ScottishNews.com

The Bridgerton and Downton Abbey actor plays the charming Dexter Haven in the touring adaptation of the Cole Porter musical, appearing alongside Call the Midwife star Helen George as Tracy Lord and Slow Horses actor Freddie Fox as reporter Mike Connor.

Direct from a summer season at London’s Barbican Theatre, the production visits the King’s Theatre in Glasgow from Tuesday 1 to Saturday 5 September.

Featuring a 28-strong cast and full orchestra, High Society includes some of Porter’s best-known songs, including Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?, Well, Did You Evah?, Let’s Misbehave and True Love.

Ovenden, who previously received an Olivier Award nomination for his performance in South Pacific, spoke to ScottishNews.com about his connections with Scotland, the enduring appeal of High Society and why actors keep returning to the stage.

Q: Have you worked or performed in Scotland before?

I have. I did a little tour of my own stuff at the beginning of this year and I went to Glasgow. That must have been in deepest, darkest January.

I’ve performed there quite a few times in various different things. I did a touring version of South Pacific, the great Rodgers and Hammerstein musical, and we did both Glasgow and Edinburgh. That was a few years ago, and I’ve also worked there with orchestras.

I haven’t done a huge amount of work in Scotland, but I always enjoy it when I get there.

Q: Does the audience’s relationship with these famous songs add another element to the production?

I think it does. We started performing in the middle of May and we’ve had fantastic houses throughout.

It’s quite rare nowadays to get that kind of attendance and also that warmth of feeling for a show like this, but this particular piece does seem to hold a special place in people’s hearts.

It’s one of those films that resonates for some reason. It has some of the most fantastic music written in the 20th century in terms of musical theatre.

It’s a screwball kind of story, but it somehow works. We’re in Belfast at the moment and the audiences have been full and really enjoying it, so we look forward to replicating that when we get north of the border.

Q: Was High Society a film you remembered from growing up?

Not really, to be honest. I was aware of it as a title and I think it’s one of those films that, in years gone by, you would see advertised in the Radio Times on Boxing Day.

Of course, I knew all the stars who were in it – Bing Crosby, Grace Kelly and Louis Armstrong.

It has had an interesting genesis. It existed as the play The Philadelphia Story before it became a film, then another film and eventually a stage musical on Broadway in the 1990s.

It has had quite a journey to reach its next incarnation in 2026, in this updated version. It’s difficult to be completely objective, but I think it would be difficult to find a better version of it.

The script has been updated and made funnier. It just works better. There are very high-end production values and it looks and sounds great.

Creatively, it’s high-end. It’s a lovely thing to be in and, as a summer show, it’s very light and fancy-free. It’s a pretty amiable way to spend two and a half hours in the theatre.

What does performing in front of a live audience offer that film and television doesn’t?

I think working on stage and working live is where it’s at, really. It’s where you cut your mustard and it’s also where you learn. There’s nothing that replicates that.

Filming is great and it’s very exciting. There are moments of real joy and real discovery, but I think most actors return to the stage because there’s something intangible and connective about working with an audience in real time.

That’s why I keep coming back to it. There’s nothing like it.

I try to do something on stage at least every 18 months because I think it keeps you fresh and stops you from being typecast, which can very easily happen when you’re working on screen.

It’s like going to the gym or a ballet dancer going to the barre class in the morning. It’s important to keep doing it and to keep exercising that creative muscle.

Why do you think live theatre remains important?

People spend an inordinate amount of time looking at a screen in a state of isolation, I think people are desperate to come to a space and share stories and an experience with other people in real time.

Facebook or Google might have you believe our world is more connected than ever, but actually it’s more solitary than ever.

There’s something very fundamental about that shared experience. High Society isn’t necessarily changing lives or doing anything massively revolutionary in terms of storytelling, but it gives people a lot of joy and the feeling of being part of something bigger than themselves.

Especially now, in the 21st century, theatre is as important as it has always been.

Does touring together create a strong sense of camaraderie among the company?

I haven’t done an awful lot of touring. This is only really my second show that I’ve toured, but there is a great sense of camaraderie. You become a large extended family.

It also keeps the show fresh because, when you arrive in a new space on a Tuesday, there are always elements of the theatre that are different.

There are parts of the show that you have to adapt because the theatre might not be able to accommodate certain elements of the staging or the set. You’re also trying to find your way from stage left to stage right.

There is always magic in theatre. We’re in the amazing Grand Opera House in Belfast at the moment, which is stunning, but I know the theatres in Scotland are fantastic too.

They are great buildings. Moving into them keeps the show fresh and keeps us on our toes, which is good.

High Society is at the King’s Theatre, Glasgow, from Tuesday 1 to Saturday 5 September 2026.