From its disjointed beginnings as a collection of songs by Nacio Herb Brown and Arthur Freed plucked from other movies of the day, plus the addition of Betty Comden and Adolph Green’s witty screenplay, MGM’s 1952 musical Singin’ in the Rain continues to be placed pretty much at the top of every list of the ‘greatest films ever made’ and reflects a significant period in American culture. Several scenes, performed by the Hollywood triple threats of Gene Kelly, Debbie Reynolds and Donald O’Connor, are greatly revered and all come with the adjective ‘iconic’.
The stage adaptation opened at the London Palladium in 1983, with the 2000 Olivier Theatre production receiving an Olivier Award for Best Musical Revival.
So, no pressure, then. Director and choreographer Lee Proud has done an impressive job with this year’s summer production at Kilworth House Theatre, and successfully recreates the film’s charm and complex choreography comprising vaudeville, tap, jazz and classical styles. On a warm summer night, the walk across the fairy light-festooned bridge into the venue’s woodland setting only adds to the magic of live performance.
Singin’ in the Rain is set in 1920s Hollywood when studios were making the transition from silent movies to talkies, coping both with new technology and the dilemma of how to deal with movie stars whose voices now didn’t ‘fit’ their on-screen personas. Genial Hollywood heartthrob Don Lockwood (Jack Wilcox) tolerates his regular co-star Lina Lamont (Jess Buckby), but it’s not only her voice which grates; she is something of a diva and wrongly believes the Lockwood and Lamont romantic movie storylines extend beyond the screen.
Lockwood meets spirited rising star Kathy Selden (Lucie-Mae Sumner) and is smitten. Some wooing is required, but they fall in love, much to the disgust of Lamont. Adding to Lamont’s angst, studio executives are trying to find ways to include the previously bankable star in this new medium for which she is no longer suited. A solution is found where she lip-syncs to Selden’s more appealing delivery. Inevitably, the subterfuge comes to a head with the story leading to a satisfying and heartwarming conclusion.
All eyes are on Wilcox as the charming romantic lead in this production. With a Hollywood-worthy megawatt smile and elegant execution of the dance routines, he is superb and has great chemistry with Sumner, Buckby and best pal Cosmo Brown (Alastair Crosswell). Crosswell and Wilcox’s performance in “Moses Supposes”, along with Julia J Nagle as vocal coach Miss Dinsmore, is hugely enjoyable, as is Crosswell’s energetic, comedic routine in “Make ‘Em Laugh”. Credit too to Buckby for her comedic turns throughout and amusingly plaintive performance of “What’s Wrong With Me?”.
Simon Wells’s set design shows the nuts and bolts of a film studio with clever use of screens to indicate more glamorous locations. The cast glide around the set with an assortment of props, all giving a seamless flow to the production. Wells is also responsible for the costumes, which are a gloriously colourful array of chiffon, feathers, silk and sparkles—and some natty suits—which really add to the flapper period setting.
Perhaps the two most well-known showstoppers, “Good Mornin’” and “Singin’ in the Rain”, give due reverence to the original routines in the film, and audience members in the first few rows are advised to bring additional rainwear for the title number. Much fun is had by the cast during the requisite downpour, plus an additional dousing in the finale.
Overall, this is a wonderfully enjoyable production which gets to the emotional heart of the story as well as a showcase for a multi-talented cast who perform some of musical theatre’s most celebrated moments with skill and panache.