Moving from the Chichester Festival Theatre, in February of this year, SINGIN’ IN THE RAIN has found a welcoming home in the charming Palace Theatre. They put on a terrific show, featuring all the well-known hits including ‘Good Morning’, ‘Make ‘em Laugh’ and ‘Moses Supposes’, plus some extra songs effortlessly merged into this revival run. The show stars Adam Cooper as Don Lockwood, Daniel Crossley as Cosmo Brown and Scarlett Strallen as Kathy Selden.
While SINGIN’ IN THE RAIN lead Adam Cooper may not quite hit the perfect charm of legendary talent Gene Kelly as Lockwood, his portrayal is unquestionably exciting. Cooper really finds the essence of the original as the production develops, his version of the title song is flawless, but he often appears more comfortable in the bigger dance set pieces.
There’s a rain-soaked stage as that song begins to play and it really did give me shivers. Such an iconic scene is brought to life in every sense and, let me assure you, you’re in for a big surprise in the front rows of the stalls but it’s worth it for the excitement and sensation created.
The equal stars of the show are Scarlett Strallen and Daniel Crossley as Kathy and Cosmo, respectively. They effortlessly connect with the audience and their characters, Crossley stealing the show from time-to-time with perfect comedy timing and influence. Strallen also offers us a wonderful Kathy Selden, a perfect mix of initial innocence that turns to confidence along with heaps of stage presence. Brit-acting legend Robert Powell is also commanding in his role as Monumental studio producer, R.F. Simpson and Katherine Kingsley as Lina Lamont gives us many amusing comedy moments.
What makes it even more special is they’ve kept that distinct feeling of early cinema as it changes from the silent eras into the talkies after the success of THE JAZZ SINGER. It’s easy to see how much THE ARTIST was influenced by the 1920s and 30s, so to have this re-created with such a talented cast is an absolute pleasure.
The Palace Theatre’s SINGIN’ IN THE RAIN offers up a lot of passion, grace and exciting choreography and you can’t fail to warm to it, even when it’s raining. In fact, it is a perfect remedy to these winter nights that have started closing in and if you don’t leave with a smile, then just go and see it again.
SINGIN’ IN THE RAIN is available to book now, right here!
