★★★★☆

Earlier this year, whilst dealing with some travel sickness on a cruise, I found the movie Mrs Harris Goes to Paris on the TV in my cabin and having heard some good things about it, put it on. It was delightful. When I heard that a musical based on the book from which the film had been adapted was playing at The Riverside Studies I decided to go and see it. This decision was also helped by the fact that it was starring the wonderful Jenna Russell.

If you are looking for a big budget spectacle or a musical that pushes the boundaries like so many do these days, then this is probably not the show for you. But there is room for everything and if you want a nice gentle, heartwarming story about someone discovering what she really wants in life, then this is the show for you. Forget about the cynical world that we are currently living in and enjoy the world that this show will transport you to.

In post-war London Ada Harris is a cleaner and one day she sees a Christian Dior dress in home of one of her clients – a wealthy woman in Belgravia. She is transfixed and decides that she needs to have her own Dior dress. She travels from London to Paris in search of the dress and takes with her a more simple outlook on life which the sophisticated Parisians are bemused by. This journey, and its aftermath, force her to confront what she really wants and asks us to think about what will truly bring us happiness.

The show is undoubtably driven by the wonderful Jenna Russell. Her portrayal of Ada is gentle and heartfelt. This is a role that could so easily become saccharine and naive but in her skilful hands it doesn’t. She takes the audience along with her in a genuinely believable journey: a journey that is not really about a dress.

In a departure from the original novel and the film, the writers (Rachel Wagstaff and Richard Taylor) have taken the decision to include a character who is missing in those versions – Mr Harris. Played by Hal Fowler, this character allows us to explore Ada in a different way as she comes to the realisation of what she really wants.

The supporting characters fill every aspect of Ada’s life. From her friend Violet (played by Annie Wensak) to her various employers such as Lady Dant (played by Pippa Winslow) and Pamela (played by Charlotte Kennedy). Most of the cast double up in Act 2 as employees of Christian Dior and other people that Ada meets in Paris.

The set (designed by Nik Corrall) manages to serve as multiple London streets as well as Parisian ones and it does this very effectively.

This really is an ultimate feel good show and you leave feeling as if you have learnt a bit more about humanity. It has a limited run and so get to see if if you can.

Flowers for Mrs Harris is at The Riverside Studios until 26 November 2023. Tickets available here – https://riversidestudios.co.uk/flowers-for-mrs-harris/

Photos © Pamela Raith