STARRING in a splashy new production of the classic Cole Porter musical High Society, Helen George is in her element. Her father was a big jazz fan. “So I grew up listening to all the greats like Ella Fitzgerald and Frank Sinatra singing those wonderful Cole Porter melodies,” Birmingham-born Helen recalls fondly. “Doing this show is really special for me because this is the music that I grew up with and sang along to.”
From the producers of equally dazzling revivals of Porter’s Anything Goes and Kiss Me, Kate, High Society is directed by Rachel Kavanaugh, whose credits include Shadowlands and Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, and choreographed by Anthony Van Laast of Mamma Mia! and Bombay Dreams fame, with musical supervisor Stephen Ridley leading the orchestra.
As it embarks on a 20-week UK and Ireland tour after a stint at the bigger Barbican Theatre with a 28-strong cast that also features Freddie Fox, Julian Ovenden and Nigel Lindsay, Helen promises: “It’s a wonderful, fabulous, sophisticated escape of an evening, with a huge orchestra and a big brass section. There’s just so much joy in this show, the costumes are incredible, the songs are amazing, and I’m over the moon with the cast and crew that I get to work with.”
Based on the classic 1956 film (which in turn was based on the 1939 stage comedy The Philadelphia Story and the following year’s big screen version), High Society revolves around a Long Island wedding circa 1951, with old and new flames vying for attention as sharp-eyed reporter Mike Connor (played by Fox) hunts around for some tabloid-worthy scandal.
As the planned nuptials descend into comedy chaos, at the centre of it all is Helen’s Long Island socialite and divorcée Tracy Lord. “She’s a very interesting character,” the actress muses. “One of my first questions was ‘Why would we care about her?’ because on paper she’s got it all. She lives in this fantastic house and there’s so much wealth behind her, but ultimately it’s a story about human relations and Tracy is trying to control her life in the best way that she can.”
Helen smiles as she adds: “It’s a bit like The White Lotus because everybody’s in this world of wealth and fabulousness, and how can we relate to that? But actually we can’t take our eyes off them and there are really relatable themes about love and pain amidst all the fun and fantastic songs.”
Those songs run the gamut from Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? via Well, Did You Evah! and Just One of Those Things to Let’s Misbehave and the swooningly romantic True Love. For this new production the score has been expanded with a selection of additional Cole Porter classics, including “I’ve Got You Under My Skin”, “Let’s Do It, Let’s Fall in Love”, “You Do Something to Me”, “Be a Clown”, “You’d Be So Nice to Come Home To”, “All Of You” and “Now You Has Jazz”, bringing even more wit, romance and sparkle to the production.
And Helen sees the music and mirth as a tonic for troubled times, saying: “I come out of the theatre, then I listen to the news and think ‘Oh God, I’m so glad that I’m doing High Society, not something that’s sad or political in any way’. This is exactly the sort of show that we need right now, and I think that theatre really comes into its prime when the world feels uncertain – especially with a musical that’s as much fun and as lively and joyful as this one.”
Best known for Call the Midwife on screen and the recent acclaimed revival of Rogers and Hammerstein’s The King and I on stage, George is no stranger to period costumes. Playing English governess Anna Leonowens in 1860s Siam in the latter, she was confined by corsets. Are the early-1950s outfits in High Society less restrictive? Helen laughs. “Well, you’d think so, but I’m still never far away from a corset! It’s a different silhouette, though, with that kind of Dior A-line skirt with a tight-fitting top silhouette, rather than long, hooped and heavy skirts. The refined elegance of the costumes is just beautiful.”
Then there’s the character of Tracy, of whom she says: “I think what’s interesting about her is that she’s a divorced woman in 1951, which is rare and actually quite brave. It’s interesting to explore the fact that she’s free and independent and only needs a man for love, not money.”
Back when she was singing along to Fitzgerald and Sinatra, did Helen ever imagine that she’d have the career that she’s had? “You never know how it’s going to turn out. I’ve been very fortunate with the chances that I’ve been given and I feel very lucky, but I’ve worked hard for it.”
That hard work began when she studied ballet as a child. “I wasn’t particularly academic and I knew I’d found my passion, which my parents were very supportive about,” she recalls. “That was dance to begin with, which translated into singing and then translated into acting. I just knew that I didn’t want to work in an office because I’m much more of a practical and physical person.”
Her family were big Aston Villa Fans and, as a sporty youngster, for a while she dreamt of becoming the team’s first female manager. “But obviously I was never going to do that,” she grins. Instead she studied musical theatre at the Royal Academy of Music in London, toured as a backing singer for Elton John, then landed the role of Nurse Trixie on Call the Midwife.
Fourteen years on, the character remains dear to her heart. “Normally at this time of year we’re filming a new series but we’re having a break, so it’s weird not seeing my friends in the cast. Call the Midwife is always going to be a part of me and I hope in my future as well. I’m hoping that my time as Trixie hasn’t come to an end just yet.”
After strutting her stuff on Strictly Come Dancing, George returned to her musical theatre roots in The King and I. It felt like a homecoming. “It was always something that I had in my back pocket to go back to, but it wasn’t something that I wanted to focus on when I was younger. It took a lot of nerve coming back to it because I’d only really done plays over the previous 15 years, but I’m loving it.”
As High Society heads out on tour, is there anything she couldn’t be on the road without? “I’m taking my kids because it’s during the summer holidays,” beams the mother of young daughters Wren and Lark. “It’s also good that they understand why Mummy has to go to work and what I’m doing when I’m there.”
Helen is a big advocate for taking shows around the country, saying: “Without getting on my soapbox, I think touring productions are so important. I grew up in Birmingham and I saw so many wonderful touring shows, and that’s what made me want to do what I do now.”
That includes following in the footsteps of the legendary Grace Kelly, who played Tracy in the film version. “But I’m not thinking about it because it’s just too intimidating,” Helen admits. “It was the same with The King and I, which had this legacy of incredible actresses before me playing her. My concern is finding my own take on the character, and I love that I get to play these very rounded and fulfilling roles – especially in a show that’s as gorgeous and joyous as this one.”
High Society visits [Venue] from [Dates]. For tickets see HighSocietyMusical.com
