The current trend of producing stage adaptations of much-loved classic films appears to have sparked yet another UK premiere opening at the Theatre Royal Bath.
This time, it’s a glittering new stage adaptation of the popular musical Roman Holiday made in 1953 and famously starring a very young Audrey Hepburn alongside American actor Gregory Peck.
The multi award-winning film classic directed by William Wyler made a worldwide star of Audrey Hepburn, and has been transformed into a thrilling stage musical.
West End and Broadway star Michael D. Xavier and Rebecca Collingwood lead an 18-strong cast in the stage show, which combines Italian chic and European glamour and even features a Lambretta scooter.
What more could you want than the timeless music of the legendary Cole Porter, with hit songs from the musical including Night and Day, Just One of Those Things, Easy to Love, You Do Something to Me and In the Still of the Night?
The plot is relatively simple. Roman Holiday follows a youthful European princess and an American journalist on a 24-hour adventure exploring the delights of the Italian capital.
Visiting Rome on a goodwill tour, Ann (who is said to be loosely based on our own Princess Margaret in the 1950s) escapes from the watchful eye of her chaperone, the Countess.
During an action-packed night and day, she meets American journalist Joe Bradley, who inadvertently aids in her escape from the constrictions of a whirlwind European tour.
Meanwhile, Joe’s editor Hennessy has demanded a story about a missing princess, who has fallen asleep in Joe’s small apartment.
Through the course of one charming day and eventful night in Rome, Ann and Joe grow closer, but will true romance blossom before Ann has to return to her royal duties?
BAFTA and Ivor Novello Award-winning Jeremy Sams directs the fast-paced romantic comedy with aplomb, making the most of the tender romantic scenes between Joe and Ann and the comic scenes with Tania and Irving.
This production also features fantastic choreography by the 2023 Olivier Award winner for Best Theatre Choreographer - Matt Cole and Jane McMurtrie, the team behind the current London smash hit, Disney’s Newsies.
The much-loved film comedy has been adapted for the stage by Kirsten Guenther and Paul Blake, who co-wrote the stage version of Irving Berlin’s White Christmas.
Michael D.Xavier is well cast as Joe and makes a believable if hapless news reporter who gradually falls in love with the Princess, while Rebecca Collingwood ably portrays a young woman wanting to experience more of the real world while recognising she has a public duty to represent her country and her subjects.
I can’t fault the singing and acting from both the leading actors, or the back up from the supporting cast, who include Richenda Carey as the Countess desperately trying to keep the Princess focussed, Tania Mathurin as the nightclub singer Francesca Cervelli, Adrian der Gregorian as the photographer Irving Radovich and Tim Frances as Hennessy.
The cast also features Gabrielle Cocca, Francis Dee, Maya de Faria, Joshua Gibbons, Bethany Huckle, Heather Jackson, Ediz Mahmut, Max Mirza, Mia Mullarkey, Josh Patel-Foster, George Renshaw and Ollie Selwood.
I’m slightly surprised that Roman Holiday has not been performed on stage more frequently but this production is well worth the ticket and the cast deservedly received a standing ovation.
Roman Holiday runs at the Theatre Royal Bath until Saturday, July 1. To book tickets contact the Theatre Royal Bath Box Office on 01225 448844 or visit www.theatreroyal.org.uk
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