West End Wednesday: SINGIN’ IN THE RAIN

Singin’ in the Rain is a 1983 West End musical based on the 1952 movie musical of the same name. The iconic musical starring Gene Kelly was a smash hit when it made its way to the silver screen and is still regarded as one of the greatest movie musicals of the golden era. The musical centres around Don Lockwood, a silent movie star during the transition into the “talkies” era (talking pictures). Don’s starring actress Lina Lamont has a less than suitable talking voice for the upcoming movie, causing his best friend Cosmo to come up with the idea of dubbing Lina’s voice with that of aspiring actress Kathy Sheldon. 

The production took just shy of thirty years to come to fruition, mainly to deal with the ability to have rain on stage whilst dealing with electrical and sound equipment safely and effectively. Singin’ in the Rain opened at the London Palladium on 30 June 1983. The production starred industry legend Tommy Steele as Don, Roy Castle as Cosmo, Danielle Carson as Kathy and Sarah Payne as Lina. The production retained original songs from the film written by Betty Comden and Adolph Green, with an embellished score from a slew of Broadway legends, amongst them George and Ira Gershwin and Cole Porter. The musical was a success and ran for just over two years in the West End. 

The musical premiered at the Gershwin Theatre on Broadway in July 1985. This production was directed and choreographed by Twyla Tharp, Santo Loquasto provided the set design, with costume design by Ann Roth and lighting design by Jennifer Tipton. The opening night cast included Don Correia as Don, Maery D’Arcy as Kathy, Peter Slutsker as Cosmo and Faye Grant as Lina. The musical proves lightly less successful on Broadway than in the West End, running for just under a year in total. It was nominated for two 1986 TONY awards but failed to win any. 

In the Summer of 1989, the musical returned to the London Palladium at an original run of thirteen weeks, that was later extended due to popular demand, ending in November instead. All of the main cast reprised their roles from the original West End production, save Bunny May who took on the role of Cosmo Brown. 

The production was revived for two month long stints in 2000 at the National Theatre’s Oliver theatre, in a production directed by Jude Kelly and choreographed by Stephen Mear. Paul Robinson starred as Don, with Zoe Hart as Kathy, Mark Channon as Cosmo and Rebecca Thornhill as Lina. The production won the 2001 Olivier for ‘Best Musical Revival’. A 2004 revival at Sadlers Wells, with a transfer to Leicester Haymarket Theatre, saw Adam Cooper choreograph and star as Don Lockwood. 

In 2011, a production by Chichester Festival Theatre, directed by Jonathan Church, again starring Adam Cooper as Don Lockwood, opened to huge success before transferring to the Palace Theatre in London’s West End. The revival also starred Daniel Crossley as Cosmo, Scarlett Strallen as Kathy and Katherine Kingsley as Lina. The production closed in June 2013 after a run of a year and a half. The same production has been revived in 2021 and is currently running at Sadlers Wells Theatre, again with Adam Cooper reprising his role as Don Lockwood, with Kevin Clifton as Cosmo, Charlotte Gooch as Kathy and Faye Tozer as Lina. 

Besties, Singin’ in the Rain is quintessential musical theatre glory. If you haven’t seen it, I urge you to book your tickets, especially in the splash zone!

Cast recordings available on streaming services. 

FACTS:

Music: Nacio Herb Brown
Lyrics: Arthur Freed
Book:  Adolph Green and Betty Comden 

Theatre: The London Palladium
Run: 1983-1985

TONYS:

(NOMINATED) Best Book of a Musical – Betty Comden and Adolph Green, Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical – Don Correia 

OLIVIERS:

(NOMINATED) Best Actress in a Musical – Sarah Payne

(2001) Best Actor in a Musical – Raul Robinson, Best Performance in a Supporting Role in a Musical – Rebecca Thornhill, Best Theatre Choreographer - Stephen Mear.

(2012) Best Actress in a Musical – Scarlett Strallen, Best Performance in a Supporting Role in a Musical – Katherine Kingsley, Best Theatre Choreographer – Andrew Wright. 

(WON) Best Musical Revival (2001)