REVIEW - Singin' In The Rain is iconic and puddles of fun!

We went to the Royal Exchange Theatre in Manchester to see Singin' In The Rain.  Read what our reviewer Karen Ryder had to say about this excellent production...

Is there a better way to spend a cold Sunday, January afternoon than curled up on the sofa watching a big budget Hollywood musical such as Singin’ In The Rain?  Well, it turns out there is - by watching it live at the Royal Exchange Theatre.  Let’s face it, it takes something very special to drag ourselves away from the warmth of our cosy homes at this time of year, but my goodness - I can unreservedly promise you that this production is more than worth it!  It will leave you singing, not just in the rain, but for the foreseeable as it permeates your soul with sunshine and joy.

Inspired by the accoladed and award-winning 1952 movie sensation starring Hollwood royalty Gene Kelly (who also directed), Donald O’ Connor, Debbie Reynolds, and Cyd Charrise, Singin’ In The Rain drizzled new life into its story by becoming a stage production and has since been seen around the globe!  It takes a bold team to take on the mammoth task of living up to people’s expectations of such a classic, whilst equally offering something new and refreshing.  Then, you have to consider how you’re going to make it convincingly rain indoors.  Add into that The Royal Exchange being in the round with the audience practically sitting on the stage, and it starts to sink in what a tornado of a task this must have been.  We were told before today’s performance began that they were experiencing some technical difficulties which meant that some choreography may be reworked and the band were not at full capacity.  Cue the interval and the only thing that appeared to have been edited or reworked in any way was the act one finale of Singin’ In The Rain itself, which simply didn’t happen.  I must admit that this was a strange one to decipher because of course this was disappointing to be missing the main number, yet at the same time, the show as a whole was so outstanding that I cannot say the show suffered because of it, and what we did see was pure 5 star gold!  The ASM came on at the end of the production to once again apologise for the issues they had experienced.  Apart from the lack of the titular number (which we did get at the end complete with rain) I wouldn’t have known anything was amiss, such was the strength of this production and its phenomenal team of cast and creatives.  There’s a line in the show where they have to insist “the show must go on!”  And indeed it did!  This was a slick, impressive show that honoured the original with style and class, whilst carving out its own identity and symbolically proving that a little rain can breathe new life into existing beauty and allow it to blossom.

Singin’ In The Rain tells the story of how the invention of ‘Talkies’ (movies with sound) turned the silent movie world and its stars on their heads.  Don Lockwood and Lina Lamont are huge silent movie stars, but as talkies begin, the studio has to keep pace.  All would be fine except for one thing - Lina’s voice!  The studio has no option but to overdub her voice with that of upcoming star Kathy Selden, who just happens to have accidentally shoved a custard pie in Lina’s face a few months previously.  As she has also captured the heart of Don, Lina’s jealousies erupt and unintentionally backfire, exposing her as a fraud.  Don, Kathy, Cosmo and the studio are free to make movie musicals at last!

This production of Singin’ In The Rain lays down its gauntlet from the off.  A coat-stand homes a single iconic coat, lit with atmosphere and anticipation.  Louis Gaunt slides his way onto the stage, tap shoes echoing beautifully.  We watch in awe his oozing charm, charisma, and effortless style as he caresses the stage and captures the entire audience with his outstanding tap dance.  The cast blow in through a series of pathways that lead to the stage and sing in choral style the tantalising opening melody of Singin’ In The Rain as the stage is bathed in gold.  It is a stunning opening that not only gave me the best kind of goosebumps but evoked an emotional response that made me want to weep unadulterated raindrops of pure joy.  The story quickly redirects us to the latest film premiere of silent movie stars Don Lockwood and Lina Lamont where we meet the various lead characters as they walk the red carpet.  Cosmo Brown, Dons best friend and the sound artist for the movie, captures the awaiting fans hearts with his cheeky charm as they await the arrival of Lina.  The red carpet host begins to tell us the history of Don and Cosmo’s livelong friendship and we are immediately enveloped into the creative brilliance of this show for instead of continuing to tell us, we are shown their story through a series of interwoven flashbacks where music, lighting and dance recreate their music hall acts.  One moment that stuck out for me was the wonderful juxtaposition of the frivolity of the fun and fast paced music hall dance choreographed either side of a slow motion music hall brawl between angered customers. The contrast was so clever and was just one of the many exquisite moments in this show.    

Lighting (Jack Knowles) was used to create clear distinction between scenes in the present, the past, when scenes were being filmed for the movies within the show, and when we were supposed to be watching the movies.  In the sound stage scene, it was also lovely to see the use of lights explained and demonstrated, and the use of moving lights around the circular stage itself even helped create the sense of a revolving stage as favoured by Busby Berkeley.  The set (Richard Kent) was brought on as and when needed with a well practised ease by various cast members, choreographed into the entire production to make it flow with the urgency and fizz of a working movie studio.  Ladders, central round seating, benches, spotlights, costume rails, chairs, all added to the essence of the story without ever over crowding or taking away space for this talent cast to shine.  The sound design by Yvonne Gilbert was fabulously in keeping with the parallel need to allow us, the Royal Exchange audience, watch this production, whilst cater for the fact that it dealt with silent movies and the introduction of sound and the talkies, where everything was new and microphones caused numerous hilarious retakes as everyone learned together.  Each segment was clear, not an easy achievement I would imagine.

The entire cast of Singin’ In The Rain were exemplary and the complex nature of a show that is a film within a story, within a production, was cohesively directed with beautiful humour, fresh ideas, and respectful nods to its original source material by director Raz Shaw.  As a huge Gene Kelly fan, whoever took on the role of Don Lockwood was always going to have their work cut out to impress me, yet I was bowled over by Louis Gaunt within a nanosecond.  Whatever the ‘IT’ factor is, Gaunt not only had it, but had so much, he sprinkled it around for fun!  He created magic on stage and you couldn’t pull your eyes away.  Powerful yet gentle, in control without controlling, commanding yet light and full of ease, he was every inch as captivating as Gene Kelly and a true talent, with singing, acting, and especially dancing, that blew me away.  It truly is a shame we didn’t get to see his rendition of Singin’ In The Rain, but oh well…………if I have to go and watch the show again so I can see it, then my arm has been twisted!  I surrender!   

Danny Collins was an endless ball of fizzing energy that welcomed everyone, was eager to please everyone, and certainly made everyone fall in love with his character Cosmo Brown!  He was like a playful, loyal puppy who was eager to love and be loved in return, and was so switched on throughout that you were always anticipating his next brilliant nugget of joy, and there were plenty!  He continually involved the audience, unafraid to have a chat, including them by offering a raised eyebrow towards Lina’s antics, or stealing the limelight with knockout numbers such as the infamous Make Em Laugh.  This was sensational.  So many recognisable nods to the original such as the floor circle run, the ladder gag, the dancing dummy piece, or the funny faces in hats, yet it was simultaneously unique and allowed Collins to show off his own irrepressible dance skills, resulting in a number that brought the house down! 

Carly Mercedes Dyer just has something about her as a performer that I have loved for many years and once again I was bowled over.  She has authentically funny instincts and knows exactly how and when to give the most subtle of movements, facial expressions or vocal moments to captivate and wow.  She brought us a dynamic Kathy Selden who was feisty enough to hold her own against a giant such as Lockwood and stand up for herself against Hollywood movie producers, whilst equally being unafraid to show her vulnerable and authentic side in moments of unguarded joy, love, and friendship.  Her vocals were stunning, comic timing an absolute joy, and dancing slick and cool throughout.  Gaunt, Collins, and Dyer work together as one, creating a blissful dynamic that ensures this tremendous trio brings a whole new meaning to triple threat.

Laura Baldwin as Lina Lamont will have you in stiches from the moment she opens her mouth.  The way she has perfected her voice in this production is nothing short of genius.  Her whole character is based around having an awful sounding voice, and she has found every nuance, beated accent, pitch, moan, groan, and even breath to pierce the air with exquisite hilarity.  To keep up that voice and continually find fresh ways to present it so that it remains insanely funny without ever grating or becoming annoying is pure brilliance.  Julius D’Silva and Carl Sanderson as RF Simpson and Roscoe complete the main cast and both deliver impressive performances, offering well rounded characters instead of the typical and stereotyped frazzled Hollywood Directors and Producers of the era.  They allow their characters to also exude kindness, uncertainty, fear, and even dare to show them with moments of a lack of power, something we don’t usually associate with these kinds of characters.  I also have to give a shout out to ensemble member and Manchester’s very own Zac Frieze who did an outstanding job of perfectly articulating an increasingly difficult number of vocal exercises and tongue twisters with speedy precision, clarity, and skill in the build up to Moses Supposes.  It was great to see him back on a Manchester stage.

Singin’ In The Rain feels like a show that not only belongs in Manchester, but specifically at the Royal Exchange, for this production has been inclusive of every glorious part of this building.  From the Christmas tree of umbrellas as you walk in the main entrance, to the unique stage setting, not just of being in the round, but of every possible entrance and exit point being utilised, and even working in the proximity of the audience, making us a part of the show in a naturalistic and unobtrusive way.  It has the glamour and celebrity our city has to offer, as well as the hard-working worker bees who don’t stop until we offer something we can be proud of, just like Don, Cosmo, Kathy and friends in the show.  It constantly surprises with innovative ways of presenting the same thing, such as Don and Cosmo tap dancing on chairs in Moses, or utilising prop casino tables to also provide instant access to mask and double up as dance partners!  The rain may be something we are very used to in Manchester, and maybe we don’t sing in it as often as we should, but one thing is for sure, Mancunians have the lived experience of that famous quote, “life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass, it’s about learning to dance in the rain.”  So grab your wellies, your brollies, your pac-a-macs, and go rejoice in this splash-tastic production of Singin’ In The Rain because it will fill your heart with the kind of unfiltered joy you allowed yourself back in the days when you jumped in puddles!   
 

WE SCORE SINGIN' IN THE RAIN..

Singin' In The Rain is on at the Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester until January 25th 2026.

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