It’s 1927 and the pioneering ‘talkie’ picture The Jazz Singer has taken Hollywood by storm. All at once, the other studios are forced to change the movie-making rules to hop on the talking picture bandwagon. When Monumental Studios turns their silent film The Dueling Cavalier into musical picture The Dancing Cavalier, in a bid to stay relevant, they are faced with a problem: their star, Lina Lamont, has a voice that doesn’t fit the bill. Lina’s voice is far from the Hollywood ideal and the studio are left in a bind.

Enter Kathy Selden, an aspiring actress whose dulcet tones are able to cover Lina Lamont’s – calling into question what it means to act, how credit is distributed and what it means to get a fair shake in the movie business.

Singin’ in the Rain includes some of the best-loved comedy routines, dance numbers and love songs ever written, including Good Mornin’, Make ‘em Laugh, and – of course – the show-stopping dance number Singin’ in the Rain.

Footlights is the University of Exeter’s biggest musical theatre society, committed to delivering fully-realised, spectacle-filled productions throughout the year. Previous productions at Exeter Northcott Theatre include Bandstand (2023), Kipps! The New Half a Sixpence Musical (2023), 9 to 5 (2022), Legally Blonde (2022), and Ghost (2020).