Wednesday 11 May 2022

THEATRE REVIEW: Singin' In The Rain - The Opera House, Manchester.


'Singin’ in the Rain'; a movie musical that surely everyone has seen? There is a reason this film has been voted as one of the greatest musicals ever made. For those of you that haven’t seen the film; stop what you are doing right now, whatever that may be, and load it onto the biggest screen you own (a phone or tablet screen will not do this film justice!). My memories of this musical are fond, having performed it in school at the age of thirteen and having watched it countless times since. So it is safe to say I had very high expectations for the stage version at Manchester’s Opera House. And I am pleased to say that those expectations were met and at times even exceeded.

A quick glance through the programme is enough to see the sheer number of creatives involved in this timeless classic; from performers, to sound and video designers, to wig supervisors, and of course a live orchestra. The choreography from Andrew Wright was second to none, and flawlessly combined the classic moves from the film that we all expect and adore alongside some new and innovative sequences. The ensemble dances in particular were mesmerising, I was almost in a sort of trance watching the performers glide effortlessly and energetically around one another. The fantastical dance sequence that accompanied the number, 'Got To Dance' was so full of content, and with so many dance styles all executed with what seemed like ease and confidence, it was easily one of the highlights of the two and a half hours.   

All 27 cast members deserve a standing ovation (which they received in abundance tonight), but special mention of course must go to the four main cast members. Adam Cooper’s Don Lockwood portrayed all the air and grace of a 1950's Hollywood icon, second only to Gene Kelly himself. Charlotte Gooch seemed almost to swim across the stage as Kathy Seldon, with an unfaltering and melodic voice that went along with it. Cooper and Gooch’s on stage chemistry was also a wonder to behold. Ross McLaren played the joker, Cosmo Brown, eliciting laughs at almost every other word. We cannot mention McLaren’s performance without talking about his addictive rendition of  'Make ‘Em Laugh'. How he had any breath left to sing whilst he was running around the stage and performing a multitude of stunts is beyond me. And last but by no means least; the annoying and selfish Lina Lamont was played perfectly by Jenny Gayner. Her physical and vocal humour made her shine brighter than the character in the 1952 film. She even had her own musical number, which was of course horribly out of tune, but we loved it all the more for that. These four performers were at the forefront of a very strong cast and crew.

Director Jonathan Church took on a seemingly humungous task here, but from his resume I can see Church is a veteran of the theatre and humungous tasks are what he does best. To bring a vision as bright and glamorous as this one to life was, I am sure, no small feat. Church took us back to a gloriously nostalgic era in cinema history where we felt Hollywood was all around us.

The only thing that could have possibly made this production better? If Church were to resurrect Gene Kelly himself and force him into a pair of tap shoes. But Gene Kelly aside; what a glorious feeling indeed! I will go to sleep tonight still smiling and humming the lyrics.

Reviewer - Megan Relph
on - 10.5.22


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