There comes a point, about midway through the second act of High Society, that you realise that it’s all a bit of a nonsense.

Charming, opulent nonsense, but nonsense all the same.

Characters bound on and off stage in romantic pursuits in almost Benny Hill fashion, as Helen George’s Tracy drunkenly flip-flops, dances and even dives between potential swooners and suitors.

Full disclosure – its first half is decidedly wittier and more structured. George’s young socialite prepares to marry terminally dull accountant (George Bray, admirably understudying in the performance reviewed), much to the quiet chagrin of her family, just as her ex-husband (Julian Ovenden) resurfaces after years of seafaring and a charming undercover reporter (Freddie Fox) turns up to dig up dirt on her recently-disgraced father (Malcolm Sinclair).

Flirtations, old flames and frustrations, naturally, abound.

In a sense, it’s a shame that the more intricate crossed purposes and subterfuge of the first Act don’t really amount to much more than fleeting folderol. There’s plenty of initial promise in Freddie Fox and Carly Mercedes Dyer’s secret shenanigans, laced with a light disdain for the upper crust as it is, and likewise an early spot of farce forces Tracy’s father and uncle to swap identities.

Yet it’s all fairly predictably rinsed out and wrapped up in a neat, decadent bow – perhaps an inevitability given the source material’s age (itself a spin on the nearly Century-old The Philadelphia Story).

“The personalities are writ large, the character dynamics fun and sizzling with banter and chemistry, and Kavanaugh keeps it all pacy and high-energy.”

For certain, director Rachel Kavanaugh has more to play with in the first half. The personalities are writ large, the character dynamics fun and sizzling with banter and chemistry, and Kavanaugh keeps it all pacy and high-energy. If the second Act gets messier, it at least boasts some of the stronger numbers and set pieces, with the likes of Fox and Ovenden’s ‘Well, Did You Evah?’ two-hander, the full company pelt of ‘Let’s Misbehave’ and Mercedes Dyers’ stirring take on ‘I’ve Got You Under My Skin’ real show-stoppers. Choreographer Anthony Van Laast delivers up the goods throughout.

Aesthetically, here is one of the most opulent and gorgeous touring productions currently playing. Transferring from a recent sold-out run at The Barbican, Tom Rogers’ stunning, multi-levelled depiction of the Lord’s Newport Estate is truly lavish, well-met by Jon Morrell’s equally glorious costumes. It looks, feels and plays like premium theatre, of a calibre truly fitting of its title.

Likewise, the cast do great work in elevating the flimsy book into a compelling evening of comedy and crooning. Call the Midwife’s Helen George is a perfect avatar of the era – her Tracy carrying just the right balance of feistiness, poise and playful mischief. Freddie Fox and Julian Ovenden both deliver knockout vocals and are each suave, charming and frequently funny. Again, they each feel almost plucked from the period, in physicality and song both.

Carly Mercedes Dyer brings a dry, sardonic wit, but also real nuance and heart to her Liz, whilst the ever-dependable Nigel Lindsey comes close to stealing the whole evening as the rambunctious, gin-soaked Uncle Willie. Josefina Gabrielle and Naomi Pacquette are a lot of fun, too, as Tracy’s mother and sister, respectively.

“Helen George is a perfect avatar of the era – her Tracy carrying just the right balance of feistiness, poise and playful mischief.”

With this stage adaptation featuring extra Porter classics not present in the original 1956 Bing Crosby, Grace Kelly and Frank Sinatra film (‘Under My Skin’ being a prime example), enthusiasts will find here an updated, slightly modernised take on a classic with plenty of extra flourishes and flare.

And if it is ultimately feathery, feel-good froth, then it’s a good job that it is such beautifully staged, immaculately performed froth indeed, and boasting a wealth of fantastic, infectious performances, not to mention a smorgasbord of Cole Parter classics to be humming along to, long after this ‘swell party’ has ended.