Review: Top Hat sparkles at the Wales Millennium Centre 2025

If you’re craving a night of old-school charm, toe-tapping tunes, and dazzling dance numbers, Top Hat at Cardiff’s Wales Millennium Centre is the perfect tonic.

Based on the iconic 1935 Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers film, this Olivier Award-winning stage adaptation brings Irving Berlin’s timeless score to life with elegance, humour, and a generous helping of sparkle.

If you’ve not seen the original, the story follows Broadway star Jerry Travers as he arrives in London to open a new show. His late-night tap routine in a hotel suite disturbs model Dale Tremont, sparking a romantic entanglement riddled with mistaken identities, fiery Italian admirers, and a comedy of errors that whisks us from New York to London and finally to Venice.

The first act sets the scene with witty dialogue and sumptuous visuals, though its pace feels more leisurely compared to the second half, where the production hits full stride and misunderstandings unfurl.

This production is a feast for the eyes with glitz, glamour and lavish stagecraft. The Art Deco inspired set design allows for lightning-quick scene changes, transporting the audience across continents and between hotel rooms with seamless precision. Costumes shimmer under the lights with flowing gowns, sharp tuxedos and feathers galore, evoking the golden age of Hollywood with breathtaking authenticity.

Music and dance are the beating heart of this production, from well-known classics like ‘Cheek to Cheek’ and ‘Let’s Face the Music and Dance’ to ‘Top Hat, White Tie and Tails’ and ‘Puttin’ on the Ritz’. Every number is delivered with verve by a faultless orchestra tucked just out of sight. The choreography, staged by Tony and Olivier Award-winning director Kathleen Marshall, is a masterclass in precision and flair.

Phillp Attmore is a revelation as Jerry Travers, playing him with effortless charisma and lightning-fast footwork. His tap sequences are crisp, exhilarating, and delivered with a wink of charm that channels Astaire. Amara Okereke’s Dale Tremont matches him step for step, her vocals soaring through the musical numbers stealing the show, and making every duet a delight.

The chemistry between James Hume as Horace Hardwick and Sally Ann Triplett as his graceful spendthrift wife, Madge, makes their musical duet a highlight of the show. Comedy comes courtesy of James Clyde as Bates, the Hardwick butler, whose deadpan delivery and perfectly timed punchlines had the audience in stitches.

Fashion designer Alberto Beddini, played by Alex Gibson-Giorgio, is a triumph with his over-the-top melodramatic performance. The production is backed by an ensemble who work together with astounding synchronicity. They dazzle with impeccably timed tap routines that feel like champagne bubbles bursting across the stage.

Despite a brief technical hiccup around 30 minutes in (a five-minute pause handled with calm professionalism), the show regained momentum effortlessly, reminding us of the magic and unpredictability of live theatre.

Effervescent, elegant, and utterly irresistible, Top Hat is pure escapism, a glittering love letter to the golden age of musicals. If you’re in need of a night that lifts your spirits and leaves you humming all the way home, grab your ticket and prepare to be swept off your feet.

If you fancy a great night out, now is the time to book. Top Hat is showing at the Wales Millennium Centre until 15 November 2025, and tickets are still available. Grab yours through the Wales Millennium Centre website and make sure you do not miss it.