Raz Shaw’s exuberant production of Singin’ in the Rain opens with nothing on stage but a coat and hat. They belong to leading man Don Lockwood (a charismatic Louis Gaunt), who taps out a quick dance before shrugging them on and transforming into his movie star persona. Immediately we’re in Hollywood, a world obsessed with appearances.
It’s an apt start for a musical that pokes fun at the gap between reputation and reality. There’s Don, whose pre-Hollywood vaudeville career is at odds with his public image, and whose self-importance is quickly mocked by aspiring actress Kathy Selden (Carly Mercedes Dyer). Opposite him, co-star Lina Lamont’s on-screen glamour knocks up against her screeching voice, here delivered with squeaky relish by Laura Baldwin. The arrival of the talkies leaves the studio scrambling to save face, with entertaining if familiar consequences.
