Singing in the rain is a classic of stage and screen, so how did Shenfield Operatic Society shape up to the challenge of trying to recreate this, some would say, masterpiece of musical theatre?
Fairly well would be my answer.
The three aspects of this particular musical are, in my view, the singing, the dancing and the famous rain scene.
Let me take each on in turn.
The singing was good, or where it was meant to ne bad, was very bad! Highlights for me included 'Beautiful Girl', 'What's Wrong With Me?', 'Make 'em Laugh' and 'Good Morning'.
The dancing was also good. Allister Smith as Cosmo was the most energetic and stood out. Jamie Fudge's Don seemed to be holding himself back slightly when dancing - possibly this was a character choice or directional decision, either way it was interesting to watch, but possibly not in the way desired. A special mention has to got the to 6 featured dancers at this point, who all did well.
The rain, which must've cost the society a pretty penny, was a bit of a let down in my opinion. From where I was sitting it sounded great, but looked barely more than a trickle, with little water collecting to kicked up during the song.
Special mentions must go to the most cliché camp version of Roscoe Dexter I've seen in a long while played well by Dean Mobley, the brash RF Simpson played by David Cormack. and of course Rachel Watson's Kathy Selden.
Take out the lighting issues, the slightly over long pregnant pauses during scene changes & a few sound issues, all of which were out of the cast's control, I enjoyed this version of the show and look forward to Shenfield's next production, The Hot Mikado, which will be performed in June at The Brentwood Theatre.
Fairly well would be my answer.
The three aspects of this particular musical are, in my view, the singing, the dancing and the famous rain scene.
Let me take each on in turn.
The singing was good, or where it was meant to ne bad, was very bad! Highlights for me included 'Beautiful Girl', 'What's Wrong With Me?', 'Make 'em Laugh' and 'Good Morning'.
The dancing was also good. Allister Smith as Cosmo was the most energetic and stood out. Jamie Fudge's Don seemed to be holding himself back slightly when dancing - possibly this was a character choice or directional decision, either way it was interesting to watch, but possibly not in the way desired. A special mention has to got the to 6 featured dancers at this point, who all did well.
The rain, which must've cost the society a pretty penny, was a bit of a let down in my opinion. From where I was sitting it sounded great, but looked barely more than a trickle, with little water collecting to kicked up during the song.
Special mentions must go to the most cliché camp version of Roscoe Dexter I've seen in a long while played well by Dean Mobley, the brash RF Simpson played by David Cormack. and of course Rachel Watson's Kathy Selden.
Take out the lighting issues, the slightly over long pregnant pauses during scene changes & a few sound issues, all of which were out of the cast's control, I enjoyed this version of the show and look forward to Shenfield's next production, The Hot Mikado, which will be performed in June at The Brentwood Theatre.