REVIEW | Flowers For Mrs Harris, Riverside Studios

Reviews

6 Oct

Reviewer - Penny

*Disclaimer: Gifted tickets in return for an honest review

The musical adaptation of Flowers for Mrs Harris was first staged in 2016 in Sheffield. Based on a 1958 American novel by Paul Gallico, it tells the story of a cleaner who falls in love with her client’s fabulous Dior dress and travels to Paris in the hopes of buying one of her own. Revived at Chichester in 2018 with the same creative team as the original Sheffield production, its much-anticipated London premiere has now opened at Hammersmith’s Riverside Studios, this time directed by Bronah Lagan and with musical direction from Jonathan Gill.

The majority of this show is sung-through, but the dialogue we do have from Rachel Wagstaff’s book feels authentic to both its period and the characters – ranging from working-class cleaners to French aristocracy. It’s full of warmth and humour, with satisfying callbacks later in the show to what initially feels like throwaway lines.

It’s impossible to listen to Richard Taylor’s music and lyrics without being reminded of the work of the late Stephen Sondheim. It’s full of tricky rhythms, unusual melodies and interesting wordplay. In the second act, some of the talented cast members take on these rhythms and melodies with the added challenge of singing in French! Lagan’s direction, along with excellent characterisation from the cast, means that there’s no need to actually speak French to understand what’s going on. Although the score is clever and excellently delivered, it does lack a truly memorable song, beyond the regular reprise of the line “Mrs ‘arris is going to Paris”. It can also be a little difficult at times to keep up with what is going on when four characters are singing over each other. However, songs like “Rain on Me” from Mrs Harris, and a duet with French model Natasha in which the two women bond over their love of chocolate cake, are both beautifully pitched, giving clear insight into the inner thoughts of the characters and their hopes, dreams and heartbreaks.

The set, designed by Nik Corrall, has muted tones and depicts a street scene with laundry hanging in the background. At its centre is a revolve that reveals Mrs Harris’ simple kitchen, an instantly recognisable working-class 1950s home. The homes of her cleaning clients are represented through simple furniture – giving a sense of the various locations without the need for lavish set changes. There is not the scope to recreate the splendour of Christian Dior’s fashion house, but the fabulous costumes from Sara Perks (for both the Parisien characters’ everyday wear and haute couture dresses) give an appropriate sense of glamour and riches.

The cast does not have a weak link. Lagan has opted to have cast members double up in their roles – playing Mrs Harris’ London clients and then the various people she meets in Paris. Some of these have clear similarities in both acts – including a lovestruck accountant, played with self-effacing charm by a fine voiced Nathanael Campbell and Annie Wensak’s working class cleaner – in the first act a friend and confidante to Mrs Harris with some cracking one liners, in the second a scene stealing char lady at the House of Dior. A stand-out performance for me came from Charlotte Kennedy, switching seamlessly from fame hungry starlet-in-waiting Pamela to Natasha, the successful French model longing for a more simple life. Her beautiful soprano voice suited the music perfectly, soaring to hit the top notes that are so often missing in modern musicals that opt for a rockier sound.

Over the years, some big names from stage and screen have taken on the titular role of Ada Harris, including Clare Burt (who starred in the original Sheffield/Chichester production), Angela Lansbury and most recently Lesley Manville, in a 2022 film adaptation. Now it is the turn of the Oliver Award-winning actress Jenna Russell and the casting could not be more perfect. She exudes a natural warmth and charm, making it very easy to understand how Ada manages to touch people’s lives so easily. Every word comes from the heart, her facial expressions and posture let us know exactly how she is feeling. And as we learn more about Ada’s loss and loneliness, Russell’s performance is utterly heartbreaking. She is truly exceptional in the role. Her scenes with Hal Fowler, who sensitively plays two charming men called Albert, are enough to melt the stoniest of hearts.

Flowers for Mrs Harris is unashamedly sentimental, squeezing every possible bit of emotion out of its story. However, this sentiment never becomes cloying or mawkish. The first act is perhaps a little bit too long, taking its time to establish the various characters and showing us Ada’s quest to raise the money for her life-changing trip to Paris. But the second act is a joyful experience, as Ada rediscovers herself and puts colour back into both her life and the lives of the people around her. It’s a charming show that is as uplifting as it is moving and will restore your faith in human nature.

Flowers for Mrs Harris runs at the Riverside Studios until Saturday 25 November.