Freddie Fox, Helen George and Julian Ovenden have given a first look at a new production of High Society during rehearsals ahead of its London run at the Barbican Theatre. The musical is scheduled to open on 19 May 2026 and play until 11 July 2026 before George, Fox and Ovenden take their roles on a nationwide tour.
Rachel Kavanaugh directs the revival, which reworks Cole Porter’s songs for a story that starts with preparations for a society wedding and then begins to buckle as old relationships return and an intrusive reporter arrives. Fox plays Mike Connor, George is Tracy Samantha Lord and Ovenden plays Dexter Haven, while Felicity Kendal appears as Mother Lord, Carly Mercedes Dyer as Liz Imbrie, Nigel Lindsay as Uncle Willie and Malcolm Sinclair as Seth Lord.
The production uses Porter standards including Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, I Love Paris, Well, Did You Evah?, Just One of Those Things, Let’s Misbehave, You’re Sensational and True Love, with additional lyrics by Susan Birkenhead. That gives the show a familiar score but a fresh frame, built from Philip Barry’s The Philadelphia Story and mounted as a new iteration for a summer 2026 Barbican booking.
The cast look offered a useful glimpse of the scale behind the revival. Anthony Van Laast is on choreography, Stephen Ridley is musical supervisor, and the team also includes Tom Rogers on set, Adam Fisher on sound, Howard Hudson on lighting, Jon Morrell on costume and Helen Keane on wigs. High Society is being presented by Howard Panter for Trafalgar Theatre Productions and Brian and Dayna Lee in association with the Barbican.
For now, the key takeaway is simple: this is not just a one-off London engagement. The Barbican run is the launch point, and the production is already set to travel, with Fox, George and Ovenden carrying their characters into the national tour after the London dates close.
