On Stage: Singin’ In the Rain

The rain scene in Singin’ in the Rain has understandably been gaining much attention but there’s much more to this new Australian production than actors getting wet!

Also worth highlighting are the performances by the leads, the laugh out loud scenes, the great choreography and colorful costumes and sets.
Singin’ in the Rain is one of those productions where  you walk out of the theatre smiling and humming a familiar tune or two!

Based on the famous movie of the same name, Singin’ in the Rain tells of heart-throb Don Lockwood and silver screen beauty Lina Lamont whom fans believe are the 1920s power couple of Tinseltown. In truth, Don barely tolerates his vapid leading lady who is convinced their screen romance is real. Don has a chance encounter with aspiring actress Kathy Selden and immediately falls in love. At the same time he continues to make his first talkie with Lina. The film, The Dueling Cavalier, is beset with difficulties, by far the worst being Lina’s comically grating voice.  A disastrous test screening forces Don and his best friend Cosmo Brown to dub Kathy’s beautiful voice over Lina’s to save the film. When Lina finds out she is furious and does everything possible to sabotage Don and Kathy’s romance and Kathy’s career.

The scenes where the movie studio struggles to introduce sound to its pictures and the silent and talking movie clips are some of the funniest in the show. These are shown via a large screen on stage.
Erika Heynatz is hilarious as Lina. Her voice and accent are perfectly hideous and her comic timing is impeccable. Equally as impressive in the musical’s other humorous role is Jack Chambers as Cosmo Brown. Songs such as Make ‘Em Laugh highlight his excellent dancing, comedic and acting skills.

The role of Kathy Selden allows Gretel Scarlett to showcase what a wonderful actor, singer and dancer she is, while Adam Garcia also gives a strong performance as Don Lockwood.
Of course no discussion of the show is complete without mentioning the rain. There are 12,000 litres of it ensuring both a wet cast and audience in the first couple of rows of Her Majesty’s Theatre!

The rain appears twice, once for Lockwood’s famous dance scene and then in the finale. Both are impressive with the latter giving the ensemble the chance to further showcase their skills and again spotlight the show’s great choreography.
It’s the perfect way to end a show that’s fun, colorful, highly entertaining and effective in trasnporting the audience back to the Roaring Twenties.

Singing in the Rain is on at Sydney’s Lyric Theatre from July 7. For further information and tickets visit the website or ring 1300 795 267.

*Photo credit: Jeff Busby

Jenny Burns attended the opening night of Singing in the Rain in Melbourne as a guest of the production.