As a hush fell over Newcastle's Theatre Royal we were transported back to the 1920s when Hollywood was the world's film capital and the stars of the screen were adored by their millions of fans worldwide.
Singin' in the Rain charts the transition from silent movies to the arrival of talkies and for nearly three hours we were dazzled by a fantastic musical romp with uplifting music and incredible choreography.
The stage production, running at the Theatre Royal until Saturday, is based on the classic MGM film – starring Gene Kelly, Debbie Reynolds and Donald O’Connor – which is regularly voted the most popular film musical of all time and this year celebrates its 70th anniversary.
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The production as a whole is incredible too, and rates as probably my favourite of the past year. And hats off to the state-of-the-art technology, used to terrific effect in the rain sequences.
Sam Lips stars in the Gene Kelly role of silent movie matinee star Don Lockwood and what a great leading actor he is whether he’s spinning his umbrella around a lamppost or kicking rain over the first few rows of the stalls.
Faye Tozer plays Hollywood starlet Lina Lamont who very much looks the part of a beautiful actress but has the voice of a cat being strangled. The Steps singer is just as much at home in musical theatre as she is in the charts and she gives a hilarious performance and is an absolute delight.
So in the end, wannabe star Kathy Selden (a gifted Charlotte Gooch) steps in to dub Lina's shrill voice and makes her sound as refined as she looks.
It features musical pearls by Nacio Herb Brown and Arthur Freed, including Make ’Em Laugh, Good Morning, Moses Supposes and Singin’ In The Rain. As soon as Singin' in the Rain was performed everyone in the audience was doing a little seat swaying. And there’s a reprise at the end of the show too.
Fit As A Fiddle, Moses Supposes and Make 'Em Laugh are perfect vaudeville routines for Don and his sidekick Cosmo Brown played superbly by Ross McLaren.
The production also uses a special water system that creates a downpour from above and flooding below the stage, ‘raining’ (and recycling) thousands of litres per performance.
While the leads are the standouts of this musical, the entire ensemble deserves great praise. There’s something about seeing people tap dancing live and there’s so much energy about the show. The set and costumes are also stunning. If you get the chance to see it, you will not be disappointed.
Singin in the Rain is at Newcastle Theatre Royal until Saturday May 7.
