Singin’ in the Rain – Sadler’s Wells

Picture: Roy Tan

Singin’ in the Rain continues at Sadler’s Wells, London until 5 September 2021.

Star rating: four stars ★ ★ ★ ★ ✩

What better way to end a theatrical drought than with a show in which it actually rains on stage? Yes, I know, it’s a gimmick, but for a Singin’ in the Rain first-timer like me, seeing the iconic downpour dance sequence brought to life is a truly magical, spine-tingling moment.

I’ve seen the movie, I hasten to add, and am a fan. The stage version – book by Betty Comden and Adolph Green, music by Nacio Herb Brown and lyrics by Arthur Freed – is an almost scene-for-scene re-creation of the MGM classic… slavishly so, which is a good thing or a bad thing, depending on how much you love the original. And although it’s been around for a good few years, I was surprised to learn recently that it took until the 1980s to finally see it on stage, debuting as it did at the Palladium as a vehicle for Tommy Steele about 30 years after the movie’s original release.

Anyway, a version of it has just opened at Sadler’s Wells, where Paul Kerryson’s production first made a splash back in 2004. And with it comes Kerryson’s leading man, Adam Cooper, but this time in a restaging of Jonathan Church’s revival from Chichester in 2011.

Coming at it fresh – having seen none of these productions – I was able to sit back and enjoy the hijinx without worrying about how it might have aged over these past 10 years. And if a staged version of Singin’ in the Rain is what you’re after, you won’t be disappointed. It totally delivers – a Ronseal does-what-it-says-on-the-tin musical extravaganza with spectacular dance numbers choreographed by Andrew Wright, a top-notch band of 13 (23 with doubling) led by musical director and supervisor Robert Scott, and an absolutely charming lead quartet supported by a 24-strong ensemble.

Royal Ballet School alumni Cooper is Don Lockwood, and is as charming and as light-footed as you’d hope for someone in the Gene Kelly role. These are big (if soggy) shoes to fill, which he does, seemingly effortlessly. He can sing, too, and is genuine leading-man material. He pairs well with Charlotte Gooch’s Kathy Selden, the ingenue that falls for Don’s charms, and again, there’s no questioning Gooch’s aptitude on the dancefloor, or the attractiveness of her voice – her ‘You Are My Lucky Star’ is a delight.

The revelation that is Faye Tozer (well, a revelation to me, at least) does a cracking job as the barbwire-voiced Lina Lamont – the silent screen actress whose ‘Fuhgeddaboutit!’ Brooklyn screech just isn’t compatible with the talkies. Tozer hams it up just the right amount to avoid being irritating, which might sound like damning with faint praise, but it’s a tricky role that’s all too easy to over-egg. She also gets her own number, the wonderfully off-pitch ‘What’s Wrong With Me?’, which is a comedic masterclass. I almost felt sorry for the poor Lina.

Squaring off the quartet – and garnering the biggest cheer on his entrance – is Strictly Come Dancing pro Kevin Clifton as Don’s buddy and one-time vaudeville co-star Cosmo Brown. Channelling his inner Donald O’Connor, but reminding me more of a sprightly Mickey Rooney, Clifton steps out of his stately ballroom comfort zone and pratfalls his way through the ridiculously over-the-top ‘Make ’Em Laugh’, among other energy-sapping numbers. Given that the original filming of this sequence left O’Connor bedridden for days afterwards, Clifton does an impressive job of not missing a single beat – something he’s going to have to pull off night after night, and which I’m sure will get tighter as time goes on.

There are supporting roles for Cavin Cornwall (surely the most meltingly delicious voice in the business!?) as studio head RF Simpson, Michael Matus as movie director Roscoe and Sandra Dickinson as radio host Dora Bailey, but all three are sadly underused. A pity but it was good to see them out and working!

A gorgeous ensemble of 21 fill out the stage, each as passionate and as invested as the next. When this lot are in action, the stage is a riot of colour, particularly in the daft Broadway dream ballet sequence – very Guys and Dolls – and they’ve obviously been whipped into shape by choreographer Wright and his dance captains Ashleigh Graham and Ryan Gover. It’s Sadler Wells, so you’ve got to expect the best. And did I mention that they dance in the rain!? I’d go back just to see this again, to be honest.

So, on the whole, a highly polished, tightly rehearsed show that will delight any fan of this genre of classic, no-brainer musical. It is a little on the long side – curtain up at 7.30pm and down by 10.15pm – but it is faithful to the movie. ‘What I loved the most,’ I overheard a theatregoer say as we left, ‘was that there was no story – you didn’t need to think about it.’ Sums it up, really. It’s not cutting edge or challenging or particularly even that sharp… nicely done, yes, and utterly, utterly charming, but more of a light, frothy Angel Delight. But as the saying goes, you don’t judge a fish by its ability to climb trees, and if Singin’ in the Rain is what you want, Singin’ in the Rain is what you get. You will be whistling the tune as you leave, I guarantee it.

Craig Glenday