Review: SINGIN' IN THE RAIN at Adelaide Festival Theatre

Reviewed by Barry Lenny, Saturday 3rd December 2016

Lunchbox Theatrical Productions, David Atkins Enterprises, Michael Cassel Group and TEG DAINTY have brought a bright and cheerful production to the Adelaide Festival Theatre and, seeing how many youngsters were there, it is apparently a special Christmas treat for many, of all ages.

Singin' in the Rain is one of the best known and much loved Hollywood musicals, released in 1954 and featuring songs by Nacio Herb Brown (music) and Arthur Freed (words). The film starred Gene Kelly as Don Lockwood, Debbie Reynolds as Kathy Selden, Donald O'Connor as CosMo Brown, and Jean Hagen as Lina Lamont. The title tune, in fact, dates back to 1929 and had already been used in an earlier film. The stage musical, adapted from the film, dates back to 1983 when it was first directed by Tommy Steele, who also played Don Lockwood.

Don Lockwood and Lina Lamont are stars of romantic silent films, while CosMo Brown is the pianist who plays during their scenes to help them establish the right mood. Lina is starting to believe the publicity that romantically links her and Don and hints at a future marriage. Don, though, cannot stand her, and is more interested in the adoration of his female fans, so he is surprised when he meets Kathy Selden and she shows no sign of fan worship, or even recognition. Naturally, he falls in love with her.

It is 1927, and Warner Brothers change everything by releasing The Jazz Singer, starring Al Jolson. The 'talkies' kill silent films stone dead. The filming on the latest Lockwood and Lamont film, the Duelling Cavalier, is stopped while the studio is equipped for sound recording. Disaster strikes as soon as they resume, as Lina has a voice that could shatter bricks at a hundred paces. They are struck by a bright idea, to turn it into a musical and have Kathy provide Lina's voice. They do this and the film is a great success, but Lina insists that Kathy continue to provide her voice for all time, without being credited, and give up any thoughts of her own career. She is in for a rude awakening.

Rohan Browne plays Don Lockwood, alternating in the role with Grant Almirall, the two replacing Adam Garcia who withdrew from the rest of the run due to an injury. Garcia received less than complimentary reviews for his performance, so Adelaide was fortunate, being treated to a superb performance on Saturday by Browne, who has a strong singing voice and excellent dance skills as well as creating a fully three dimensional character.

Jack Chambers plays Don's best friend, CosMo Brown, giving an all-singing, all-dancing, high energy performance and providing plenty of humour. His big number, of course, is Make 'em Laugh, and he does. The physicality of this number alone is enough to make even an onlooker feel exhausted. Unsurprisingly, the audience loved his performance.

Gretel Scarlett is a pure delight as the sweet, fresh-faced Kathy Selden, with a beautiful voice to match. She, too, is a highly skilled dancer and, when the trio dance together, they are as one. They are a triple, triple threat. She and Browne create some sensationally romantic moments as they fall in love, the authenticity attested to by the occasional 'ooh' and 'ah'.

Erika Heynatz is wonderful as the talentless, dim-witted, obnoxious, and self-centred Lina Lamont, raising laughter every time that she opens her mouth to emit that grating voice, which was the real reason that many failed to make the transition from silent to sound films.

Just before the interval, Don walks Kathy home and, elated, ignores the sudden downpour and launches into the title song. This production does nothing by halves and the rain falls over the entire stage, so much so that the first three rows of the audience are provided with waterproof clothing as Browne performs over the whole area, kicking water high in the air. At the end, the entire cast perform a reprise in another burst of rain. This is a busy show for the stage crew and the costume department.

Robyn Arthur as radio personality, Dora, Mike Bishop as studio boss R. F. Simpson, and Rodney Dobson as the director, Roscoe Dexter, all add Great Performances and the highly talented ensemble, many of whom fill minor roles, are to be highly commended.

Andrew Wright's choreography is stunning, and complex, but the entire cast is top notch and well able to handle everything that he has asked of them. Simon Higlett's set allows the one back section and numerous pieces wheeled in an out throughout the show to create all of the locations and Tim Mitchell's lighting complements it perfectly. The costumes are bright and colourful

This production was originally directed by Jonathon Church for the Chichester Festival before transferring to London, and Scott J. Hendry is the resident director who ensures that all audiences see what Church intended. Musical director, Adrian Kirk, has assembled a great band, including some of Adelaide's top musicians, and amplification makes it sound like a bigger group that it actually is, although it could be a little quieter during the tap numbers so that we can hear the dancers better.

This is a highly exuberant and top quality production that will please even the most discerning musical theatre fan, and it is family friendly, so round up the whole family and book your tickets. You deserve a great night out, and here it is.

Here are some teasers.

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