Indoor rain makes for a successful first night for Clara Musical Society!
In the lead up to Clara Musical Society?s first night of this year?s musical ?Singin? in the Rain? we were promised actual rain. And actual rain we did have, kicking the society?s run of five shows off to an excellent start on Tuesday night.
Dedicated to founder member of Clara Musical Society Richie Recks, who died last year, the society can be proud of this year?s offering and satisfied it won?t be a night wasted for punters who go along. The show continues tonight (Friday) and tomorrow, and with tickets only €15 everyone who can should go along to check out the 8pm show.
?Singin? in the Rain? begins with Don Lockwood (Graham Finnerty) and Lina Lamont (Louise McEvoy) lapping up the praise for their latest silent movie. Lamont is under the illusion that she and Lockwood are in love. It?s a one-sided love affair however, and certainly so when Lockwood meets Cathy Selden (Sinead Donoghue).
Taking place in the middle of the introduction of ?talkies?, Lamont?s grating voice and tone-deaf singing leads Lockwood, best friend Cosmo Brown (Wayne Handy) and Cathy to hatch a plan to dub Lamont?s voice with Cathy?s in order to make their first talkie a success and save everyone?s career.
With no great knowledge of musicals, I still couldn?t but recognise quite a few of the songs such as Cosmo?s ?Make ?Em Laugh?, ?Good Mornin?? and of course ?Singin? in the Rain?.
The title number makes its first appearance when Lockwood sings it to wrap up Act One, and it was with curiousity I waited to see how exactly the team were going to make it rain in the Clara GAA Hall.
Though I?m not entirely sure how Lockwood didn?t get rain in his microphone, leading to all sorts of havoc with electrical faults, everything went to plan. As soon as Lockwood began to sing, down came the rain from overhanging pipes. It wasn?t just a small few drips for effect either. Oh no, Clara Musical Society didn?t go for half measures and the downpour continued all through the song until the halfway break. So much water was there on the stage by the interval in fact, I spent most of the break watching to see how exactly the crew were going to get rid of it for the second half! (In case you?re curious too - many mops and an industrial vacuum.)
?Singin? in the Rain? is wrapped up when Lina Lamont is revealed as the deceptive and cunning lady that she is, after Cosmo, Don Lockwood and studio head RF Simpson raise the curtain Cathy is singing behind while Lamont lip-synches to her adoring public.
Cue a lot more umbrellas, which the cast do well to fit onto the small stage and include in dance routines without injuring each other, a reprise of ?Singin? in the Rain? (with no rain this time), and some of the other numbers from the show.
At over two hours, you get your value for money at this Clara show. Bookings for the remaining shows can be made online at www.clarams.com or by calling 087 9366247. Shows begin in Clara GAA Hall in the middle of the town at 8pm sharp each night.
