We all know that Manchester has a reputation for enjoying a drop of rain, so it was entirely apt that a downpour greeted ‘Singin in the Rain’ as it landed in the Victorian splendour of the Royal Exchange for the festive period. The weather did nothing to dampen the palpable sense of excitement of the packed press night audience and were not to be disappointed. This is a show with the high quality production values, a great ensemble, superb leads and a beautifully orchestrated score, that left me walking through soggy St Anne’s Square singing ‘do de do do, do de do de do do do, I’m singin’ in the rain, just…….’, into the Mancunian night.
The plot, charting the demise of silent pictures and the rise of the ‘Golden Age’ of 1920s Hollywood ‘talkies’, is well known, less so is the fact that the show was based on the 1952 film rather than the other way around. This stage version only received its London premiere in 1983, so in 2025 we are watching a 40-year-old musical, based on a 70-year-old film, set over a 100 years ago. The male lead roles were immortalised by Gene Kelly and Donald O’Connor, and such is the impact of the original movie, especially the genius of Kelly, it is virtually impossible to measure subsequent performances without direct comparison.
In that regard, this production is in very safe hands, with Louis Gaunt in the lead role of Don Lockwood, the former Vaudeville hoofer turned silent movie star, whose career is threatened by the advent of movie sound. Gaunt brings an athletic masculinity to the performance in a way that echoes Kelly without resorting to mimicry. From the first moment, he dominates the round Exchange stage, walking on under white light to deliver a stunning tap sequence which sets the standard for an entire evening demonstrating both his exquisite skill and physical dexterity. Kathy Selden (Carly Mercedes Dyer) is the object of Lockwood’s affection, a slightly anodyne part which she gives both a feisty spirit and innocent charm, my only criticism would be that the duets between her and Gaunt (‘Lucky Star’ & ‘Would You’), lacked some warmth, and although vocally superb the energy of the show dips during these set pieces.
Completing the leading quartet are Danny Collins (Cosmo Brown) and Laura Baldwin (Lina Lamont), effectively acting as comic foils to the leads, with Collins having the necessary goofy charm and physical dexterity (although disappointingly there is no ‘wall flip’ during ‘Make ’em Laugh’), to get the audience onside. The up close nature of the theatrical space allowed him to give full rein to a variety of facial expressions and knowing references to ‘Golden Age’ Hollywood were littered throughout his performance. Collins excelled as Cosmo, yet it was Baldwin who most caught the eye as the ghastly, shrill Lamont. A much meatier part than in the original film, she is both calculating and beautifully dumb and with the addition of a new song (What’s Wrong With Me) in the second act, sung perfectly off key to delicious comic effect, it is a show-stealing performance.
The creative team, led by Director Raz Shaw, managed to put a distinctive theatrical stamp across the entire production whilst maintaining the spirit of the film. At nearly three hours in length, including a marathon first act which concludes with the title song, this show never dragged once. Even the Dream Ballet sequence, a bloated 13 minutes in the original movie, was sharply delivered complete with tribute Cyd Charisse wigs for the female ensemble members. Set Designer Richard Kent utilises overhead gantry displays during the movie scenes – aided by the Lighting of Jack Knowles – moving us from monochrome opening to full Technicolor conclusion with period costumes and Runyonesque heightened reality in the nightclub dream sequence.
This technical expertise supports the star of the show – the stunning choreography of Alistair David. Encompassing ballet, modern and jazz in a dizzying whirl of colour and light it allowed the limited circular stage to feel expansive, with the action often spilling into the audience in the stalls and gallery. Tap dancing is king, with the audience stopping the show on three separate occasions with spontaneous cheers and applause for the ensemble’s dazzling skills.
My own highlights were a reworking of ‘Moses Supposes’ (my favourite dance number in musical theatre) and an exhausting rendition of ‘Good Mornin’, which left the three leads smiling and panting whilst bathing in a mid-act standing ovation. The first act concluded with the eponymous title song, Gaunt skipping through a deluge of Mancunian water and gleefully kicking it out onto the shrieking audience whilst ‘Singin in the Rain’. I was bone dry in the Gallery, but a few patrons got soaked on the Banquettes, a feature of the show that I predict will become very popular over the next seven weeks of the run.
This is musical theatre at its best: catchy songs, humour, breathtaking choreography, and a cast at the top of their game. If, like me, you tend to avoid pantomime at this time of year, you can get your full measure of Christmas cheer from this classic musical and then book to see it again and blow away those January blues.
If you only visit the theatre once over the festive period, then make sure it is this show you see!
Playing until 25th January 2026, https://www.royalexchange.co.uk/
Reviewer: Paul Wilcox
Reviewed: 4th December 2025
North West End UK Rating: