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Clear your diary, because you’re invited to the most swell party of the year, Cole Porter’s, High Society.
Hot on the heels of Anything Goes and Kiss Me, Kate, this summer’s most eagerly anticipated production delivers another glorious dose of Golden Age musical theatre escapism at the Barbican.
Helen George (Call the Midwife, The King and I) stars as glamorous socialite Tracy Lord and is joined by Felicity Kendal (Rosemary and Thyme, Anything Goes), alongside a full size orchestra, delivering a score overflowing with the best of Cole Porter’s songbook including Just One Of Those Things, Let’s Misbehave, I Love Paris, Who Wants To Be a Millionaire?, Well, Did you Evah, True Love and many more.
Join the 28-strong cast for this lavish new production as plans for the society wedding of the year descend into chaos, with old flames and new flames vying for attention as a sharp-eyed tabloid reporter hunts for scandal at the waterfront estate.
Brought to life by a multi award-winning creative team, including Rachel Kavanaugh and choreographer Anthony Van Laast Cole Porter’s High Society declares the summer season officially open!
Latest High Society News
News / Celebrities / Casting / New Shows + Transfers
Spotlight on: Felicity Kendal
Felicity Kendal has been a defining presence in British theatre and television for more than five decades. Born in the West Midlands, she grew up touring with her family’s repertory company in India before returning to the UK in her teens. Instead of formal drama school, Kendal’s training was shaped by the stage itself; she learned her craft through constant performance, observation, and the discipline of repertory theatre.
Her long-standing professional relationship with playwright Tom Stoppard became a defining thread in her career. The two worked together repeatedly from the early 1980s onwards, and Kendal originated roles in several of Stoppard’s major plays, establishing one of modern theatre’s most significant actor-writer collaborations. Along the way, she earned multiple honours, including a BAFTA nomination, the Clarence Derwent Award, and the Evening Standard Theatre Award for Best Actress. In 1995 she received a CBE for her services to Drama.
Where have you seen her before?
Kendal’s stage career flourished through the 1980s and 1990s, particularly through her close association with Tom Stoppard. She starred in the first productions of On the Razzle, The Real Thing, Hapgood, and Arcadia, roles that showcased her precision, timing, and intellectual lightness.
She also became one of director Peter Hall’s most frequent collaborators, appearing in ten of his productions. Her roles ranged from Constanze Mozart in Amadeus to Esme in Amy’s View, demonstrating her ability to effortlessly, and successfully, move between period drama, contemporary writing. Outside the theatre, millions know her as Rosemary Boxer in the cosy crime drama Rosemary & Thyme.
12 Dec, 2025 | By Sian McBride
News / Features / Celebrities / Casting / New Shows + Transfers
High Society revival brings Helen George & Felicity Kendal to the Barbican next summer
- High Society revival stars Helen George and Felicity Kendal
- Playing at the Barbican Theatre, London, from 19 May to 11 July 2026.
- Buy tickets from us from 11am on Monday, 8 December 2025
Helen George and Felicity Kendal are set to star in a dazzling new revival of High Society at the Barbican Theatre in London. The production opens 19 May 2026 and runs for a strictly limited eight-week season until 11 July 2026, before heading out on a UK tour. This marks the first large-scale London staging of Cole Porter’s classic musical in over a decade.
Who’s starring in High Society?
Helen George (Call the Midwife, The King and I, Strictly Come Dancing) plays the glamorous socialite Tracy Lord, a role made famous by Grace Kelly in the 1956 film. She is joined by stage and screen favourite Felicity Kendal (Indian Ink, Noises Off, The Good Life) as Tracy’s mother, Mother Lord. Kendal returns to the Barbican following her acclaimed performance in Anything Goes in 2021. Additional casting will be announced soon.
When and where is High Society playing?
The show runs at Barbican Theatre, London, from 19 May to 11 July 2026, offering a limited opportunity to experience this Golden Age musical live on the West End stage.
5 Dec, 2025 | By Hay Brunsdon
Opens 19 May 2026