Following a hugely successful revival in Chichester, Top Hat is bringing old-school Hollywood glamour to venues around the UK and is about to tap dance into the hearts of tonight’s audience in Manchester.
Based on the iconic Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers movie with a sparkling Irving Berlin score, Top Hat – under the assured helm of the multi-award winning director/choreographer Kathleen Marshall – weaves its comedy via many classic tropes – mistaken identity, spying on each other, marital disharmony and love triangles – with lashings of charm, showmanship, and the breezy, effervescent joy that defines a true musical comedy.
From the moment opening number ‘Puttin’ on the Ritz’ sparks into life, the stage erupts with breathtaking choreography and a surge of high-voltage energy from the full company that never once lets up. The show’s plot may be thinner than a slice of pastrami, and may even occasionally drag a little, but no-one cares when the dancing is this spectacular.
Phillip Attmore takes on the role of Jerry Travers, the Hollywood stage supremo whose commitment to bachelorhood takes a major wobble when he meets feisty model Dale Tremont (Amara Okereke). Both crackle together with warm, fulsome vocals, bags of charisma and sublime tap dancing. Whilst their foxtrot in ‘Cheek to Cheek’ might not float around the stage with the same lightness of Fred and Ginger, they command the stage with confidence and charm.
James Hulme and Sally Ann Triplett steal nearly every scene as the warring married couple, Horace and Madge Hardwick. ‘Outside of that, I love you’ is a show highlight as they bounce off each other beautifully with humour drier than a Martini, barbed affection, and the effortless rhythm of two people who’ve perfected bickering into an Olympic sport.
Excellent and hilariously scenery-chewing support comes from Alex Gibson-Giorgio as Dale’s would-be paramour, the flamboyant Italian fashion designer Alberto Beddini, who brings some fabulous physicality to his solo number ‘Latins Know How’.
Equally, manservant of several unconvincing disguises, Bates, tonight played by Connor Hughes, brings some laugh out loud moments as he monitors the emerging romances on behalf of Horace. Indeed, his own mouth starts to twitch as he perseveres through a relay of pearls of wisdom from an increasingly distant collection of relatives, putting his arsenal of varying British accents to the test.
A highly effective revolving Art Deco set allows the ensemble to make the most of the stage where, freed from fussy set changes, the staging becomes part of the choreography, creating a show that, with costumes that hark back to the original film, revels in its swirl of sequins, steps, and showmanship.
By the final bow, Top Hat proves that, in a sea of modern musicals, when sparkle, tap shoes, and unfiltered joy collide, nostalgia isn’t old-fashioned at all – it’s irresistible.
Top Hat runs until 29th November at the Manchester Opera House. For tickets, visit https://www.atgtickets.com/shows/top-hat/opera-house-manchester/
Reviewer: Lou Steggals
Reviewed: 25th November 2025
North West End UK Rating:
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