Flowers for Mrs. Harris at The Ruth

Last night, for the second night in a row, I was able to see a show that was new to me (a rare treat).  This time it was the North American premiere of the musical Flowers For Mrs. Harris at The Ruth.  I really love the movie, Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris, but I didn't love this adaptation quite as much.  Ada Harris (Dianna Graham) is a war widow in 1950s London who is content with her life working as a cleaning lady and spending time with the spirit of her dead husband (David Morley-Walker) and her friend Violet Butterfield (Janae Koralewski Thomas) until she sees a glamorous Dior gown owned by Lady Dant (Melanie Muranaka), one of her wealthy clients, and dreams of owning one herself.  She scrimps and saves and even takes in sewing in order to afford a Dior original but she still willingly helps everyone around her, including Bob Smith (Tanner Sumens), Pamela Penrose (Neena Warburton), Major Wallace (Jeff Thompson), and Countess Wyszcinska (Marcie Jacobsen).  She eventually travels to Paris to choose her gown and her kindness transforms the lives of everyone at the House of Dior, including Madame Colbert (Melanie Muranaka), Monsieur Armand (Jeff Thompson), Andre Fauvel (Tanner Sumens), and Natasha Raimbault (Neena Warburton).  When she returns home to London, she realizes that she has something much more meaningful than a dress.  I really love the message about the importance of having a dream, even one that is seemingly impossible, and the willingness to work hard in order to achieve it.  I also love the message about the importance of kindness and that it will eventually be rewarded in unexpected ways.  The design of this show is beautiful and I especially loved the multi-level rotating set featuring Ada's London flat on one side and the House of Dior on the other as well as the gorgeous couture gowns based on flowers (my favorite was "The Bluebell").  Graham gives a lovely performance that is very moving and it was fun to see most of the actors playing two similar characters in both London and Paris.  Unfortunately, I did not care for the music because it features lots of dialogue that is sung, instead of spoken, without a melody (much like a recitative in an opera) and I often found the piano accompaniment to be discordant (this may be due to the sound mixing because the music often overshadowed the voices).  The man sitting next to me said that he didn't think he would be humming any of the songs in the lobby after the show because they weren't very memorable.  An exception is the song "Rain On Me" because it is quite poignant and I really enjoyed it and its reprises.  I wish I could say that I loved this more than I did but I am glad that I saw it because it is always nice to see something new.  It runs in the Lindsay Legacy Theater through November 15 and tickets may be purchased here.