Singin' in the Rain -- Victoria Hall

This is a musical that has to do what it says on the tin. There have to be songs, and there has to be rain.

We got the first in a downpour of irresistibly tuneful songs from the classic film.

And the rain? Well, there was real water, even if you'd be hard-pressed to think the heavens had opened.

The ingenious sequence didn't entirely work but it was good enough to justify Keighley Amateurs' decision to stage Singin' in the Rain.

They knew there was a lot more to this warm, witty, sparkly and sprightly show than just the title song.

And we knew too after a hugely enjoyable two and a half hours of love and laughter from the early days of Hollywood.

The four principals -- John Dewhurst, Peter Whitley, Katrina Wood and Gilly Rogers -- were excellent.

John's singing flirted with flatness throughout his solos, but this was balanced by his likeable stage persona and dancing.

Top tap came too from Peter, Katrina and the girls' dance troupe -- strong under choreographer Patsy Peacock.

The chorus, rarely called on, was abysmal -- oddly costumed, misplaced and either out-of-tune or muted.

Anthony Waddington and Mark Brown were very good in supporting roles, as was Ray Waters' fine solo.

The stripped-down staging worked well and the film sequences were splendid.

Tickets for tonight (7.15pm) or tomorrow's performances (2.15pm & 7.15pm) -- phone 01535 652547.

David Knights