On World Theatre Day, Blackpool Operatic Players presented ‘Singin’ in The Rain’ at the beautiful Grand Theatre.
Blackpool Operatic Players was established in 1953 to present day and have had an accolade of successes, the last production being Shrek in 2023. Neil Townsend the Artistic Director has created a visual and auditory delight in his latest production of ‘Singin’ in The Rain’ which is worthy of any main stage.
Singin’ in The Rain is set in 1927, when silent films were all the rage, and at this time the main stars of the silent screen were Don Lockwood (Jack Price) and Lina Lamont (Stephanie Cartell). Unfortunately, their rivals Warner Bros were ahead of their time and had started to produce talking pictures and had a huge success with their production of ‘The Jazz Singer’.
Lockwood and Lamont’s studio boss R F Simpson (Robert Baldock) decided he has no choice but to convert the next movie ‘The Dueling Cavalier’ into a talkie, the only problem being is that Lina Lamont has a grating, high-pitched voice that will cause the film to flop!
Fortunately for Lockwood he meets the beautifully talented Kathy Selden (Sophie Morrison) who changes the course of the production to a musical success of ‘The Dancing Cavalier’ by dubbing Lamont’s voice to her own silky and smooth vocals.
There are of course a few twists and turns of jealousy and betrayal, but all comes good in the end and love conquers all.
The script is a little dated and quite twee, but overall, it’s a wholesome production with some notorious numbers in the production, such as ‘Make ‘Em Laugh’, ‘Lucky Star’, ‘Good Morning’ and ‘Singin’ in The Rain’.
The leading characters Price and Morrison displayed the most amazing on-stage chemistry and had the audience fully invested in their romance; their tap dancing numbers where one of the most professional I have seen from an amateur theatre group, which would leave Fred Astaire in agreement and in awe.
I have to say that the casting was first class with all the leading roles giving their best performances on stage tonight, and I applaud the full cast for their phenomenal delivery.
Huge credit to Julie Segev for her choreography as it is no easy task to get a large cast to be so synchronised and visually pleasing.
The scenery and costumes were spot on for the era and scene setting enhancing the production throughout the evening.
It is clear that the whole cast have worked extremely hard to deliver this classic 1952 movie script which transferred to the stage in 1983 at the London Palladium to produce a fabulous evening of entertainment.
The production of ‘Singin’ in The Rain’ was under the direction of Musical Director Chris J Andrews who had a 13-piece band playing live throughout the evening making this production victorious.
Well done to all involved for such a remarkable production.
The show runs until Saturday the 30th of March 2024, so grab yourself a ticket to witness the magic in the making of this classic musical. https://www.blackpoolgrand.co.uk/
Reviewer: Katie Leicester
Reviewed: 27th March 2024
North West End UK Rating: