LIFE with the Lords on sun-kissed Long Island – as depicted in the wonderful Cole Porter musical High Society – is supplying the seasonal cheer this Christmas at the Mill at Sonning

It’s a wacky world of pampered privilege, as will be remembered from the hit film – starring Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra and Grace Kelly – from which the show is adapted.

Exactly 60 years old now, the movie supplied the soundtrack of life for a whole generation, with its gloriously melodic songs including Well, Did You Evah?, Who Wants to be a Millionaire?, You’re Sensational and, most memorably, True Love.

Others from the massive Porter oeuvre – including I Love Paris and Just One of Those Things – are ‘borrowed’ for the musical, which first graced the New York stage as late as 1998.

The polished production at the Mill, under director Joseph Pitcher, is necessarily downsized, owing to restrictions in stage space and budget, but is testament to the huge talents of all involved.

Bethan Nash provides a stunning portrait of pretentious socialite Tracy Lord whose fickle fancies supply the mainspring of the plot.

On the eve of her marriage to dull-as-ditchwater George Ketteridge (Joel Elferink), she still seems very alive to the charms of two other men.

One is her endearingly wacky former spouse C.K. Dexter Haven (Andrew Alexander), still a Long Island neighbour and a firm favourite with Tracy’s good-sort mum (Elizabeth Elvin) and her sparkily precocious kid sister Dinah, played by newcomer-to-watch Kirsty Ingram.

The other is handsome journalist Mike Connor (Sandy Batchelor) who has tricked his way into the Lord home, with snapper sidekick (and neglected admirer) Liz Imbrie (Gemma Maclean), to dig dirt on the family, and especially errant dad Seth (Nigel Barber).

Who will she settle with? Who’s to say? But we have a lot of fun waiting to find out, not the least of it supplied by Tracy’s boozily lecherous Uncle Willie (David Delve).

With a trio of excellent musicians (musical director Charlie Ingles on piano, plus double bass and woodwind) perched on either side of Ryan Laight’s stylish set – and a fourth, the percussionist, hidden away behind – the show zips along at a merry pace. The dance routines are always impressive.

Add the pre-performance dinner of turkey, Christmas pudding and mince pies, and the result is festive fun not to be missed.

High Society is on till January 14. Box office 0118 969 8000, millatsonning.com

CHRISTOPHER GRAY 4/5