The shift from the silent movies to the talkies in Hollywood was a seismic one. It brought down prematurely many careers which then gave the opportunity for a new generation of actors to come to the fore. Recently I saw the musical Sunset Boulevard at the Opera House starring Sarah Brightman playing Norma Desmond, a great silent movie star who hasn’t been able to make the transition to the talkies and is still looking for the cameraman to take her closeup. Now it was time to see the Willoughby Theatre Company’s production of SINGIN’ IN THE RAIN which also pivoted around this groundbreaking time.
The cast morphed, is that the right way to describe what actors do?, in to their characters well. These are the main characters you will meet: Nikole Music plays the very colourful, Lina Lamont. She was a big star in the silent movies but she doesn’t cut it with the commencement of the talkies. She is obnoxiously loud, has a screechy voice, (think Aussie star Jeannie Little with a Brooklyn accent) and the producer keeps her in the new movie but with her voice dubbed with Kathy’s voice. There’s an embarrassing scene with a microphone that is hidden in a bush in front of her. There is plenty for Music to play with, and she makes the most of it.
Taryn -Lea Bright was a delight as the effervescent Kathy Seldon, a newbie actress, former chorus girl, who gets her big chance, as a result of being Don’s, (the main character) real life partner, in the new movie. Bright’s best scene is when she joyously jumps out of a cake singing, ‘All I Do Is Dream Of You’.
Matthew de Meyrick played the main protagonist, movie star Don Lockwood, an uptown guy, very hammy and with a deadpan kind of humour. ‘I can’t be hammy without the proper setting’.
Don’s best friend Cosmo is well played by Jerome Studdy. He is a goofball kind of guy who sometimes makes jokes even in serious moments. Very bubbly and cheerful. His song, ‘Make ’em Laugh’, is truly in character.
Lachlan Leighton is just right as the film’s straight shooting but good natured producer RF who has no time for obnoxious people like Lina. His big catchphrae is ‘i can’t quite visualise it’.
Samuel Dobb played the movie’s director Roscoe Dexter who manages to maintain a light, fun touch despite the tension that comes with making one of the fist talkie movies.
Sarah Dolan plays the rather bitchy Zelda, and Lina’s friend, who makes the dubious decision to leak to Lina the news that her voice is being dubbed by Kathy.
Jillian Narezzi plays Dora Bailey, the woman who interviews Don at the beginning of the film Don tells his fiends not to listen to what Dora and the other columnists dish out.
In the other credited character parts Aleksander Justin played the Production Singer, Adrian Davis played a male diction teacher, Melissa Glinn played Miss Dinsmore, and Tianna Koolloos played Broadway Flapper.
Integral to the show’s vibrancy, the cast also included a very talented, featured ensemble and dance ensemble. The dancing, including plenty of great tap dancing, and the music, came together well.
Few musicals have had a better score. There was of-course the super catchy title song which was given two great workouts; the first time bringing the show to interval, complete with rain falling down, and the exhilarating finale featuring the entire cast. Other favourite tunes were You are my lucky Star’, ‘All I Do is Dream Of You’ and ‘Good Morning’.
The creative team staged and framed the production well ; director Declan Moore’s, co-choreographers Moore and Amy Curtin, assistant choreographer Emily Dreyer, set designer Neil Shorter, lighting designer Matt Lutz, head costume coordinator Catherine MacKinnon, the costumes were a stunning array of colours, head dresser Donna Fitzgerald and props coordinator Wendy Walker. Jeremy Curtin was the Musical Director leading an excellent orchestra very in tune with the spirit of this classic musical.
The show featured plenty of short, sharp scenes which worked well. My highlight of the production was the super clever mix, interspersed through the show, of archival footage from silent movie classics with footage of the cast having fun feigning playing out silent movie scenes.
This was an exhilarating production of one of Broadway’s most scintillating musicals.
SINGIN’ IN THE RAIN is playing the Concourse Theatre.Chatswood until then 27th October 2024.
Production photography Grant Leslie Photography
http://www.willoughbytheatre.com.au
