‘These people are going to be completely ghastly’ and decides that he wants to hate them all on principle, but then he gets lured by the high society spell.”
Asked if he has any comparable features to the role of Mike, Freddie laughs again as he says: “Well, apart from being slightly left-wing and liking champagne, not really!”
The show comes at a special time of year for Helen, who would normally be on set filming Call The Midwife. However, following its recent 15th series, bosses of the popular BBC show confirmed it was on a hiatus but reassured fans it had not been cancelled. Helen says she is sure she will be back on the show soon enough.
“It’s weird not seeing my friends in the cast [right now],” the actress explains. “Call the Midwife is always going to be a part of me and I hope in my future as well. I’m hoping that my time as Trixie hasn’t come to an end just yet.”
Both Freddie and Helen say the fact that High Society is touring the country following its run in London is essential for audiences across the country to be able to get the same offering and level of shows as those living in the capital.
“Without getting on my soapbox, I think touring productions are so important,” she stresses. “I grew up in Birmingham and I saw so many wonderful touring shows, and that’s what made me want to do what I do now.”
Freddie adds: “Taking a show out of London is what it’s all about for me. Theatre should be for absolutely everybody and I think now more than ever – as we face a kind of technological revolution, the effects of which we can’t quite predict, what with AI and the like – theatre is more important to us than perhaps it ever has been in our history.
“Taking a show on tour and giving people a great night out is just one brick in that enormous wall.”
With a book by Arthur Kopit, High Society will feature a multi award-winning creative team behind it, including renowned director Rachel Kavanaugh and Mamma Mia! choreographer Anthony Van Laast. It will also feature gorgeous costumes designed by Jon Morrell, which is something Freddie is especially excited about.
“The costumes are extraordinary and audiences will leave the theatre feeling like no expense has been spared on making it a truly massive musical extravaganza,” he states.
Both performers say they are excited to get onto the Salford Quays stage for the adaptation of High Society, and say they expect it to be a real slice of very-much-needed escapism for audiences right now.
Helen said: “I come out of the theatre, then I listen to the news and think ‘Oh God, I’m so glad that I’m doing High Society, not something that’s sad or political in any way’.
“This is exactly the sort of show that we need right now, and I think that theatre really comes into its prime when the world feels uncertain – especially with a musical that’s as much fun and as lively and joyful as this one.”
High Society will be at The Lowry from September 22 to October 3. Helen George will not appear in the September 25 and 26 shows. Tickets here.
You must be logged in to post a comment Login