Top hat ribs and springs. His patent was described as: Some sources have taken this to describe an early folding top hat, although it is not explicitly stated whether Dollman's design was specifically for male or female headgear. Dollman's patent expired in 1825. In France, around 1840, Antoine Gibus's design for a spring-loaded collapsible top-hat proved so popular that hats made to it became known as "gibus". They were also often called "opera hats" due to the common practice of storing them in their flattened state under one's seat at the opera, though the term can also refer to any tall formal
Top Hat (musical) but what this show has done is bring a version to the world to see for the future". Two of Berlin's daughters described the show as "a beautiful production": "It could definitely give new life to these songs and to "Top Hat" for a younger generation". The show had its world premiere on 16 August 2011 at the Milton Keynes Theatre, at the beginning of a 17-week UK tour stopping in Birmingham, Southampton, Salford, Plymouth, Norwich, Canterbury, Edinburgh and Leeds. The original cast included Summer Strallen as Dale Tremont, Tom Chambers as Jerry Travers, Martin Ball as Horace, Vivien Parry