An air of surrealism

There's something a bit surreal about staging a Gershwin musical about 1920s New York high society in a park. It's hard to conjure the ambience of a sparkling house party with the wind gently soughing in the trees above the invitees' heads. And, let's face it, the Charleston just isn't an open-air sort of dance. But then the spirit of surrealism hovered over the jazz age so, on second thoughts, the incongruity may not be so inappropriate after all.

The plot is inconsequential. Behind with their rent, eligible siblings Dick and Susie Trevor have to turn mercenaries in love: Dick proposes to wealthy socialite Josephine Vanderwater while sister Susie tries to pass herself off as a Mexican widow to lay hands on big bucks. Will they really have to sacrifice love for money? Of course not - the story's only really there to hang gags and tunes on. And fortunately there's a rich seam of both, not least the irresistible Fascinating Rhythm, which permeates the whole show.

Lady Be Good was written to showcase the talents of Fred Astaire and his sister Adele - a hard act to follow. The star of Ian Talbot's revival is Paul Grunert as the ruddy-cheeked lawyer Watty Watkins, with fine support from Paul Farnsworth's splendid stage design, which has the New York skyline bursting out of the lid of a giant, stage-straddling grand piano.

Lady Be Good
Open Air Theatre
Regent's Park, NW1 4NP