There’s a reason the film Singin' in the Rain endures. In fact, there are many. About 73 years after its release, it’s still the most potent love letter to movie magic ever committed to film because it’s also the most supreme example of it. Show it to anyone today, even those skeptical of old-fashioned movie musicals, and you’ll find that magic hasn’t lost a step.
Singin’ in the Rain, a stage adaptation showing at Dubai Opera until December 14, strikes a similar balance. Directed by Jonathan Church with choreography by Andrew Wright and set design by Simon Higlett, all veterans of London’s West End, it is a meticulously executed ode to a jewel of Hollywood’s Golden Age.
Most interestingly, however, it is not merely another enjoyable stage adaptation of a great film – these days, those are a dime a dozen. In fact, by recreating the camera tricks, sight gags and ornate set pieces of the film in a theatrical setting, this is proof positive of the enduring power of stage magic, rather than an elaborate advertisement for an old movie.
If you aren’t familiar, let’s recap the old movie in question before we go any further. It’s set in 1927, when the silent film era of Hollywood was coming to an end, though its biggest stars didn’t yet know it. We follow Don Lockwood (Gene Kelly) and Lina Lamont (Jean Hagen), two of the most popular actors of their era, unsure of how they’ll fare in the era of talking pictures.
Their first attempt at a “talkie”, The Dueling Cavalier, is poised to be a disaster. Lina has a voice like nails on a chalkboard and a personality to match, and Don, a great talker, can’t adapt to a different way of performing. He meets an aspiring actress named Kathy Selden (Debbie Reynolds), who says silent film acting is just cheesy pantomime. Don knows she’s right.
Together with Kelly’s best friend and collaborator Cosmo Brown (Donald O’Connor), Don and Kathy team up to save the picture, turning it into musical called The Dancing Cavalier and secretly dubbing Kathy’s voice over Lina’s – much to Lina’s chagrin.
In real life, the film wasn’t supposed to be as great as it was. It’s a bunch of discarded elements all patched together, full of songs that already existed (only one of them is original to the movie), sets that had been built for other projects, and starred an unproven female lead in Debbie Reynolds – though it ended up catapulting her to stardom. But sewn together by some of the most talented performers and craftsmen to ever work in film, it’s a patchwork masterpiece without a single seam on display.
Watching it now, it’s also a testament to how much we’ve lost from the medium. Every scene and every performance is a visual reminder of incredible skills that seemingly no one has in the current talent pool. Could anyone dance like Kelly and O’Connor now? Can colours be that vibrant, sets that intricate? Probably not entirely, but on the Dubai Opera stage, many of those concerns will be alleviated.
The performances range from very good to excellent, with Olivia Finnes, who plays Lina Lamont, a particular stand-out. She does an uncanny impression of Jean Hagen, who in fact was doing an uncanny impression of Judy Holliday in the 1950 film Born Yesterday (see it if you haven’t). Her role is expanded in the stage version, where she gets her own song entitled What’s Wrong With Me? It’s an original added for the 2012 West End revival of the musical on which the Dubai staging is based and captures the spirit of the character with pathos and humour that garnered laughs throughout.
But what is most impressive about this stage version is the sheer awe it inspires at times. The most famous moment in the film, of course, remains the title song sequence, as Gene Kelly sings and dances through a rain-soaked street, incorporating the puddles into his routine. But there’s a different sort of magic when it starts to rain on stage, pushing to the limits of what you may think is possible in that sort of setting. It’s beautifully executed and as rousing as ever. And it’s nearly matched in several other scenes, as the lights and sets shift to recreate even the film’s most surreal moments.
But even if you aren’t a fan of a film, this is still well worth going out of your way to see while it’s on. It may take a bit to get going, but once it does, the magic of the stage is on full display. And you’ll likely be dancing in the aisles on the way out. I was.
Singin' in the Rain is running at Dubai Opera until December 14
MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
How the bonus system works
The two riders are among several riders in the UAE to receive the top payment of £10,000 under the Thank You Fund of £16 million (Dh80m), which was announced in conjunction with Deliveroo's £8 billion (Dh40bn) stock market listing earlier this year.
The £10,000 (Dh50,000) payment is made to those riders who have completed the highest number of orders in each market.
There are also riders who will receive payments of £1,000 (Dh5,000) and £500 (Dh2,500).
All riders who have worked with Deliveroo for at least one year and completed 2,000 orders will receive £200 (Dh1,000), the company said when it announced the scheme.
ABU DHABI ORDER OF PLAY
Starting at 10am:
Daria Kasatkina v Qiang Wang
Veronika Kudermetova v Annet Kontaveit (10)
Maria Sakkari (9) v Anastasia Potapova
Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova v Ons Jabeur (15)
Donna Vekic (16) v Bernarda Pera
Ekaterina Alexandrova v Zarina Diyas
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
More from Neighbourhood Watch
The biog
Siblings: five brothers and one sister
Education: Bachelors in Political Science at the University of Minnesota
Interests: Swimming, tennis and the gym
Favourite place: UAE
Favourite packet food on the trip: pasta primavera
What he did to pass the time during the trip: listen to audio books
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
How to apply for a drone permit
- Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
- Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
- Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
- Submit their request
What are the regulations?
- Fly it within visual line of sight
- Never over populated areas
- Ensure maximum flying height of 400 feet (122 metres) above ground level is not crossed
- Users must avoid flying over restricted areas listed on the UAE Drone app
- Only fly the drone during the day, and never at night
- Should have a live feed of the drone flight
- Drones must weigh 5 kg or less
BMW M5 specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
Power: 727hp
Torque: 1,000Nm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh650,000
Zayed Sustainability Prize
The biog
Favourite book: Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi
Favourite holiday destination: Spain
Favourite film: Bohemian Rhapsody
Favourite place to visit in the UAE: The beach or Satwa
Children: Stepdaughter Tyler 27, daughter Quito 22 and son Dali 19
Changing visa rules
For decades the UAE has granted two and three year visas to foreign workers, tied to their current employer. Now that's changing.
Last year, the UAE cabinet also approved providing 10-year visas to foreigners with investments in the UAE of at least Dh10 million, if non-real estate assets account for at least 60 per cent of the total. Investors can bring their spouses and children into the country.
It also approved five-year residency to owners of UAE real estate worth at least 5 million dirhams.
The government also said that leading academics, medical doctors, scientists, engineers and star students would be eligible for similar long-term visas, without the need for financial investments in the country.
The first batch - 20 finalists for the Mohammed bin Rashid Medal for Scientific Distinction.- were awarded in January and more are expected to follow.
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
Zayed Sustainability Prize
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Most sought after workplace benefits in the UAE
- Flexible work arrangements
- Pension support
- Mental well-being assistance
- Insurance coverage for optical, dental, alternative medicine, cancer screening
- Financial well-being incentives
Sanju
Produced: Vidhu Vinod Chopra, Rajkumar Hirani
Director: Rajkumar Hirani
Cast: Ranbir Kapoor, Vicky Kaushal, Paresh Rawal, Anushka Sharma, Manish’s Koirala, Dia Mirza, Sonam Kapoor, Jim Sarbh, Boman Irani
Rating: 3.5 stars
Company%C2%A0profile
%3Cp%3ECompany%3A%20Zywa%3Cbr%3EStarted%3A%202021%3Cbr%3EFounders%3A%20Nuha%20Hashem%20and%20Alok%20Kumar%3Cbr%3EBased%3A%20UAE%3Cbr%3EIndustry%3A%20FinTech%3Cbr%3EFunding%20size%3A%20%243m%3Cbr%3ECompany%20valuation%3A%20%2430m%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
More from Neighbourhood Watch
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre turbo
Power: 181hp
Torque: 230Nm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Starting price: Dh79,000
On sale: Now
The biog
Title: General Practitioner with a speciality in cardiology
Previous jobs: Worked in well-known hospitals Jaslok and Breach Candy in Mumbai, India
Education: Medical degree from the Government Medical College in Nagpur
How it all began: opened his first clinic in Ajman in 1993
Family: a 90-year-old mother, wife and two daughters
Remembers a time when medicines from India were purchased per kilo
About Seez
Company name/date started: Seez, set up in September 2015 and the app was released in August 2017
Founder/CEO name(s): Tarek Kabrit, co-founder and chief executive, and Andrew Kabrit, co-founder and chief operating officer
Based in: Dubai, with operations also in Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Lebanon
Sector: Search engine for car buying, selling and leasing
Size: (employees/revenue): 11; undisclosed
Stage of funding: $1.8 million in seed funding; followed by another $1.5m bridge round - in the process of closing Series A
Investors: Wamda Capital, B&Y and Phoenician Funds
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
'Manmarziyaan' (Colour Yellow Productions, Phantom Films)
Director: Anurag Kashyap
Cast: Abhishek Bachchan, Taapsee Pannu, Vicky Kaushal
Rating: 3.5/5
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
OPINIONS ON PALESTINE & ISRAEL
Read more about the coronavirus
The five pillars of Islam
MATCH INFO
Watford 2 (Sarr 50', Deeney 54' pen)
Manchester United 0
More on animal trafficking
How to avoid crypto fraud
- Use unique usernames and passwords while enabling multi-factor authentication.
- Use an offline private key, a physical device that requires manual activation, whenever you access your wallet.
- Avoid suspicious social media ads promoting fraudulent schemes.
- Only invest in crypto projects that you fully understand.
- Critically assess whether a project’s promises or returns seem too good to be true.
- Only use reputable platforms that have a track record of strong regulatory compliance.
- Store funds in hardware wallets as opposed to online exchanges.
The bio
Academics: Phd in strategic management in University of Wales
Number one caps: His best-seller caps are in shades of grey, blue, black and yellow
Reading: Is immersed in books on colours to understand more about the usage of different shades
Sport: Started playing polo two years ago. Helps him relax, plus he enjoys the speed and focus
Cars: Loves exotic cars and currently drives a Bentley Bentayga
Holiday: Favourite travel destinations are London and St Tropez
Analysis
Maros Sefcovic is juggling multiple international trade agreement files, but his message was clear when he spoke to The National on Wednesday.
The EU-UAE bilateral trade deal will be finalised soon, he said. It is in everyone’s interests to do so. Both sides want to move quickly and are in alignment. He said the UAE is a very important partner for the EU. It’s full speed ahead - and with some lofty ambitions - on the road to a free trade agreement.
We also talked about US-EU tariffs. He answered that both sides need to talk more and more often, but he is prepared to defend Europe's position and said diplomacy should be a guiding principle through the current moment.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
