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Singin In The Rain Adam Cooper Sadlers Wells Theatre London

Mandy Kent
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Mandy Kent

Mandy Kent

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This show makes a splash...literally if you are sitting in the front 6 rows !

I attended the Sunday 1st August matinee...one of the previews...the show is fabulously entertaining from start to finish.

Adam Cooper plays Don Lockwood, his fine tenor voice and hoofing skills are top notch, and his friend Cosmo, played brilliantly by Kevin Clifton ( of Strictly fame) is a perfect foil.

Charlotte Gooch is a beautiful Kathy Seldon with a sweet voice and she's a lovely dancer too.

For me, Fay Tozer was a wowzer as Lina ( I cant stand him) Lamont...I think she almost stole the show.

But the show is Adam's...his choreography and dancing skills, those wonderful arms, his fine voice, I thought he was wonderful. He doesn't try to be Gene Kelly. 

I left Singin........

 

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Pulcinella

Pulcinella

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6 hours ago, Jan McNulty said:

Thanks for making me turn a funny shade of green Mandy!!

 

I know the show is due to go to Japan but I hope a UK tour gets slotted in too.


The show is booked in to the B'ham Hippodrome 6 - 11 June next year, presumably as part of a national tour. I somehow doubt it will have the same cast as at the Wells though.

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Mandy Kent

Mandy Kent

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14 minutes ago, capybara said:


So, are you recommending shower caps? 😉

Previously, in an earlier run,  the front few rows were offered rain capes… if I remember correctly…not this time. One family I saw were distinctly damp. They loved it ! 

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capybara

capybara

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I went to today's matinee and confirmed to myself that stage musicals aren't really my bag. But the large audience was 'lovin' it.

Adam Cooper's character sloshes water quite liberally into the front 4 rows left side - and everyone squeals with delight.

 

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Bruce Wall

Bruce Wall

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Saw this production last night.  It engenders grins.  Tendrils of rapture are earnestly kicked alongside heated vapours of rain.  The production itself is perhaps more pitter than patter but is competently delivered with an infectious High School energy that all can relate to.  An enervated trio lead.  They cram their collective crows feet into benevolent beams.  It's as if they are constantly winking at us whilst aiming to wave at the memory of their forefather's burnished sheen.  At their helm former Royal Ballet principal Adam Cooper charms with soulful ease.  Having seen him do everything from Swan Lake (both as Petipa's Seigfried and Bourne's Swan which he originated) to Forsythe's Herman Schermann years ago it was a  treat to again glory in his 'Everyman' charm.  Aptly he husbands his resources.  They sprout in and around an endearingly boyish toothy grin; one every bit as potent as that of another former RB veteran, the sadly late Christopher Gable - (one who died far too young) - in similar West End pursuits.  Forget the title, this is a DETERMINEDLY sunny affair.  It so desperately wants you to love it that in the end you ... erm ... do.  It becomes a condition of carriage.  The zealous patrons avidly squealing (often dangerously without masks it has to be said) their delight demand that you must.  

 

Edited by Bruce Wall
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Jan McNulty

Jan McNulty

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What an exciting review Bruce - I felt as though I was there sharing your excitement.

 

Adam Cooper has become a consummate star of the musical stage over the years and I loved his performances in On Your Toes and White Christmas.  I hope he participates in the UK tour and that I can get to it.

 

Capybara, I'm not a huge fan of musicals unless they feature Fred Astaire or Gene Kelly!

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Blossom

Blossom

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Love the reviews so far. Have been struggling to find a date which works but finally managed to squeeze in Sunday’s matinee with my girls who have never seen the film (horrifying). Can’t wait to share it with them.

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Blossom

Blossom

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9 hours ago, AnnabelCharles said:

It's a perfect post lockdown pick me up. I enjoyed every minute and left with a huge smile on my face. 

 

Absolutely. You can completely understand how musical movies were the perfect postwar antidote...

Really enjoyed the performance - had my 2 daughters age 14 and 11 with me who hadn't seen the movie before and thinking about it through their eyes I wondered if they were even actually aware of silent movies (turns out they are - and gave me a chance to tell them that my great grandmother used to play piano in cinemas during performances).  

Knowing the film inside out, it's an incredibly hard act to follow, what I found incredible was that tonally, Adam Cooper sounded like the 'real' Don Lockwood, Kevin Clifton was a strong Cosmo Brown and Faye Tozer really did (as mentioned in reviews) steal the show as Lina Lamont.   Charlotte Gooch was the perfect Cathy Seldon. Particularly loved Kevin Clifton/Adam Cooper's tap dances together and the Good Morning scene. Was wowed by the amount of water on the stage for the initial Singin in the Rain scene (and how they cleaned it up!). Adam Cooper may not have done a full Gene Kelly dance routine in the rain but he certainly made the effort to soak the audience - one audience member even put up an umbrella at one point!

A perfect summer fix - especially given the wash out we are experiencing.  Would happily see this again if I can squeeze it in before it closes.

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akh

akh

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42 minutes ago, Blossom said:

 

Absolutely. You can completely understand how musical movies were the perfect postwar antidote...

Really enjoyed the performance - had my 2 daughters age 14 and 11 with me who hadn't seen the movie before and thinking about it through their eyes I wondered if they were even actually aware of silent movies (turns out they are - and gave me a chance to tell them that my great grandmother used to play piano in cinemas during performances).  

Knowing the film inside out, it's an incredibly hard act to follow, what I found incredible was that tonally, Adam Cooper sounded like the 'real' Don Lockwood, Kevin Clifton was a strong Cosmo Brown and Faye Tozer really did (as mentioned in reviews) steal the show as Lina Lamont.   Charlotte Gooch was the perfect Cathy Seldon. Particularly loved Kevin Clifton/Adam Cooper's tap dances together and the Good Morning scene. Was wowed by the amount of water on the stage for the initial Singin in the Rain scene (and how they cleaned it up!). Adam Cooper may not have done a full Gene Kelly dance routine in the rain but he certainly made the effort to soak the audience - one audience member even put up an umbrella at one point!

A perfect summer fix - especially given the wash out we are experiencing.  Would happily see this again if I can squeeze it in before it closes.

My Great Grandmother also and my Great Aunt

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  • 4 weeks later...
Dawnstar

Dawnstar

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I managed to catch this last night, before it finishes at the end of the week. It's the first time I've dared to go to an indoor theatre since 14th March 2020 but I really wanted to see this as I loved Charlotte Gooch in Top Hat & saw her in that show some 10 times. I had seen Singin' In The Rain a decade ago when it was on at the Palace but Adam Cooper was off sick for the performance I saw and, while I usually don't mind seeing understudies, unfortunately I found his understudy's performance a bit disappointing, so I was pleased to finally see him a decade later. Though he must have a portrait in the attic as he looks more like 30 than 50!

 

As no-one has yet posted any curtain call photos on this thread:

 

https://www.instagram.com/p/CTXQUtqoP8q/

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Ian Macmillan

Ian Macmillan

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Saw it on Tuesday evening - thoroughly enjoyable.  And there was a great deal of water stomped about during that finale!  (Craig Revel Horwood - he of Strictly fame, should you ask - was also there, and I trust he enjoyed the show as much as I did.)

 

Very clever management of the set, I thought - and I was delightfully surprised after the Interval to find it was not a recorded score being played, as I'd imagined till that point.

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alison

alison

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I'm really disappointed not to have been able to see this: I'd fully intended to, but having to factor in sufficient clearance between a performance and a couple of inconveniently spaced-apart events which I couldn't miss to allow me to self-isolate should I pick up Covid-19 made it impossible :(

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Jan McNulty

Jan McNulty

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19 hours ago, Dawnstar said:

@alisonThere's always the tour from March next year. Several stops in/near London: Wimbledon, Woking, Milton Keynes. That is if you want to see it for the show rather than for this particular cast, as the tour cast hasn't been announced yet.

 

Where can you find the tour dates Dawnstar?  Are there any Up North dates?

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Scheherezade

Scheherezade

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Just to round up, I saw the last show of the Sadler's Wells run and absolutely luuurved it! Congratulations to all for the slick and fabulous production values, the steady professionalism of the orchestra and the all round, toe-tapping, infectious pizzazz served up with infectious good humour and a cherry on the top by every member of the cast. Way to go, folks!

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