Review: SINGING IN THE RAIN at Teatr Muzyczny Poznan

Let me start with something that is not usual for me: costumes. It's the thing you notice in the first second and every scene it only gets better. Everything is perfect there. Elegant dresses are like a feather in the wind: light, smooth, and graceful. Coats, pants, beads, furs, blouses, suits, shoes, tuxedos, necklaces, gloves, sequins, dresses, and even a basic cardigan are like colorful wagons in a long glamorous train that takes us back in time. It is a real delight for the eyes. Natalia Kitamikado did an incredible job and transported us to a truly different world without any hesitation with a one-way ticket. A universe in which we dream of staying. The scenography changes quickly and despite the small stage, we have the impression of being in an immense environment.

The music is obviously great and requires no further commentary, the tracks are catchy, fun, and entertaining. Fast, slow, it doesn't matter, you'd love them all. There are a lot of connections to the film, but the director, Tadeusz Kabicz, brought a young and fresh vision and also threw in a few surprises. For me, it was Lina’s (Barbara Melzer) song spiced with pearls and corky cherubs.

Her voice is so bad that is easy to fall in love with it. She is just amazing! It takes a true master to master a bad voice and there is something else here. She was supposed to be annoying and miserable but I truly adore her instead. Ok, I've loved her for 30 years, since she was in the musical Metro, but hey, she gets better than any wine. Don (Maciej Podgorzak), Kathy (Marta Wiejak), and Cosmo (Bartosz Soltysiak) make an interesting trio and twist mutually like a spinning sideburn toy. They complement each other very well with energy, devotion, and gracefulness. The show is funny in a very good way, it’s an elegant humor, not too obvious but served on a silver platter with a cherry on the top.

Another important player in this show is the dance. The ensemble looks great in the dance scenes and Michal Cyran's choreography is vibrant, coherent, glamorous, and very in tune with the general idea of ​​the show. You can see the hard work and dedication in every move. I wouldn't be myself if I didn't pay extreme attention to tap dancing, because let's be honest, it's hard to even imagine the song Singing In The Rain without it. Anyone who has tried it knows how hard it is to do it and how much harder it is to make it look easy. The tap dancing and the person behind it, Maciej Glaza, are truly brilliant. I would love for the theater to find a way to make it more audible, but for a change, tap dancing is not treated in the Polish music scene as an add-on but as an important (and very successful) part of the show. What's even better: it looks professional, fun, cohesive, and... easy (which it isn't! so hats off to dancers again). I love every second of it and definitely recommend seeing the show, even just for the tap dancing.

Of course, there is more! Real rain, real joy, good entertainment, you could even try to bring this story up to date and reflect on the truth of the artists and how easy it is to deceive the public. If you're looking for a show that's enjoyable, energetic, stylish, and will make all your thoughts take off, hop on this train and let yourself be transported into the 20.

Photo: Teatr Muzyczny Poznan