Review: FLOWERS FOR MRS HARRIS, Riverside Studios

Following an original production at the Sheffield Crucible in 2016 and a successful Chichester Theatre Festival run, Flowers For Mrs Harris makes its London premiere at Riverside Studios. Based on the 1958 book Mrs. ‘Arris Goes to Paris by Paul Gallico, this is the endearing story of a working class London cleaner. After catching sight of a Dior gown at the home of a client, Mrs Ada Harris is enthralled by the idea of owning her own Dior gown and sets about working tirelessly to make this dream a reality.

Jenna Russell stars as the eponymous Mrs Harris in this operatic musical production of a post-war modern fairytale. The classic post war themes of hard work and grit being rewarded with the achievement of ones ambitions are prevalent but the plot is much more like a fairytale. Mrs Harris being a kind and self-sacrificing woman is rewarded throughout the film by the generosity of others and serendipitous moments. In order to fully embrace the enjoyment of this charming production, you will need to suspend your disbelief and leave all cynicism at the door.

The book by Rachel Wagstaff is intertwined with Richard Taylor’s music and lyrics as the narrative switches between spoken and sung throughout. This is an operatic musical with much of the plot driven through musical performances. This means there are no big showstopper standalone musical numbers, a loss perhaps felt at the end of the show, where a big eleven o’clock number may have helped to land the closing of the story with more emotional depth.

There are some beautiful musical moments though, especially the duets between Mrs Harris and her late husband Albert, performed by Hal Fowler. Russell and Fowler are wonderful together, performing their songs with romantic harmonies, but Russell has plenty of chance to shine on her own. She captures the outwardly magnanimous and determined Mrs Harris yet the fragility and loneliness is there throughout.

The beautiful moment where Russell as Mrs Harris first sights the client’s Dior gown is superb. She is in awe of the beauty of the garment, which is not shown and is left to the imagination of the audience. The lighting by Adam King here too helps to elevate this emotional moment where the dress is bought to life through the poetic descriptions and imaginative staging.

In contrast to this, "The Dress Showing" in Act Two features a selection of modelled Dior style dresses. The expectations are high at this point in the show, due to the anticipation created by the characters themselves and party because we didn’t ever see the dress earlier in the beautiful first sighting moment. The dresses here should be impressive and showstopping, and although they are beautiful, some ill-fitting wardrobe moments take the magic away a little. The costumes by Sara Perks throughout the production are well considered and become an important part of each character’s personality.

This heartwarming and charming musical is concluded with a joyous happy ending, although not the one Mrs Harris had thought she wanted, it was one which gave her what she needed. It is slightly rushed ending, which doesn’t pack as much emotion as may have been expected from such a hopeful story. However, this remains an engaging and graceful musical, filled with hope and positivity.

Flowers For Mrs Harris runs at Riverside Studios until 25 November

Photo credit: Pamela Raith

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