High Society, The Old Vic **

The Old Vic has been through a whole series of hits under Kevin Spacey's last year as artistic director. The Crucible, Electra and Clarence Darrow have all been first rate productions. Therefore, it is a shame that Spacey's last production doesn't quite live up to the quality of the brilliance that has graced the transformed space in the past year. To be fair, it is a perfectly acceptable way to spend the afternoon. This story of a wedding that goes wrong provides a pleasant family outing. I took my gran to see it and she was delighted with it. As well as this, performances are very good. Kate Fleetwood is always a joy to watch and Jamie Parker is surprisingly impressive in the move from a fantastic Henry V to an American musical role. I can't fault the performances yet I felt uninspired by them. The extravagance of the piece is the thing that needs to be shown off and, by using the 'in the round' space, loses a lot of the excuses to exploit the aesthetics of the setting. The few 'gimmicks' they use (for example the lake or pianos) seem slightly behind the times. The renditions of the famous songs are instantly forgettable and the direction from Friedman gives the production a lack of substance or originality. This production belongs on the West End and not at the Vic. The only word to describe this production is 'inoffensive'.