THEATRE REVIEW: Flowers For Mrs Harris - Riverside Studios, London.

The musical ‘Flowers For Mrs Harris’ is set in post war London and tells the story of Ada Harris, a poor, lonely cleaning lady who, whilst doing a cleaning job for her best friend comes across a Dior Dress which touches something deep inside to the point that she obsessively sets out on a mission to try to buy such a spectacular one for herself. Whilst the core focus of the story is about her journey to Paris to get a Dior dress, the main point of the story and this musical is to take the audience along on her journey, observing the often special, humorous and touching relationships she has with, her best friend, dead husband, the people she works for and the people she passes. It touches on class differences and how different people treat each other and value, or not, of the beautiful and treasured things in life whether it be a dress, an act of kindness or a piece of chocolate cake. 

The set design and associated props for the Battersea, London scenes were well thought out from the perfect choice of china tea sets and kitchen layouts to the positioning of the various house entrances Mrs Harris cleaned at. Even the inclusion of dirt-marked hung washing with silhouettes of the London skylines across the back of the stage subtly added to creating context for the London location.  Unfortunately, the same consideration for the Paris scene was distinctly lacking and virtually relied on the cast speaking in French and the mention of Dior to indicate that Mrs Harris was actually in Paris. Even the washing with the London skyline on it remained throughout the Paris part of the performance. 

The creative team used effective and smooth changes of music and lighting to reflect the mood of the different scenes, working seamlessly together. Sara Perks' costume designs were well-researched and perfect choices for each character and scene. The only minor observation was that, despite still looking stunning with every audience member wanting that same dress, the main red Dior dress appeared to not perfectly fit the actress Charlotte Kennedy.

The highlight of the musical was without a doubt the humorous and relatable relationship between Ada and her best friend Violet. Both Jenna Russell and Annie Wensak were incredible. Through their faultless acting, singing and humour they brought their characters to life. Director Michael Fentiman managed their physical interaction so well that when the two characters hugged, the audience felt a desire to smile, shed the odd tear and join in the hug too. The decision to have Ada’s husband appearing physically as if he was alive was also a bold move but was the correct one as it brought home to the audience Ada’s loneliness and the fact that she still felt his physical presence and spoke to him as if he was still alive.

The supporting actors portrayed their characters well, often morphing between multiple roles. Their singing and acting matched their characters’ personalities and each actor rose to the challenge playing multiple roles presented them. Each was given their moment to shine although some of these characters' musical numbers went on longer than was necessary, were often not memorable and didn’t add anything to the story making the whole musical slightly too long. Of particular note was the performance of Kelly Price whose acting, singing and diction were commendable and made the audience sit up and take notice.

Overall this is a thoroughly enjoyable musical with outstanding performances from both Jenna Russell and Annie Wensak in particular. The London stage scenery and props easily transported the audience back to post-war Britain. The characters are relatable and left the audience like the characters in the show, wanting to be part of Ada’s life, to be touched by her caring nature. 

Reviewer - Julie Freedman

on - 5.10.23