Singin’ in the Rain.

What, asked the audience member sitting behind me of her companion on the opening night of ARC’s production of Singin’ in the Rain, were they thinking? Apparently, a less-ambitious show might have been in order. Well, if ambition is the yard-stick by which we are to measure the success of this young company’s terrific production of this celebrated musical, then all power to them. Boasting a superb band (that we unfortunately never get to see), led with immense skill by Miss Dupuy-Purcell (in, unbelievably, only her second outing as musical director), ARC’s production is a wonderful, all singing, all dancing success on every level.

I must confess I adore the film – and it is probably for that reason that I have avoided every incarnation of it on stage to date. The stage version opened at the London Palladium in 1983, ostensibly as a star vehicle for legendary hoofer Tommy Steele – with Todd McKenney making the (Gene Kelly) role of silent film star Don Lockwood his own in Australia. But still … Singin in the Rain? On stage? How? Or perhaps, why? Distracted as I was by the fact that the stage version was sold almost entirely on the fact that it actually rains on stage, I had failed to realise that Comden and Green’s wonderfully witty script and the classic standards that make up Brown’s memorable score suit the theatre perfectly. It’s a rock solid, gem of a show – and this predominantly young, enthusiastic and talented company make an absolute meal of it.

Forget the gimmicky ‘real’ rain, which is replaced in this production by a subtle lighting effect and a clever, strategically placed puddle in which Liam Kilgour’s Don cheerfully splashes about in during the title song that closes Act One. And in a production that boasts a luxury of riches, the famous number couldn’t have come and gone soon enough.

The multi-talented Mr Kilgour’s mellifluous singing voice was a perfect match for Erin Gill’s gorgeous Kathy Seldon, the ambitious young actress who, in spite of her initial disdain for Don’s chosen profession, finds herself falling hopelessly in love with him – and him with her. Miss Gill beautifully accounted for the classics she gets to sing, and her Would You? was simply perfect. What worked, without a doubt, was the chemistry they shared on stage – a rare and honest connection that made these two characters come to life joyfully. 

As Lina Lamont, Don’s silent movie co-star whose nasally voice horrifies audiences to the extent that Kathy is contracted to dub her singing and speaking voice, Ellen Lane was divine. Her perfect comic timing, generous, self-deprecating humour and wonderful clowning, were only topped by a show-stopping rendition of the hilarious What’s wrong with me?

As Cosmo Brown, Don’s long-suffering side-kick, Benjamin Stokes was fantastic. An expert clown and wickedly good tap dancer, Mr Stokes rose to the challenges of Make ‘em Laugh (the filming of which hospitalised Donald O’Connor), and together with Mr Kilgour, delivered the tricky Moses Supposes duet, flawlessly. And when the trio took on the famous Good Morning, we knew we were witnessing something quite wonderful.

Ms Brown and Mr Wheatland’s clever, attractive and functional set design cleverly, and simply, answered the production’s many demands – with the four-levered lighting and visual effects prop and a solitary ladder (when Don wants to create “the proper setting” for Kathy on a Hollywood soundstage) an anti-budget, but beautifully effective highlight. Ms Parson’s costumes were equally simple and just as effective, reflecting a fine level of faithfulness to the era.

The videography, by Stefan Latchman, was great – bringing the requisite disaster of Don and Lina’s first outing in motion picture ‘talkies’ to the screen with hilarious precision. The production was incredibly well-served by Brenton Van Vliet’s lighting (Moving Light Productions) and a perfect sound mix by Matthew Goldsmith (Stagepass Production Systems), with not a technical glitch to be seen or heard all night.

While it’s not a great ensemble show, ARC’s inspirational young ensemble absolutely came into their own with the big production number Broadway Melody – where tap dancing, soft shoe shuffles and big Broadway voices earned them, rightfully, a great response from the audience.

And the moment where magic actually happened, was when Kathy, fleeing from humiliation of being exposed as the voice behind Lina’s onscreen personae, raced from the stage and up into the audience. It’s an incredibly astute director who will choose when and why to smash the fourth wall – and for the longest of moments, I held my breath. At the same moment, I also felt an overwhelming sense of admiration for the way that this company had carefully considered every detail of this ambitious undertaking.

Too ambitious? Absolutely not.

Geoffrey Williams

Images: (top) Liam Kilgour (Don), Erin Gill (Kathy) and Benjamin Stokes (Cosmo) and (lower) Liam Kilgour (Don) and Erin Gill (Kathy) in a publicity photographs for Singin’ in the Rain.