Where do you go for some good entertainment when it is pouring with rain, or when the sun is shining? The answer - grab some of your friends and go along to see "Singin' in the Rain".
I usually go along and see live theatre productions at the start of their run. However, I have only managed to see this one near the end of its Sydney season. The wait had been worthwhile, and I am glad to have seen it before it moves on to Brisbane, Adelaide, and Perth. (It has already been to Melbourne).
The musical is based on the 1952 movie starring Gene Kelly and Debbie Reynolds.
It has been years since I have seen the movie "Singin' in the Rain" on TV, so I had largely forgotten what it was about. All I could remember was the song "Singin' in the Rain" and that there was a lot of dancing in the movie.
The story is set in the roaring 20's and is about the Monumental Pictures movie production company making its first "talkie" film. (Up to then movies had were silent with no talking or singing in them.) It is a love story with singing, dancing, comedy, glitz and glamour.
The two main males in "Singin' in the Rain" are Grant Almirall and Jack Chambers. Grant plays the role of Don Lockwood, the movie star. Jack Chambers, who plays Cosmo Brown his good friend, was the very first winner of "So You Think You Can Dance" in 2008. These two men interact very well with each other on stage. They are great singers and dancers.
The two main females in "Singin' in the Rain" are wonderful. Erika Heynatzm plays the the role of the dumb blonde movie star Lina Lamont. She sparkles with her atrocious voice as the comedy element in the musical. Gretel Scarlett plays the charming stage actress Kathy Seldon. I remember her from when she played Sandy in the production a few years ago of Grease.
The ensemble is a very talented group of young dancers and singers. They bring the stage to life when they perform their very energetic dance moves.
The most enjoyable aspects of this Lunchbox, David Atkins, Michael Cassel and Teg Dainty production of "Singin' in the Rain" are the dancing, music and singing. These often replace dialogue and show the audience what is happening rather than being told.
Various styles of dancing, including tap dancing, feature. The most spectacular dance is when it is actually done with the rain pouring down on the stage. 12,000 litres of recycled water rains down and floods the stage. The dancers get drenched, so I pity the wardrobe people who have the job of drying the clothes each night. The people sitting in the very first few rows have the chance of getting splashed when the dancers do their routines on the flooded stage. (They are given waterproof ponchos to wear so they don't get wet.)
There is plenty of singing throughout the show. The two songs I recognised were the theme song "Singin' in the Rain" and "Good Morning", which my wife says was used as basis for a corn flake ad.
The orchestra was perched above the stage and could be seen at various times throughout the musical. Even though small in number, they made a perfect big band sound reminiscent of the era. It would have been nice to have seen all the band during a few of the songs they played.
The sets of "Singin' in the Rain" were rather minimalistic. It was just the one set that didn't change throughout the whole show. A rather bleak grey wall represented a street scene, the rear of theatre stage, the front of a stage, a movie studio. The middle part of this wall was changed to stage curtains or building doors depending on the scene. The occasional prop, such as a desk, or bench seating, was brought in for the differing scenes. This meant that we had to stretch our imaginations just that bit more to visualise each scene. It also meant that the singers and dances featured more as the prominent visual elements rather than the scenery.
Is "Singin' in the Rain" worth while seeing? Yes, it is a good fun musical crammed with singing and dancing. The dancing in the rain scenes are a delight to watch. Make sure you get along to see the few remaining performances in Sydney before it closes on 10 September, or in Brisbane from 22 September, in Adelaide from 1 December or in Perth from 29 December.
"Singin' in the Rain"
Now Playing at the Lyric Theatre at the Star in Sydney.
Website:
http://singin.com.au/
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