YOU are probably wondering if they manage to make it rain on stage. Well, they do, and rather well.
The famous sequence, sung and danced with wonderful wistfulness by Steve Redfern as Don Lockwood, is only one of several technical feats in this production (although, on the first night, the rainfall did temporarily make the microphones cut out). For example, there are specially shot film sequences that are interpolated into the plot.
But for most of the time, the old fashioned virtues of top-notch singing, dancing and comic acting make a success of this production, directed by Kevin Moore and choreographed by Adele Taylor.
It is, of course, a stage adaptation of a famous movie – a fairly common procedure nowadays, and a successful one here, for Singin’ in the Rain makes a good stage show, although perhaps a little bit episodic.
There are accomplished performances throughout the cast, the dancers are hot stuff and musical director Ian Abbott has assembled a super band. But the show, as ever, is made by its ensemble of leads.
Steve Redfern sings, acts and dances well and also moves with the easy grace of a movie star; Danielle Williams shines as Kathy Selden; Nicola Mara performs real heroics with her vocal cords as the rasping Lina Lamont; and there is dancing of a very high calibre from Scott Armstrong as Cosmo Brown.
