I finally got around to renting Topsy Turvy, last night, and thought that it was very well done. I thought that Leigh and his ensemble of top-notch actors effectively captured the feeling of being part of the theatre. The snitty repartee between the actors, choreographers, and "management" should be instantly recognizable to anyone who has ever been involved in any sort of theatrical production. I was especially impressed by small touches, such as the obvious effort that went into having the actors actually play their musical instruments. The actors who played Gilbert and Sullivan were especially remarkable for inhabiting their characters in a way that lent them a complete aura of authenticity. Most of all, the film gives us a well-constructed portrayal of the creative process, showing how theatre, like film, is an art form which requires much more than the author applying words to page.
The only drawback to the film - and this is a minor one - was that the fun stuff didn't really get started until the second half, at which point we see Gilbert, stuck in a creative rut, being dragged by his wife to a Japanese exhibition. I would have liked for this scene to have occurred somewhat earlier in the picture, but that is a relatively small quibble.
