This old Hollywood adaptation does little new, but still proves a glitzy and glamorous affair.

Top Hat accentuates everything that has the makings of a classic musical. Despite opening in 2011, the show, based on the classic 1935 RKO film starring Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire, radiates a sense of timelessness — as if it has been on stage forever.

This cast is led by Phillip Attmore, the effervescent and charming Jerry Travers, a famed New York tap dancer and sensation. Opening a show in London for his friend and producer Horace Hardwick (James Hume), his frequent “afflictions” of bursting into tap infuriates his downstairs neighbour, Dale Tremont (Nicole-Lily Baisden), whose frustrations do little to dissuade the man from falling in love with her. Of course, true love is never that simple, and what follows is a series of misunderstandings and wrongful assumptions that follow the duo through to the show’s end. 

Attmore and Baisden are the centre of the show, and do a fabulous job at making an otherwise unbelievable affair have all the charms of a couple falling in love. Dale’s initial frostiness, which I was anticipating slowly thawing throughout, vanished as quickly as it came on. Glancing at my watch made me worry about how much time the show still had left, with little to suggest for a plot. They do a quick job of setting up tensions between the pair again, but at this point, it all falls flat as we wait for the miscommunications to be resolved. Even the final realisation of why Dale had been so angry at Jerry was a muted affair, without much theatricality or satisfaction at its eventual revelation.

So while the book was not especially gripping, despite the glitz of thirties London and Italy, which did much to sway interest, the real success comes from the songs. A carousel of classic Hollywood hits, complete with an ensemble of energetic tap, is always the highlight, and there aren’t so many songs that the impact becomes dull. Every time the music soared, I sat back up in my seat. Horace and his wife Madge (Emma Williams), who debuts in the second act as a much-needed adrenaline boost, also serve well as the comedic tour de force of the final half. Hume is delightfully pathetic and weaselly in the role, while still giving off the airs of a respectable gentleman, nonetheless held in place by his ferocious partner. 

James Clyde and Alex Gibson-Giorgio are also effective in their supporting roles as Bates, the butler, and Alberto, the dressmaker, with the caveat that you have to meet them where they’re written. Their roles are filled with caricatures and exaggerated Italian accents, which are ridiculous and absolutely take you out of the play. They are, however, deeply comical, so it depends on what you come to Top Hat for, which otherwise contains little of farce.

While the musical does little new, it does well at adapting the classic film. For those wanting to see the showstopping classic numbers on stage, you could do little better. So dust off your hat and tail, and put on the ritz at Top Hat The Musical at Mayflower Theatre!

Top Hat runs at Mayflower Theatre until April 11th, and you can get your tickets here: https://www.mayflower.org.uk/whats-on/top-hat-2026/