Review | Top Hat | Manchester Opera House | 25 November 2025

With all the glamour and sophistication of the golden age of musicals, you’d be forgiven for assuming Top Hat was one of the classic stage musicals. While the film celebrates its 90th anniversary this year, this stage adaptation only premiered in 2011, later winning the 2013 Olivier Award for Best New Musical on its West End transfer. With a strong track record for producing outstanding musical revivals, Chichester Festival Theatre’s production of Top Hat is now touring the country after a successful summer season.

We meet Broadway star Jerry Travers (Phillip Attmore) who tries tirelessly to win the heart of model Dale Tremont (Amara Okereke) after a chance encounter in a London hotel. Having woken her up from the room above practising a tap routine for his latest show, Jerry doesn’t make the best first impression. Things only get worse when a case of mistaken identity threatens to derail everything.

Th narrative is undeniably simplistic, although admittedly this is often the case for this style of musical. Whilst it can be enjoyable to simply let some shows wash over you, it can become an issue if the production is too long. At just under three hours including interval on press night, Top Hat struggled to maintain pace and momentum, particularly in the longer second act which felt its length.

Top Hat however finds salvation in its humour, which is ultimately its driving force over the dancing. When the gloriously camp Madge Hardwick (Sally Ann Triplett) arrives, the show really finds its heart. Triplett, a certified West End legend, delivers a masterclass in comedic timing alongside sharp one-liners which land excellently every time. While it felt a missed opportunity not to hear more of her singing, her duet with James Hume’s Horace Hardwick on “Outside of That, I Love You” was a standout moment of the show.

The standout performance, though, belongs to Amara Okereke as Dale Tremont. With rich, warm, and powerful vocals, she commands your attention whenever she is on stage. What is a shame, however, is the sound mix itself. Whilst Irving Berlin’s iconic score is skilfully played by a superb orchestra, the sound felt noticeably quiet at points, which prevented several moments from having the impact they deserved.

Kathleen Marshall knows how to choreograph dance-based musicals, having won both a Tony and Olivier for the revival of Anything Goes. Here, the choreography is also excellent, with both large ensemble and more intimate couple numbers being full of energy. Yet the staging doesn’t always serve the dancing. The multiple-stepped platforms, though visually striking, limit the flat space needed for big tap sequences to truly soar. As a result, some of the larger numbers feel frustratingly constrained.

Where Peter McKintosh’s classy Art Deco-inspired staging truly pays off is in the more general acting scenes. A revolve is cleverly used to provide seamless and classy scene changes and transitions. With staging now often dominated by screens and projections, it is refreshing to see a show have more high-quality, crafted stage design.

Ultimately, Top Hat is a perfectly enjoyable night out at the theatre with plenty to enjoy. It does what it needs to do, but never quite reaches the heights of other recent dance-heavy musical revivals. Top Hat is on at Manchester Opera House until Saturday 29 November 2025.

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Note: My ticket was gifted in exchange for a review. This review is based on my honest opinion alone and is without influence.