There couldn’t be a better time to tour this radiantly uplifting show. It’s the perfect antidote to the gloom of recession-hit Britain and sends the audience out on a wave of chatter and a warm glow of wellbeing.
It’s hugely entertaining, far funnier than I remember the MGM film to be, though it faithfully reflects it. The silent film sequences are delicious in their mischief. So too are the first stilted takes at filming the talkies, where Amy Griffiths, as the screeching dumb blonde Lina Lamont, manages to look like Madame Pompadour and sound like Miss Piggy. She relishes the role and carries it off to perfection.
The big dance numbers are magnificent. Tim Flavin as a very relaxed Don Lockwood is deft on his feet and Graeme Henderson as Cosmo Brown is a bundle of energy, fizzing round the stage like a firework in numbers like Make ‘em Laugh.
With Jessica Punch as the very likeable and clear-voiced Kathy Seldon, the threesome do the Good Morning routine with panache. They succeed in overturning the sofa at the climax of a triumphant sequence where they dance on its back, a feat that looks impossible.
Numbers like Broadway Melody are superbly executed and catch all the sizzle and panache of the era. Others, like the reprise of Lucky Star, can hush the theatre.
The colourful finale, Singin’ in the Rain, has everyone dancing in wellies and still looking nimble, which is no mean feat. The rain even manages to fall. Scintillating.
Production information can change over the run of the show.
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