Substance, Spectacle and Flowers for Mrs. Harris

Erica Hansen as Ada Harris (T,TH,S cast)

Is the essence of musical theatre about the spectacle or the story? It’s a good question to explore while reviewing Flowers for Mrs. Harris, an award-winning new musical by Richard Taylor and Rachel Wagstaff, which I watched this week at The Ruth’s new Lindsay Legacy Theater in Pleasant Grove, UT. If you belong to the story camp, like I do, Flowers is a musical you may love. 

That’s not to quibble with anyone who belongs to the spectacle camp, which is probably the more popular priority. Broadway musicals descend largely from Vaudeville shows that were all about the spectacle, the music and the dancing. The first shows that we would today call musicals were mostly a series of showy musical numbers, loosely pulled together by a simple narrative. But I’m a story lover. Don’t get me wrong. I can appreciate spectacle, but the very best in creative staging, special effects and dazzling production numbers cannot, in my books, make up for a story that feels hollow; while a story that grabs me by the heart and doesn’t let go will keep me entranced, even if the melodies are forgettable and the choreography is less than dazzling. 

“Flowers for Mrs. Harris” is one of those shows that laid siege on my heart and won it over, despite a premise that I would not normally expect to move me. Based on a novella by Paul Gallico, it’s the story of Ada Harris, a widowed cleaning lady with a working-class accent who, at the age of fifty-three, sees her first designer dress (a Christian Dior) and discovers a driving need to get one for herself. Nevermind that the price tag is approximately what she makes in a year. Nevermind that she’d never have an occasion to wear it. Its beauty calls to her in a manner so compelling that own a Christian Dior she must. And even though I object to high-end designer clothes on principle and I can’t imagine a circumstance under which I would lay down a working person’s annual income for a dress, nonetheless, her story is told with such warmth and charm that I was fully invested in her achieving her dream. 

Diana Graham and David Morley-Walker as Mr and Mrs Harris (MWF cast)

Much of this can be credited to the beauty of her two closest relationships, whose authentic love blossoms against the backdrop of her audacious and mystifying dream. It doesn’t hurt that Janae Koralewski Thomas fully embodies her practical and somewhat dour best friend Violet Butterfield, while David Morley-Walker plays her deceased husband Albert with a tender devotion that is many times more deep than it is gruff. Meanwhile, Dianna Graham is irresistible in her portrayal of Mrs. Harris’s openhearted warmth toward everyone who comes within her reach, her readiness to see the good in them, and her delight in being of service. 

The other secret to the story’s charm is that Mrs. Harris’ mysterious drive to own a Christian Dior dress never amounts to an obsession. She will exhaust herself, working long hours for it, but she will never once lose sight of what really matters. This makes for an inspiring “Golden Fleece” story as Blake Snyder defines it in Save the Cat. The “Golden Fleece” genre revolves around the protagonist’s daring quest for some sought-after prize, only to find, in the end, that the real prize is what they discover about themselves. 

Exquisite costumes in elegant show room

This is a musical about a woman who reaches after something that seems entirely frivolous  (a dress that’s fit for a princess), at the same time that it shows her deepening in substance, laying claim to an innate royalty that has nothing to do with how someone dresses. It’s fitting because the musical itself prioritizes substance over form, or story over spectacle. The music is difficult and emotive. The songs are performed beautifully, but the melodies aren’t memorable. There are a couple impressive special effects – a flower garden that descends from the ceiling and a picturesque, two-story set that rotates between an elegant show room and a pair of charming flats, including such details as mismatched kitchen chairs. These delight, while keeping our focus on the story. Choreography is minimal. This is, after all, a show that centers on characters who are on the arthritic side of 50. Costuming is charming to exquisite.

I did ask myself what the music adds, and whether the story could have been told just as well as a straight play. I think it probably could have. Also, the first act moves quite slowly. But there’s some poetic irony in using an art form that’s become associated with spectacle, in order to tell a story that pretends to be about the spectacular but winds up celebrating something steady, the enduring qualities that arise out of honest, hard work (however lowly), an irrepressible attitude, and a warm and open-hearted spirit. 

Flowers For Mrs. Harris, joyously directed by Barta Heiner with music direction by Anne Puzey, continues its North American premiere through November 15, 2025 at The Ruth. Its structure is unconventional for a musical. Its starring characters are well past their prime, but their performances are skillful and compelling and the story is filled with exquisite sweetness. I experienced it as a garden of delights. 

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