REVIEW – HIGH SOCIETY AT THE LOWRY – 1950s GLAMOUR, COMEDY & COLE PORTER
Our Trip To See High Society At The Lowry 🎭
On Tuesday 22nd September, Mum and I headed to The Lowry for the press night of High Society.
I was going into this one almost completely fresh. Although I was familiar with several Cole Porter songs, I'd never seen the High Society film or a stage production before and didn't really know much about the story.
Mum, on the other hand, had seen the film, so we were going into the evening with quite different levels of familiarity with the show.
Dad dropped us off opposite the Imperial War Museum North and from there we walked across the bridge towards The Lowry.
The performance was due to begin at 7:30pm and we arrived at around 7:10pm, so we didn't have loads of time to spare before the show started.
Once inside, I headed over to the press desk to collect our tickets, programme and wristbands before going to have a look at the merchandise.
High Society Merchandise 🛍️
There was actually quite a large selection of Merchandise available:
👕 Hoodie – £45
👕 T-Shirt – £28
💧 Water Bottle – £20
👜 Tote Bag – £22
🥃 Glass – £20
💳 Card Wallet – £18
☕ Latte Mug – £12
🪞 Compact Mirror – £12
🔑 Keyring – £8
🧲 Magnet – £8
🖊️ Pen – £6
📖 Brochure – £10
There was a bit of a queue at the merchandise stand and, with the performance starting fairly soon, I decided not to buy anything straight away.
I had planned to come back during the interval to buy the magnet, but unfortunately I completely forgot!
Before heading into the auditorium, I also had a look at the cast list, which confirmed that Swing Imogen Bailey would be playing Dinah Lord at our performance.
Our Seats & View At The Lowry 🎟️
For this performance, Mum and I were seated in the Circle, Row E, Seats 28 and 29.
I was really pleased with our seats.
We had a fantastic, clear and central view of the entire stage and, despite being in the Circle, I didn't feel as though we were too far away from the action.
Being higher up also meant we could really appreciate the scale of the mansion set. From our seats we could see right across the stage, including both staircases, the balcony and everything happening across the different levels.
One of the things I particularly like about the Circle at The Lowry is the rake. I'm quite short and can sometimes struggle to see over people's heads when I'm sitting in the Stalls, whereas the steeper rake in the Circle makes that much less of an issue.
I also thought the legroom was pretty good compared with the Circle at some other theatres I've visited.
Mum didn't find it quite as comfortable. She has a bad hip and said she'd had more legroom when sitting in the Stalls at The Lowry. She found it difficult not being able to stretch her leg out properly, so that's probably something worth bearing in mind if you need a little more space.
Personally, though, I would definitely choose these seats again. For me, the excellent sightlines and better rake made them a really good option.
The performance began at 7:30pm.
Act One lasted approximately 70 minutes, followed by an interval of around 20 minutes.
Act Two lasted approximately 60 minutes, with the performance finishing at around 10pm.
The Story & My Thoughts 💍
High Society follows wealthy socialite Tracy Lord, who is preparing to marry George Kittredge at her family's grand home in Newport.
Her wedding preparations become considerably more complicated when her ex-husband Dexter Haven returns and reporter Mike Connor and photographer Liz Imbrie arrive looking for a story about the Lord family.
With Tracy's parents, younger sister Dinah and Uncle Willie also involved, things gradually become increasingly complicated as the wedding approaches.
As somebody who knew virtually nothing about the story beforehand, I did find the first act a little slow.
There are quite a few characters and relationships to establish and, although there were things I enjoyed, I felt as though I was waiting for the story to really get going.
The closing number of Act One, Now You Have Jazz, was a completely different matter. It gave the production a huge burst of energy and was easily one of my favourite moments of the first half.
During the interval, Mum and I headed to the main bar and into the press area for a drink. Mum chose a glass of wine while I had a bottle of dandelion and burdock.
Naturally, we also used the opportunity to compare notes on what we'd thought so far.
We both agreed that we'd found the first act a little slow, but we'd really enjoyed the closing number and both thought the pace would probably pick up in Act Two.
Thankfully, we were right.
I enjoyed the second act much more. The wedding celebrations become increasingly chaotic, the comedy gets stronger and the larger musical numbers give the production much more energy.
This was where I felt the show really came to life.
Mum agreed that the second act was stronger too. We both enjoyed the production overall, although having already seen the film, Mum said she thought she probably preferred the movie a little more.
Set, Costumes, Music & Performances 🎶
Visually, High Society is beautiful.
The first thing that caught my attention when we took our seats was the enormous mansion filling the stage. With its sweeping staircases, balcony and central archway, it immediately creates the glamorous world of the Lord family.
Sitting in the Circle gave us a brilliant overall view of the design, particularly during the larger musical numbers when performers were spread across the different levels of the set.
I loved the costumes too.
There are lots of pastel colours, glamorous eveningwear and beautiful full-skirted 1950s dresses. The skirts looked particularly effective during the dance numbers as they moved with the choreography.
The lighting also completely changes the appearance of the mansion throughout the production, moving from warmer colours during the daytime scenes into blues and purples during the evening.
And then, of course, there's the Cole Porter music.
Despite never having seen High Society, I recognised far more of the songs than I expected, including True Love, Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?, Well, Did You Evah?, Let's Misbehave and I've Got You Under My Skin.
Mum was much more familiar with the film than I was and particularly liked the way some of the songs from the movie had been incorporated into the stage production.
Let's Misbehave was one of my favourite numbers of the evening. By this point the whole production had become much livelier, with the choreography, colourful costumes and ensemble all coming together.
Helen George leads the cast as Tracy Lord and I thought she was particularly good during the more comedic scenes in the second act as the wedding celebrations become increasingly chaotic.
She also works really well with Julian Ovenden as Dexter Haven, making the complicated history between their characters believable.
Julian Ovenden has a fantastic voice that suits Cole Porter's music beautifully, and Just One of Those Things was one of his standout moments for me.
Freddie Fox brings lots of energy and humour to reporter Mike Connor and proves equally strong across the singing, dancing and comedy. I particularly enjoyed his scenes with Julian Ovenden, with Well, Did You Evah? a highlight for the pair.
Carly Mercedes Dyer was another standout for me as photographer Liz Imbrie. She has some brilliant comic moments but also gets the opportunity to show a softer side to Liz during I've Got You Under My Skin.
Nigel Lindsay provides plenty of laughs as Uncle Willie, while Imogen Bailey is great fun as Tracy's younger sister Dinah.
Josefina Gabrielle, Malcolm Sinclair and David Seadon-Young complete a really strong principal cast, supported by an excellent ensemble.
There really aren't any weak links in the company, and the ensemble play a big part in making the larger musical numbers work so well.
If you'd like to read more about the production itself, you can also read my more theatre-focused review over on All About Theatre.
The Journey Home 🚗
Once the performance finished at around 10pm, Mum and I made our way out of The Lowry and walked back across the bridge towards the Imperial War Museum North.
Dad came back to collect us from the same place he'd dropped us off earlier in the evening and drove me home.
We spent some of the journey talking about the show and both agreed that we'd enjoyed the second act much more than the first.
Mum had obviously gone into the evening with a very different perspective to me because she already knew the film, whereas everything had been completely new to me. Although she enjoyed the stage production, she said she thought she probably preferred the movie.
I couldn't make that comparison yet, but after seeing the musical I'm now interested to watch the film for myself.
And I was still slightly annoyed with myself for completely forgetting to go back and buy that magnet!
Final Thoughts On High Society At The Lowry ✨
Overall, I enjoyed High Society at The Lowry, although it took me a little while to really get into it.
The story itself is fairly thin and I found the first act a little slow, but the second act was much more enjoyable for me. Once the pace picked up, the comedy, music and increasingly chaotic wedding celebrations made everything feel much livelier.
For me, some of the biggest strengths of the production are how beautiful it looks and the performances. The enormous mansion set is spectacular, the 1950s costumes are gorgeous and there are some fantastic Cole Porter musical numbers throughout.
It was also lovely getting to experience the show with Mum when she already knew the film and I didn't. We didn't necessarily have exactly the same perspective on everything, but we definitely agreed that the second act was where the production really came into its own.
A glamorous night at the theatre filled with beautiful costumes, a spectacular set and the timeless music of Cole Porter.
Planning Your Visit To High Society At The Lowry 📍
High Society is playing in the Lyric Theatre at The Lowry, until Saturday 3rd October 2026. The Lowry has both matinee and evening performances scheduled during the run and tickets can be booked through the Lowry's website.
Tickets start from £31.
The performance we attended lasted approximately two hours and 30 minutes, including a 20-minute interval.
The production is also touring the UK and Ireland throughout 2026, so if you can't make the Salford dates, you can find the other venues and dates on the show's official website.
Watch Our Visit In The Weekly Vlog 🎥
Our trip to see High Society will also feature in my weekly vlog.
You'll be able to see more from our evening at The Lowry, including the merchandise available and the view from our seats in Circle Row E.
I'll add the vlog here once it goes live.
High Society At The Lowry – At A Glance 🎭
📍 Where: The Lowry, Pier 8, The Quays, Salford, M50 3AZ.
🎭 Theatre: Lyric Theatre.
📅 Dates: Tuesday 22nd September – Saturday 3rd October 2026.
🎟️ Tickets: From £31.
⏰ Running Time: 2 hours 30 minutes, including the interval
🥤 Interval: 20 minutes.
🛍️ Merchandise: A good selection of High Society merchandise was available during our visit, including clothing, bags, drinkware and smaller souvenirs.
🚊 Getting There: The Lowry is in Salford Quays and can be reached by tram, bus or car.
♿ Accessible Performances: The Lowry currently lists an Audio Described performance on Friday 25th September at 7:30pm, including a Touch Tour, and a BSL-interpreted performance on Thursday 1st October at 7:30pm.
🎫 Booking: Check performance times, availability and book tickets through The Lowry.
🌐 Official Website: The official High Society website has information about the production as well as the remaining UK and Ireland tour dates. High Society official website
Our tickets for this performance were kindly gifted in exchange for an honest review.
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