Call The Midwife star Helen George is heading back to her home city of Birmingham with Freddie Fox in tow as they star in a glamorous new version of musical High Society at The Alexandra theatre.
Birmingham-born Helen explains why the show is such a “wonderful escape” for theatre-goers for a few hours that fans of TV show White Lotus will love.
The Cole Porter musical High Society has won over audiences on stage and screen for decades. Famous for its stunning songs like Who Wants To Be A Millionaire and starring Hollywood greats Grace Kelly, Frank Sinatra and Bing Crosby in the movie, it’s a dream of a show for any actor.
High Society at The Alexandra revolves around a Long Island society wedding in the early 1950s with old and new flames vying for attention. As the planned nuptials descend into comedy chaos, at the centre of it all is beautiful socialite and divorcée Tracy Lord, played by Helen.
Among the guests is sharp-eyed reporter Mike Connor keeping an eye out for tabloid gossip. Taking on this role, famously played by Frank Sinatra in the film, is Freddie Fox in his professional musical theatre debut.
It’s particularly exciting for Helen George, who aside from her famous TV roles has become renowned on stage, touring with big budget musicals like The King & I that came to Birmingham in 2023, also at The Alexandra.
“I grew up listening to all the greats like Ella Fitzgerald and Frank Sinatra singing those wonderful Cole Porter melodies,” said Helen.
“It’s a wonderful, fabulous, sophisticated escape of an evening, with a huge orchestra and a big brass section. There’s just so much joy in this show, the costumes are incredible, the songs are amazing, and I’m over the moon with the cast and crew that I get to work with.
“I come out of the theatre, then I listen to the news and think ‘Oh God, I’m so glad that I’m doing High Society, not something that’s sad or political in any way’.
“This is exactly the sort of show that we need right now, and I think that theatre really comes into its prime when the world feels uncertain – especially with a musical that’s as much fun and as lively and joyful as this one.”
Helen stars opposite Freddie Fox, Julian Ovenden and Nigel Lindsay in the big show directed by Rachel Kavanaugh, who was behind the cheerful Seven Brides for Seven Brothers.
There’s plenty of big song and dance numbers with the 28-strong cast choreographed by Anthony Van Laast, of Mamma Mia! and Bombay Dreams fame.
Freddie is won over by the sparkling show too, saying: “It’s the sort of musical that I love. It’s a night of sheer joy, lots of fun, with the best songs and fabulous dancing and singing. It’s entertainment with a capital E.”
Helen added: “It’s a bit like The White Lotus because everybody’s in this world of wealth and fabulousness, and how can we relate to that? But actually we can’t take our eyes off them and there are really relatable themes about love and pain amidst all the fun and fantastic songs.”
Those songs include timeless Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?, True Love, Well, Did You Evah! and Let’s Misbehave.
For this new production the score has been expanded to bring even more wit, romance and sparkle to the production. Extra Cole Porter songs include I’ve Got You Under My Skin, Let’s Do It, Let’s Fall in Love, You Do Something to Me, Be a Clown, You’d Be So Nice to Come Home To, All Of You and Now You Has Jazz.
True to her Brummie roots, Helen’s family support Aston Villa Football Club and she even dreamt of becoming the team’s first female manager when she was a child.
Instead she studied musical theatre at the Royal Academy of Music in London, toured as a backing singer for Elton John, then landed the role of Nurse Trixie in BBC’s Call the Midwife and later became a celebrity contestant on Strictly Come Dancing.
While on the High Society tour, Helen is taking her young daughters Wren and Lark with her as it’s during the summer holidays. She’s a big fan of theatre tours and owes them to her own successful career: “I grew up in Birmingham and I saw so many wonderful touring shows, and that’s what made me want to do what I do now.”
High Society runs at The Alexandra theatre in Birmingham city centre from Tuesday August 18 to Saturday August 22, 2026. See more information and buy tickets at The Alexandra website here. Tickets start from £20.80.