Singin' in the Rain

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Don Lockwood is a popular silent film star with humble roots as a singer, dancer, and stunt man. Don barely tolerates his vapid, shallow leading lady, Lina Lamont, though their studio, Monumental Pictures, links them romantically to increase their popularity. Lina herself is convinced they are in love, despite Don's protestations otherwise.

One day, to escape from overenthusiastic fans, Don jumps into a passing car driven by Kathy Selden. She drops him off, but not before claiming to be a stage actress and sneering at his undignified accomplishments. Later, at a party, the head of Don's studio, R.F. Simpson, shows a short demonstration of a talking picture, but his guests are unimpressed. To Don's amusement and Kathy's embarrassment, she pops out of a mock cake right in front of him as part of the entertainment; Kathy, it turns out, is only a chorus girl. Furious, she throws a real cake at him, only to hit Lina right in the face. Later, after weeks of searching, Don makes up with Kathy after he finds her working in another Monumental Pictures production, and they begin to fall in love.

After a rival studio has an enormous hit with its first talking picture, 1927's The Jazz Singer, R.F. decides he has no choice but to convert the new Lockwood and Lamont film, The Dueling Cavalier, into a talkie. The production is beset with difficulties that reportedly reflect what actually took place during the early days of talking pictures. By far the worst problem is Lina's grating voice. A test screening is a disaster. In one scene, Don repeats the line "I love you" to Lina over and over, to the audience's derisive laughter (a reference to a scene by John Gilbert in his first talkie). Then throughout the movie, the sound went out of synchronization.

Don's best friend, Cosmo Brown, comes up with the idea to dub Lina's voice with Kathy's, and they persuade R.F. to turn The Dueling Cavalier into a musical called The Dancing Cavalier. When Lina finds out, she is furious and does everything possible to sabotage the romance between Don and Kathy. She becomes even angrier when she discovers that R.F. intends to give Kathy a screen credit and a big publicity promotion. Lina, after consulting lawyers, threatens to sue R.F. unless he cancels Kathy's buildup and orders her to continue working (uncredited) as Lina's voice. R.F. reluctantly agrees to her demands.

The premiere of The Dancing Cavalier is a tremendous success. When the audience clamors for Lina to sing live, Don, Cosmo, and R.F. improvise and get her to lip synch while Kathy sings into a second microphone while hidden behind the stage curtain. Later, while Lina is "singing," Don, Cosmo and R.F. gleefully open the curtain. When Cosmo replaces Kathy at the microphone, the deception becomes obvious. Lina flees in embarrassment. Kathy tries to run away as well, but Don introduces the audience to "the real star of the film."

NODA Award, click for a close upWe are also please to say that Singin' in the Rain won the NODA district 7 Accolade of Excellence!

Dates for your diary!
Tunbridge Wells Operatic and Dramatic Sociaty

2010
Half a Sixpence
Gilbert and Sullivan
Singin' in the Rain
2009
Kiss Me Kate
Fiddler on the Roof
2008
Crazy for you
Anything Goes
2007
Hello Dolly!
The Best little Whorehouse in Texas
2006
• The Gondoliers
• My Fair Lady
2005
• South Pacific
• Mad About Musicals
2004
• Oliver
• Me & My Girl
2003
Oklahoma!
Die Fledermaus
2002
Guys and Dolls
Evita
2001
• The Mikado
• Mad About Musicals
2000
• Carousel
Mack & Mabel
1999
• Camelot
• The Merry Widow
1998
• Fiddler on the Roof
• Show Boat
1997
• Me & My Girl
• Kiss Me Kate
1996
• Broadway Pirates
• Orpheus in the Underworld
1995
• Brigadoon
• Showtime A-Z
1994
• Hello Dolly
• My Fair Lady
1993
• Oliver!
• Carmen
1992
• West Side Story
• Showtime A-Z
1991
• Ruddigore
• Die Fledermaus
1990
• Half a Sixpence
• Mame
1989
• The Merry Widow
• The Gondoliers
1988
• The Pirates of Penzance
• Trial by Jury
• The King and I
1987
• The Mikado
• Guys and Dolls
1986
• Iolanthe
• Oklahoma!
1985
• Fiddler on the Roof
• Al Capone
• Christopher Columbus
1984
• Kiss Me Kate
• No! No! Nanette
• The Bartered Bride
1983
• Patience
• Carousel
1982
• Oliver!
• Orpheus in the Underworld
1981
• The Yeomen of the Guard
• Rose Marie
1980
• The Gondoliers
• The Sound of Music
1979
• Robert and Elizabeth
• White Horse Inn
1978
• Ruddigore
• Bitter Sweet
1977
• Merrie England
• The King and I
1976
• The Mikado
• My Fair Lady
1975
• Merry Widow
• Paint Your Wagon
1974
• Die Fledermaus
• Love from Judy
1973
• The Pirates of Penzance
• Trial by Jury
• Oliver!
1972
• The Sound of Music
• Kingıs Rhapsody
1971
• Iolanthe
• My Fair Lady
1970
• No! No! Nanette
• Camelot
1969
• Oklahoma!
• The Yeomen of the Guard
1968
• Kismet
• Kiss Me Kate
1967
• The Gondoliers
• Show Boat
1966
• Trial by Jury
• H.M.S. Pinafore
• Song of Norway
1965
• The King and I
• Perchance to Dream
1964
• The Mikado
• South Pacific
1963
• Waltz Time
• Carousel
1962
• Patience
• Chu Chin Chow
1961
• The Boy Friend
• The Merry Widow
1960
• Bell, Book and Candle
• Iolanthe
• Call Me Madam
1959
• Bonaventure
• The Vagabond King
• The Student Prince
1958
• Ruddigore
• Annie Get Your Gun
1957
• Princess Ida
• The Dancing Years
1956
• Major Barbara
• The Mikado
• Oklahoma!
1955
• The Scarlet Pimpernel
• The Gondoliers Brigadoon
1954
• The Pirates of Penzance
• Bitter Sweet
1953
• And So To Bed
• The Yeomen of the Guard
• The Desert Song
1952
• This Happy Breed
• Trial by Jury
• The New Moon
H.M.S. Pinafore
1951
• Quality Street
• Iolanthe
• Merrie England
• Bless the Bride
1950
• The Rivals
• Merrie England
• The Student Prince
1949
• Pride and Prejudice
• Ruddigore
• Rose Marie
1948
• The Mikado
• Tom Jones
1947
• Katinka
• The Girl Friend
1946
• Miss Hook of Holland
• Princess Charming
1945
• The Gondoliers
1942
• The Middle Watch
1940
• No! No! Nanette
1939
• Good Night Vienna
• The Pirates of Penzance
1938
• Chu Chin Chow
• Sunny
1937
• Hit the Deck
• The Vagabond King
1936
• Mr Cinders
• The Desert Song
1935
• Rio Rita
• Maid of the Mountains
1934
• Rose Marie
1933
• The Desert Song
• The Middle Watch
1932
• The High Road
• H.M.S. Pinafore
1931
• San Toy
1930
• Princess Charming
• The Belle of New York
1929
• The Duchess of Dantzig
• The Arcadians
1928
• Our Miss Gibbs
• The Toreador
1927
• The Quaker Girl
1926
• The Rebel Maid
• A Country Girl
1925
• Floradora
• Miss Hook of Holland
1924
• The Gondoliers
• Veronique
• Patience
1923
• Iolanthe
• The Geisha
1922
• The Mikado
1913
• Iolanthe
1912
• The Moon of Carthage
1911
• Patience
• The Gondoliers
1910
• The Women of Westminster
1904
• The Mikado
1903
• The Pickpocket
• Paulıs Return
1902
• The Private Secretary
1901
• The School for Scandal
• The Two Roses
1900
• Diplomacy
• The Magistrate
• The Miserıs Daughter
1899
• Robert Browningıs
• Strafford
1898
• Ipsithilla
• The Money Spinner
• Les Cloches de Cornville
1897
• Liberty Hall
1896
• Cavalleria Rusticana
1895
• The Bohemian Girl
1894
• The Yeomen of the Guard
• The Sorcerer
1893
• Les Cloches de Cornville
1892
• H.M.S. Pinafore
• Fra Diavolo
• Penelope
• Cavalleria Rusticana
1891
• Dorothy
1890
• The Pirates of Penzance
1889
• A Blighted Being
• My Preserver