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Waiting for curtain up -
On the stage after the show -
Being Tracy Lord on the balcony -
A great way to celebrate a 26th birthday -
Gorgeous dresses -
Wigs -
Renter Warden and Master -
Honorary Secondary, Past Master Fiona Adler and guest
High Society: a swell party!
6th July 2026Barbican Theatre
Who wants to wallow in champagne? We do!
We were so fortunate to be invited to the wedding of the year at the Barbican Theatre on 6 July, where Senior Warden Mallory Factor, executive producer of High Society, had generously arranged tickets, hospitality and an exclusive backstage tour following the performance of the latest hit musical by Trafalgar Entertainment.
65 members of the Company and their guests, including a party from the Old Bailey with Honorary Secondary, Past Master Fiona Adler, enjoyed refreshments in the Robert Stevens' Room before being ushered to our seats. The Barbican is simply the most comfortable theatre in London, and we all had fabulous views as the curtain rose and the party began.
And what a cast! 28 talented actors, led by Helen George as the glamorous Tracy Lord, with everyone's favourite actress Felicity Kendal as her mother, Freddie Fox (Slow Horses) playing the Frank Sinatra role, Julian Ovenden (South Pacific) as Tracy's first husband Dexter (the Bing Crosby role), Nigel Lindsay (Kiss Me, Kate) as drunken Uncle Willie, together with Carly Mercedes Dyer (Anything Goes, A Chorus Line) and Malcolm Sinclair (Pie in the Sky).
Performed with a full orchestra, the production overflowed with energy. At one point several musicians dashed from the orchestra pit to the stage to become a jazz band. Cole Porter's glorious score was given full justice, with favourites including Just One of Those Things, Let's Misbehave, I Love Paris, Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?, Well, Did You Evah!, True Love and plenty more, including several numbers that never made it into the classic 1956 film.
After the final curtain we were invited onto the stage, where members of the backstage team had very kindly stayed behind to reveal some of the magic. We admired costumes and wigs, peered high into the cavernous fly loft where the scenery disappeared (including a huge tree, the edges of a swimming pool, an enormous conservatory and a garden pavilion), and were shown how the sound system worked. We wandered about on the enormous stage and I couldn't resist climbing the staircase to the famous balcony and, for a brief moment, imagining myself as Tracy Lord. Sadly, there was no bottle of champagne to complete the illusion.
The Barbican run finishes this week, but the production sets off on a 20-week tour of the UK and Ireland with many of the original cast. If you missed our Company evening, do grab the opportunity to catch it on tour - provided that you can still find a ticket of course!