Tom Chambers in Top Hat

A MASSIVE 77 years after it was released on the big screen a tale of true love will take to the stage in Bristol.

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Top Hat will tour to The Bristol Hippodrome from March 21-31, prior to its West End stage premiere.

The tale follows Jerry Travers (Tom Chambers), a famous American tap dancer, who arrives in London to appear in his first West End show.

He meets the irresistible Dale Tremont (Summer Strallen), the girl of his dreams, and follows her across Europe in an attempt to win her heart.

Nominated for four Academy Awards, Top Hat is widely regarded as one of the greatest dance musicals of all time and the most successful picture of the nine movies Astaire and Rogers made together.

Top Hat premiered at the Radio City Music Hall where it broke all box office records.

Within a few weeks, all five songs from the film occupied the top five places on the American Hit Parade.

Performed by a cast of 31 and accompanied by a live band of 15, this new musical comedy will include Irving Berlin classics from the movie such as Cheek to Cheek, Isn’t It a Lovely Day to be Caught in the Rain and Top Hat White Tie and Tails.

A further 10 numbers have been interpolated including Let’s Face the Music and Dance and I’m Putting All My Eggs in One Basket.

Tom Chambers was winner of Strictly Come Dancing 2008 with his partner Camilla Dallerup.

On television he is also well known as surgeon Sam Strachan in Holby City, a role he played for three years. Last year he joined the cast of the BBC Drama Waterloo Road as headteacher Max Tyler.

His other theatre credits include productions for the Young Vic, Sadler’s Wells, Derby Playhouse and the Lyric Hammersmith.

Summer Strallen created the role of Meg Giry in Love Never Dies at the Adelphi Theatre, for which she was nominated for Best Performance for a Supporting Role in a Musical at the 2011 Olivier Awards. Previously she has been seen on stage as Maria in The Sound of Music at the London Palladium, Janet Van Der Graaf in The Drowsy Chaperone at the Novello for which she was Olivier Award-nominated, the title role in Dick Whittington at the Barbican and Maisie in The Boy Friend for the Open Air Theatre, Regent’s Park for which she was also Olivier Award nominated.

On film and television her credits include Hotel Babylon, Beyond the Sea and Hollyoaks.

Tickets, priced £20.50-52.50, are available via www.bristolhippodrome.org.uk

The Times has teamed up with The Bristol Hippodrome to offer two lucky readers the chance to win a pair of tickets to the show at 7.30pm on March 21.

To enter answer the following question by 9am on February 23:

Which famous dancing couple played the lead roles in the film version of Top Hat?

Send your answer, along with your name and daytime telephone number to: Top Hat Competition, North Somerset Times, 32, Waterloo Street, Weston-super-Mare, North Somerset, BS231LW. Alternatively, click on the link at the top right of the screen to enter.