Flowers for Mrs Harris is based on the book of the same name, which tells the story of cleaner Ada Harris who becomes enamoured by the couture wardrobe of one of her wealthy employers. Mrs Harris decides to work and save as much as she can to fund a trip to Paris in order to purchase one of these enchanting evening gowns; meeting and being helped by various kind hearts along the way.

The musical premiered at the Sheffield Crucible Theatre in 2016 where it won three UK Theatre awards, before being revived at Chichester Festival Theatre in 2018 using the same creative team and with Clare Burt returning to the titular role of Mrs Harris.

During the first lockdown an archive recording from its Chichester run was made available to the public, boosting enough popular interest for a cast recording to be commissioned. The album was recorded on stage at the Festival Theatre, which was large enough to accommodate the 2018 cast and band whilst adhering to social distancing measures.  

I fell in love with the production when I managed to catch the stream earlier this year and was ecstatic when I heard that it was being immortalised in the form of a cast recording. Composer Richard Taylor insisted on the raw story telling being essential to the core of the musical and so wanted to capture the feeling of a live cast recording. So instead of the isolating cubicles or divisions that would happen in a conventional recording studio, all of the artists were on stage recording at once, giving them the ability to live and breathe in the moment and tell their story together.  

From the opening notes, in an instant, its apparent they’ve achieved what they set out to. The intimacy and emotional connection of the show is captured so beautifully. Clare Burt and Mark Meadows imbue each line with honesty and such masterful storytelling through voice from the outset that you’re immediately transported, not a skill so often achieved by many cast recordings. The ability to maintain this absorption throughout is one of the biggest hallmarks of this album.

Mike Walker has engineered the sound sublimely, working closely with Taylor to achieve such crystalline and touching clarity, which is further supported by Tom Brady’s expert control of his impressive orchestra. Flowers for Mrs Harris is at heart a small show, so recording it in such a wide space provides an array of challenges that this team seem to have been unphased by, and have navigated so impressively it’s to be commended.  

The introspective nature of the score is one of its biggest assets. It allows you so far into the depths of the character’s souls’, exploring stillness one second then euphoric explosion the next. It is ultimately human, a human score for real people, which allows you to feel so honestly absorbed. Taylor’s instrumentation and orchestrations are exceptionally well thought out, balanced and placed. His use of brass and strings especially, are what make the score equal parts raw and triumphant. This is wonderfully matched with the vocal tapestry of the recording.

When Clare Burt sings, the warm texture of her voice makes you feel like she’s singing to you and only you. The romanticism of Louis Maskell’s characters allows his iconic floating voice to soar and burst whilst also giving him permission to have light, intimate and excitable moments. The scope of Laura Pitt-Pulford’s voice is so beautifully explored in the opposition of her characters, navigating complex rhythms, ranges and vocal qualities with ease and precision. Claire Machin, as always, displays her ability to pervade every lyric with character and heart whilst remaining pitch perfect.  

One of the things that is most rewarding about the recording is the way it all runs together, as if you’re listening to one long musical audiobook. Many cast albums feel exactly like that: an album, song after song after song. What this score does is reduce the amount of obviously isolated songs, thus giving the show a constant pulse, which helps you invest in the journey of these characters and the story as it runs its natural course.

Ultimately, the show is all about heart and the power it can have when it is used the right way, and nothing is captured more than this within this intimate recording. All of the above tied together with everything else makes Flowers for Mrs Harris a glorious bouquet of original British musical theatre; something our industry desperately craves, but more often than not is over-looked rather than celebrated.  

Sadly, some scores simply don’t translate so powerfully to a recorded platform. Thankfully, Flowers for Mrs Harris is an exception, one that has been expertly produced by Taylor, Walker and SimG Records. I urge everyone to download this cast recording, plug in your headphones, close your eyes and await to be transported to another world; because this cast recording is just as emotionally affecting as watching the actual show, and that in 2020 is simply a gift that can’t be measured.  

***** Five stars

Reviewed by: Duncan Burt