Singin in the Rain

Singin’ in the Rain is the story of that first Hollywood musical, the moment when the silver screen found its voice and never looked back.

With all the sparkle and spectacle of a golden age, it features a glorious score including Make ‘em Laugh, Good Morning, Moses Supposes and, of course, Singin’ in the Rain. Shining with vitality, wit and romance, this is a musical to lift your heart and set you singin’ and dancin’ – in any weather.

Chichester Festival Theatre’s 2011 production has had a huge journey – a West End transfer, followed by tours in the UK, Asia, Australia and New Zealand, and standalone runs in Japan and Russia. Mesmer created all the movies used in the show, re-shooting with new cast on location all around the world.

“There’s some clever work with the film extracts. Ian William Galloway has made the most of the medium and captures the awkwardness of the era as the industry tries to move between silent movies and talkies.” – What’s on Stage

The production is set in the twenties, but with the feel of a fifties musical. We decided to run with this and produce silent films that were much more like swashbuckling fifties action movies than what was really possible in the twenties. As a result, the design has a very authentic silver-screen feel which was picked up by many of the critics.

“The design is terrific, the ensemble dances executed with verve and Ian William Galloway’s film inserts are remarkably authentic simulacra of old movies.” – Daily Express ****

Of course, this makes for a huge film shoot, complete with musketeers, armouries and a castle location, and a ten metre rebuild of part of the on-stage set. We worked with local film crews and stuntmen in the UK, South Africa and Russia to recreate the films each time. Each time, we film up to 27 versions of each shot to cover all the various understudy combinations that might be required by a touring production.

“The video recreations of silent movies, with titles like The Duelling Cavalier, are also exceptionally well done by Ian William Galloway.” – The Guardian

The production is tightly integrated with the sound and music departments, so that character voices on-screen can sync with live chorus and orchestra. In the West End, Mesmer also supplied playback equipment and media servers.

Client:
Chichester Festival Theatre
Stage Entertainment UK

Location:
Festival Theatre, Chichester, 2011
Palace Theatre, London, 2012
Touring, UK, 2013
Theatre Orb, Tokyo, 2014
Touring, NZ, Asia, South Africa, 2015
Touring, Australia, 2016

Services:
Video & Projection Design
Technical Consultancy
Content Creation
Equipment Hire

Team:
Video Designer: Ian William Galloway
Associate Designer: Sam Jeffs
Associate Designer: Leo Flint
Editor: Will Casela
Editor: Moira Lam

Film Shoot Producer: Alex Leach
Film Shoot Producer: Mike Kovacs
Director of Photography: Gabi Norland
1st Assistant Director: James Powell
1st Assistant Director: George Nelson
Focus Puller: Jon Mitchell
Gaffer: James Bridger
DIT: Lee Hatcher
Sound Recordist: Mark Kleshishian

Production Credits:
Director: Jonathan Church
Set and Costume Designer: SImon Higlett
Lighting Designer: Tim Mitchell
Sound Designer: Matt McKenzie
Sound Designer: Gareth Owen
Choreographer: Andrew Wright

Photos:
© Mesmer