Theatre News

Singin’ in the Rain closes in West End on 8 June ahead of tour

Singin’ in the Rain has confirmed it will close in the West End on 8 June 2013 ahead of a UK tour.

The show, which has been running at the Palace Theatre since February last year, will open at Manchester’s Opera House on 13 November 2013 and move
to Cardiff’s Wales Millennium Centre for a Christmas and New Year
season.

Full details of the tour, including casting, are still to be announced.

Jonathan Church’s production, which uses over 12,000 litres of water per performance, is produced
in the West End by Stage Entertainment UK and Chichester Festival
Theatre.

Stage Entertainment’s Rebecca Quigley said: “The first time I saw Singin’ in the Rain at Chichester I knew we
had to bring the show to the West End and, eventually, beyond. We’ve
had a wonderful run at the Palace Theatre and everyone at Stage
Entertainment is so proud to have been part of making it a hit there.”

The West End production stars Adam Cooper as Don
Lockwood. He is joined by Louise Bowden as Kathy Selden and Stephane
Annelli as Cosmo Brown who complete the iconic trio made famous by Gene
Kelly, Debbie Reynolds and Donald O’Conner in 1952 MGM musical film.

Jennifer Ellison stars as silent movie screen siren and owner of a voice
never meant for the ‘talkies’, Lina Lamont. The principal cast also
features Sandra Dickinson as Dora Bailey and Miss Dinsmore and Peter
Forbes as RF Simpson. Singin’ in the Rain features classic songs by Nacio Herb Brown
and Arthur Freed, including “Make ’em Laugh”, “Good Morning”, “Moses
Supposes” and “Singin’ in the Rain”. Original screenplay and adaptations
are by Betty Comden and Adolph Green. With choreography by Whatsonstage.com Award-winner Andrew
Wright, the production is designed by Simon Higlett, with sound by Matt
McKenzie and lighting by Tim Mitchell. The next show at the Palace, where the Whatsonstage.com Awards Concert was staged last month, is rumoured to be a musical version of Roddy Doyle’s The Commitments, directed by Jamie Lloyd.