Singin’ in the Rain – Théâtre du Lido, Paris

Singin’ in the Rain continues at the Théâtre du Lido, Paris until 10 January 2027.

Star rating: five stars ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Robert Carsen’s production of Singin’ in the Rain is simply the best production yet of the Théâtre du Lido’s new life as a musical theatre venue. More than any of the productions that have preceded it, including Hello, Dolly!, it understands that the building’s history as a cabaret venue is not something to conceal but something to exploit.

Since Jean-Luc Choplin transformed the Lido from a traditional Parisian cabaret into a musical theatre venue in 2022, the challenge has been to reconcile a space designed for spectacle with the conventions of the book musical. Carsen finds the solution almost instinctively. The enormous stage, its machinery and its unusual relationship with the audience, who can sit at tables and sip champagne during the show, become part of the production, not just its backdrop. The result has a cabaret quality – one that feels natural rather than imposed.

This is appropriate for Singin’ in the Rain, a musical about the making of movies and the nature of theatrical illusion. Carsen previously directed the show at the Théâtre du Châtelet in 2015, and this new production feels like a substantial rethinking rather than a repeat.

Rebecca Howell takes charge of the choreography, while Luis F Carvalho — Carsen’s regular design collaborator – creates the sets and costumes. Carvalho’s approximately 240 costumes are particularly effective in evoking late-1920s Hollywood.

The choreography pays affectionate tribute to Gene Kelly and Stanley Donen without simply reproducing the film. The expanded ‘Broadway Ballet’ becomes a terrific showcase for the ensemble’s tap dancing, while the production’s considerable physical resources are deployed with an ease that makes the Lido’s unusual architecture seem purpose built for the show.

Still, one cannot but miss the Cyd Charisse segment, sadly omitted in stage adaptations of Singin’ in the Rain, while Finn Ross’ video design, including lavish footage shot at Versailles, is a little overused, sometimes making it feel like the screen is competing with the stage. For instance, we could have done without the Busby Berkeley tribute movie segment, directly coming on the heels of ‘Beautiful Girl’ performed on stage – but that was probably for the sake of a costume change, not an easy matter at the Lido.

The cast is brilliant. Ashley Day makes a convincing Don Lockwood with his considerable dancing ability, emotional singing and effortless comic charm, combining the debonair appeal of Gene Kelly with his own unique charisma, sprinkled with a touch of egotism.

Maddie Waller brings warmth to the role of Kathy Selden despite some coldness at the beginning. Charlie Waddell makes an appealing Cosmo with a showstopping ‘Make ’Em Laugh’ – not the easieast number to duplicate on stage. Natasha O’Brien gives Lina Lamont wonderfully abrasive comic specificity, while Julius D’Silva completes the topnotch leading cast as R.F. Simpson.

However, nothing quite prepares the audience for the final scene. As the ‘movie’ escapes from the stage and into the auditorium, the familiar story suddenly becomes something almost completely different, as we become part of the action in a naturally immersive way. Kathy finds herself among us, while Don calls her the real star of the movie, and for anyone who knows the film well, the effect is extraordinary: suddenly, rather than watching Singin’ in the Rain, you feel as though you have somehow stepped inside it. I found myself unexpectedly moved to tears: it’s a remarkably simple theatrical idea, but Carsen executes it with such confidence that the boundary between film, theatre and audience seems to disappear.

That moment also makes sense of the Lido itself. The venue’s cabaret past and its new theatrical identity stop feeling like competing histories and become two parts of the same experience. Hello, Dolly! showed that a Broadway classic could could work here; Singin’ in the Rain makes the case that the Lido can offer something a conventional theatre cannot.

There might be faster paced versions of this somehow overdone musical. Jonathan Church’s 2011 revival at Chichester and Carsen’s version at Châtelet, choreographed by Stephen Mear, already came close to fixing what was initially a mere akward star vehicle for Tommy Steele at the London Palladium in 1983 and subsequently a huge Broadway flop when it was first reimagined on Broadway by legendary choreographer Twyla Tharp in 1986 – but I have rarely seen a staging that understands so completely what it means to put Singin’ in the Rain on a stage and, most importantly, what the right venue can make of it.

Being, along with West Side Story, one of the the best known and most loved musical films, Singin’ in the Rain has already been adapted on stage in France many times, notably at the Théâtre de la Porte Saint-Martin. I must admit I had a feeling of déjà vu when it was announced as the next Lido production, but what I saw was far from one Singin’ in the Rain too many, but rather the definitive staged version.

No one will disappointed by the amazing amount of rain on stage during the title song and the encores, sending the adoring audience home with a splash!

Patrick Honoré