Singin’ in the Rain

Performing to a sold-out Caedmon Hall, this was a difficult show to pull off, and despite the few aspects that – if improved – would have helped enormously, the four leads more than rose to the challenge. 

Alex Bhat was simply very, very good. Channelling Gene Kelly’s easy, relaxed charm, his voice was strong, his performance highly entertaining, and considering Don Lockwood spends about 90% of the time tap-dancing, he pulled it off with panache. Many of the dancers appeared unsure as to what they were doing a lot of the time, but Bhat coasted through the set-pieces with ease; ‘Singin’ In The Rain’ was one of the shows highlights. Equally fantastic was Tessa Coates as Lina Lamont. Stealing each of her scenes, Coates screeched, preened and pouted to hilarious effect. Her rendition of ‘What’s Wrong With Me’ had the audience in hysterics, as well as the exchanges with Don as they filmed both versions of the Duelling Cavalier. 

Jon Tester played Cosmo with all the cheekiness expected, although unfortunately a lot of his words were lost. This was a shame considering Tester’s performance was enjoyable (if perhaps a little camp), especially during the famous ‘Make ‘Em Laugh’ scene, which ended with an effective bout of slapstick. Another commendable performance was that of Becca Collingwood, playing Cathy Seldon, whose singing cannot be described as anything less than utterly sublime. In fact, there aren’t really any adequate superlatives. She embodied the charming sweetness of Cathy very well, although – and this goes for the entire cast – she could have benefited hugely from more direction. 

There were a number of points wherein the actors were, for want of a better phrase, just standing around. During the exchanges between Don and Cathy, there was minimal movement and though Bhat tried to overcome this, there was only so much he could do before it began to look quite obviously under-directed. 

 The potential was there, but because the actors were wandering aimlessly, blocking each other or facing upstage, many scenes were disappointing. An example of this was Lina’s egotistical outburst after the Dancing Cavalier premiere, which was well acted but looked as though the cast had been left to their own devices. 

A little harsh perhaps, but if these things had been tightened, the production would have benefited hugely. Additionally, Caedmon Hall couldn’t be blacked out so the audience could see every lengthy and complex transition, which, again, didn’t do the show any favours. Finally, there were several instances wherein the singer was in key and the orchestra were not, most unfortunately in the title song ‘Singin’ In The Rain’. This was a shame considering everything else about this scene was spot on. 

However, despite all this, the production showcased a very strong cast who should all be proud of themselves; they lifted the show above the category of ‘disappointing’ to ‘enjoyable’. Though hampered by certain aspects, it contained some genuinely impressive moments, admirable performances and an inordinate amount of tap dancing.