Review: Singin' In The Rain, UK Tour, at the Opera House, Manchester
This is in fact a special one for me. The last time I saw the show on stage was almost 10 years ago; I was at university, and hadn't started writing yet. And it was the one that got me thinking "hey, maybe the golden-age shows aren't so bad?".
(You see I was a modern-musical pureist back then)
Anyway, BACK to rainy Hollywood....
As if you don't know the story of Singin' in the Rain, but just in case, we are transported to 1927 California, during the Silent Movie era. The biggest stars of the time, Don Lockwood and Lina Lamont, are at the height of their careers. Then two big events happen at once: Don meets and starts to fall for aspiring actress Kathy Selden: and The Jazz Singer is released, the first talking film to make a huge smash, threatening the reign of silent movies.
What follows is a story about falling in love, and adapting to change, which is so wonderful to watch.
Depending on the venue, you have a choice of "star" casting, either: Faye Tozer (from STEPS) as Lina Lamont (saw her as Lina the first time in fact): Strictly's Kevin Clifton as Cosmo Brown: or, in my case, Adam Cooper as Don Lockwood.
Honestly, knowing that Adam was doing the Manchester run was one of the big reasons in cementing my decision to book: the Don from the 2012 London run and the subsequent cast album: someone who has been involved as an actor, dancer, choreographer and director for over 20 years: including working with Matthew Bourne in the early days of New Adventures... This guy is a stage LEGEND and I now feel so lucky to have seen him as Don.
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But just as enjoyable to watch was Ross McLaren as Cosmo Brown. He's the one who brings in a lot of the comic relief, quite literally in his big number Make Them Laugh, but he's also so sweet. He's now right up there in MT characters I want to be friends with. I loved his relationship with Don - you see just how strong their friendship is.
Of course, the film is also known for its iconic dance numbers
Choreographer Andrew Wright certainly had an unenviable job in bringing these iconic numbers to life. But he did. The big ones payed homage to the film, and were filled with so much characters, such as Good Morning, Fit as a Fiddle, and of course the title number. (And yes, there is rain in that one. If you don't want to get wet, don't book the first few rows in the stalls....)
And don't get me started on the 14 minute Broadway Melody ballet in the 2nd half! Cosmo looked exhausted explaining it to RF Simpson and Roscoe Dexter, let alone all those dancers actually performing it!
You know what I also forgot: how funny Singin' in the Rain is!
There were so many moments that had the entire audience in stitches, whether that be coming from the script, or from some actors mannerisms.
Lina trying and failing to sound anything other than "nails on a blackboard squeaky" in her dialect coaching lessons. Or almost any silly or sweet face Cosmo pulled.
My personal favourite though is the showing of "The Duelling Cavalier". Not only were all the sound faux-pas as funny as you would expect, but the way the "script" was written was incredibly bad (yes I know it was meant to be). It is on the level of either "bad porno" or "so bad we have to see the Gogglebox-ers reactions to this"; and I find that hilarious!
The best way to describe Singin' in the Rain: JOYOUS!
I cannot recommend this one enough; and it's one I recommend anyone be open to watching, even if these kinds of stories aren't really your thing. In a time when things seem so scary, we need some escapist joy; and I guarantee this will put a smile on your face. It was certainly the case for the whole theatre when I went.
Singin' in the Rain finishes its stint in Manchester tonight, but continues its tour across the UK until August.
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