**** 4 Stars
“A Stylish Musical Classic”
Seventy-three years ago, the beloved musical classic from the MGM studios “Singing In The Rain” made its debut, the charming romantic comedy set in the glamour of Hollywood as it moves from the silent movie era to the innovation of the talkies and onto the movie musical has become beloved by generations of viewers. In 1983 the film was adapted for the stage opening at the London Palladium with the Legendary Tommy Steele in the lead role. It’s that adaptation that Edinburgh based EUSOG bring to the stage of the Pleasance Theatre, and they deliver a stylish musical classic!
One of the few issues with the show is the imbalance between act 1 and act 2 with the first coming in at a stealthy 1 hour and 40 minutes and act 2 just shy of 50 minutes that first act does feel its length at times. That said the show is packed with joy as all the songs from the film including “You Were Meant For Me”, “Good Morning” and the titular “Singing in the Rain” are delivered in style.
Performances across the board are excellent but special mention must go to the those leading the cast. Ewan Robertson as Don Lockwood imbues the Hollywood heart throb with ease and he has a charming voice to go with it. Amelia Brenan as Lina Lamont is the perfect foil as a heartless bitch, however she needs to be careful while the role requires an annoying voice and vocal tone she does loose diction and clarity at time making it difficult to understand what’s she is saying but it a divine nasty performance. The gorgeous Conor O’Dochartaigh delivers a stealthy take on the role of R.F Simpson giving it the right amount of heart to the hardness the character needs. Hannah Shaw gives a timeless emotion to her take on “Kathy Seldon” and she has a honey-soaked vocal quality to go with it. The standout of the cast must be Dan J Bryant as “Cosmo Brown” they deliver a true comedy tour de force alongside the perfect triple threat of vocals, dancing and comedy, they steal the stage every time they appear on it.
Production wise the company have made the best of the space available in the Pleasance theatre. The twenty strong ensemble get there moments to shine especially in Rosalyn Harper’s inventive choreography. Freya Game’s Lighting design delivers well especially with the inclusion of clever cinema moments. Leon Lee’s sound design suffered from a few glitches across the show but there was an excellent balance between performers and musical director Sebastian Schneeberger’s 17 strong pit orchestra who bring class and polish to such a beloved score.
EUSOG have delivered a show with real heart and polished performances and those big production numbers really do wow the audience and everyone leaves the auditorium smiling after an excellent value you for money night in the theatre. Sadly, the Friday evening performance is cancelled due to the storm conditions, and Saturday evening is a sell out so rush to get those matinee tickets or you will be left out singing in the rain alone!
EUSOG Presents Singing in the Rain, The Pleasance Theatre, Edinburgh runs until Saturday 25th January 2025, for Info and tickets go to: https://www.eusog.org
ScotsGay Arts 