"Top Hat" by Erewash Musical Society.

Duchess Theatre, Long Eaton.

It doesn't matter that much that "Top Hat" is also being staged in the very same week at Nottingham Theatre Royal, because I saw and heard different things in this production in comparison to the professional touring production.

The musical is based on the 1935 film of the same name, with music and lyrics by Irving Berlin. In “Top Hat” we follow Broadway superstar Jerry Travers as he arrives in London to appear in a stage show from producer Horace Hardwick. But this being a screwball comedy, things do not go according to plan and pretty soon a case of mistaken identity and romance sends things off course. Travers attempts to win the heart of society girl, Dale Tremond but she mistakes him for Hardwick – a married man – meaning that his advances horrify her as he attempts to gain her hand in marriage.

 Irving Berlin’s classic score includes some of Hollywood’s greatest songs, "Cheek to Cheek", "Let’s Face the Music and Dance", "Top Hat White Tie and Tails" and "Puttin’ on the Ritz".

Jerry Travers is played by Gabryl Oleshko. I have reviewed Gabz for about eight years now and have seen him really grow as a performer and this show really charts just what a good performer he is. His dancing is superb, his side by side work with Louise is dreamlike, his tap dancing is awesome, his voice perfectly suits the songs in this musical and his cheeky side comes out as Travers. I must also complement Gabryl on the ability to carry on unruffled in the face of props misbehaving themselves, like the cane and the coat stand. One extremely cool character played one extremely cool actor.

Dale Tremond is played by Louise Potter. I couldn't remember if I've seen Louise before, and if I have, I apologise, but if I've not, why not? Dale is a classy role and Louise brings that class and style to the role. I've mentioned above about the side to side work, and you can tell that both Gabryl and Louise have worked hard at this pairing and that chemistry comes across really well. One thing that I loved more in this performance to the professional touring one was the scene where Dale slaps Jerry. I really believed that slap this afternoon and winced myself. Not sure if the slap connected but it felt like it did. In the Theatre Royal version the choreographed slap was miles out. 

Horace Hardwick is played by Martin Lewis. In the programme Martin says that one thing that he and Horace have in common is that they're both bumbling idiots. I disagree; Horace may be but Martin is neither bumbling, nor is he an idiot. Martin is one of the most savvy theatre people I know and every time he takes to the stage it's for a role that he knows that he can bring the most out of, and have fun with the character, and that's what we see in Martin's version of Hardwick. It's also not that often we see Martin's dancing ability, and especially in tap, which this show is full of.

Madge Hardwick is played by Kathi Ludlow. Horace's wife has a very dry sense of humour and Kathi brought out that humour brilliantly. Another classy performance in this classy production.

Bates, Horace's man servant, is played by John Wedgwood, who I last saw playing the role of Mr Brownlow in "Oliver". This role allows John to show off his comedy skills as well as his ability, or should that be Bates' ability to disguise himself, even as a woman, complete with moustache.

Alberto Beddini, Travers' over the top dress designer, is played by James Christian. I think that the first time that I reviewed James was in 2017 when he was in "Boogie Nights", which by the way is Erewash Musical Society's next production in March 2026. Like Gabryl, I've seen James play several very different roles in the last eight years, but I truly believe that this is the best role I've seen James play. I love the accent, I love the campness, I love that white suit Beddini wears, I love James' comedy skills, with just the right amount of sauce, as well as his vocals. If truth be told, I prefer this version of Beddini to the touring version I saw earlier this week.

The Chorines, who sounded fantastic and looked even better consisted of Louise O'Boyle, Hayley Wood, Jane Freeman, Megan Asher and Andrea Kemish.

This is a big musical, so there has to be a big ensemble, all of which playing several roles each, consisting of Evan Hagan, who has one of the most distinctive voices and why I've not noticed this previously I don't know, maybe because in this musical, we get to hear him sing solo. Karen Robbins, John Fletcher, Laurie Trott who also gets to do a little solo Shakespeare which is so comical the way that Laurie does it. Anna Fitzpatrick, Martin Briggs, Emma Barnes-Marriott, Barbara Cole, Louise Waters, Katie Fitzpatrick and Sue Hagan. What an ensemble!

Co Directed and Co Choreographed by Vicky Byrne and Abbi Burns, this pair made the stage burn with their wonderful choreography, at times almost dreamlike, at other times with enough energy to light up the National Grid. Perfect casting for all roles, but what would you expect from a pair of perfect Directors.

The Set Design is never going to compare with a touring production, and I apologise for keep harking back to that, but this production also looked classy and the props used made the scenes look glamorous and exotic, whether that be in Italy, London or America. I loved the lift construction and the glittery showbiz luggage cart used by the bellhop. 

Musical Director is Jonah Williams. Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire and Leicestershire are so blessed with talented MDs and Jonah is one of those people who knows everything about creating a great score that sounds epic. Just looking at the MD work that Jonah has coming up in the future is proof enough of how many drama groups want Jonah working on their shows. Groups want to work with the best, and that's why they want Jonah. A brilliant score with which Jonah has worked his magic on.

The wonderful costumes are by Abbi Burns, Darley Dance, EMS Wardrobe and Triple C and oozed class, elegance and style in every costume

Sound is by Granite AV Solutions, and despite only a couple of missed mic cues in the second act, the sound was superb.

Lighting is by Steve Greatorex, and is everything that I expected from a lighting legend like Steven.

This cast can hold their heads high with this production and compares extremely favourably with the other version in town.

"Top Hat" ends its' successful run on Saturday 11 October.