Singin' in the Rain Review
Still a breathtaking Broadway classic
In 1952 Stanley Donen and Gene Kelly joined forces to
co-direct one of the most celebrated musicals of all time: Singin' in the Rain. Starring Kelly, alongside Donald O'Connor and Debbie Reynolds, the MGM film was an instant success, resulting in numerous Broadway adaptations that remain as popular today as they did then.
Packed full of impressive dance routines and wonderful toe-tapping songs such as Fit as a Fiddle, Make em Laugh and, of course, the title classic, Singin' in the Rain is a musical that tells the story of Hollywood in the 1920s and the rise of the first 'talkies'.
The age of the silent movie is drawing to a close and Al Johnson has just set the screen alight with The Jazz Singer – Hollywood's first talking feature film. Don Lockwood, a dashing silent movie star, and his ditsy (yet glamorous) screen partner Lina Lamont are being pressured to keep up with the times by making their present film – The Duelling Cavalier – into a sound motion picture. On realising Lamont's lack of acting ability, however, problems arise and it is soon left to Lockwood's talented girlfriend, Kathy Seldon, and his ex-song and dance partner, Cosmo, to save the day. The outcome is predictable, but the story is still a classic. Bringing this part-autobiographical tale to life at the Mitchell Memorial Theatre last night was the Reveal Theatre Company, who proved that together, they form a truly solid and capable theatrical team.
With a strong cast that included Mark Hilton as Lockwood, Annmarie Bailey as Lamont, Catherine Holt as Kathy Seldon and Craig Armstrong as Cosmo Brown, this was a show full of great voices, sturdy footwork, confident acting and laugh out loud scenes.
The company's decision to use a projector screen to display the change from silent movies to sound pictures was hysterically brilliant and the special appearances by Signal One's Andy Goulding and Louise Stones were simply the icing on the cake.
