What do you do to celebrate turning 100? Make it rain in a theatre, apparently.
Norfolk and Norwich Operatic Society is kicking off its centenary year in style with this ambitious production of Singin’ In The Rain, adapted from the Gene Kelly film about the end of the silent movie era.
Alex Green as silent movie star Don Lockwood is at the very centre of the production, with clear vocals, and great dance prowess (particularly his forgivably anachronistic box jump). You can see he particularly enjoys the iconic rain dance scene, with a wide grin as he teases the audience in the splash zone in the first few rows.
Dan Moore is a modern Cosmo, with a bit less slapstick and a hint of the tears of a clown. His vocals are top notch in Make ‘Em Laugh, and he works beautifully with Green and Chris Davidson (as the voice coach) in Moses Supposes.
Kimberly Mason’s mellifluous vocals as Kathy are a perfect contrast to the deliberate shrieking of Emily Johnson as diva Lina Lamont. Johnson plays it full on for laughs and is a delight: What’s Wrong With Me? is (un)perfectly pitched.
There are some enjoyable cameos, with James Bell’s twitching movie director bursting with comic energy, and Steven Melton doesn’t disappoint as the larger than life studio boss RF.
The design makes heavy use of projection, sometimes more successfully than others. It’s clearly more cost effective than physical sets but it can sometimes feel like a cut corner. Here, it creates a beautiful backdrop for the opening of act two with a projected brick arch partially revealing the 17-strong orchestra, and is a perfect trippy fit for the surreal dream sequence that is Broadway Melody. But in the denouement I couldn’t help wishing for a real curtain for Don, Kathy, and Lina to flit between, rather than digital cloth and Comedy Store bricks – sometimes real is worth it.
That is also true of the on-stage rain, where there was no skimping: an impressive technical feat and a great spectacle. It’s very definitely the case for the live orchestra conducted by Kevin Bell; it is increasingly rare to have musicians playing live, and it really does make a difference and is a testament to NNOS’ high standards.
It’s always far too easy to forget this is an predominantly amateur company, with the cast and crew having day jobs to contend with and barely any time to get comfortable on the sizeable Theatre Royal stage before starting the run. This production has rain but, more importantly, plenty of stars.
- Singin’ In The Rain continues at Norwich Theatre Royal until 1 February 2025.
