Singin' in the Rain with Grease 2 star

Singin' in the Rain has been one of the big West End hits of recent times, lauded for its timeless tunes and watery effects. And it's heading to Liverpool in April next year, which has to be pretty swell. The cast for the touring production has been revealed, and my life flashed before my eyes upon learning Dynasty and Grease 2 star Maxwell Caulfield (pictured above with co-star Michelle Pfeiffer) will be taking on the role of movie studio boss RF Simpson. Corrie and Emmerdale star and fellow Vicky - you've gotta love a showbiz Vicky - Vicky Binns will play starlet Lina Lamont. Caulfield said he is "beyond thrilled" to be hitting the road with Singin’ in the Rain. "As a huge fan of the original movie, the chance to bring this story to life on stage is something I couldn’t pass up and it’ll be great visiting some of the beautiful theatres on the tour, some I’ve been to previously, some are going to be a brand new experience for me. Theatre work is a huge passion of mine and having dealt with a few studio bosses in my time too, I relish the opportunity to play RF Simpson this glorious production.” Vicky Binns said “To be in a musical of this scale and quality is a dream job for me. I was blown away when I saw this production in London, so it's a thrill to bring it straight from the West End to Liverpool. If like me, you have seen and love the film, it is a real treat to see how it can be brought so lavishly to the stage, if not, what a way to experience the story for the first time…you can't beat live theatre, The part of Lina Lamont is a gift of a role as the writing is packed with humour, pathos and well...fabulousness!”. With La Binns also scoring points for use of the word fabulousness, MADEUP is sold already. This production of Singin’ the Rain, based on the MGM classic, opened at the Chichester Festival Theatre in summer 2011, and extended due to public demand. It then transferred to the Palace Theatre in the West End in February 2012, where it received critical acclaim, four Olivier nominations, and played to more than 750,000 audience members -  some leaving the theatre a little wetter than when they arrived (we said there was water). The show uses half a mile of flexible pipe work, a 10 tonne water tank and a water system that creates a downpour from above and flooding from below the stage, ‘raining’ (and recycling) over 12,000 litres of downpour per performance. It splashes into Liverpool from April 22 next year until May 3, and you can get tickets now by visiting the Empire box office, calling 0844 871 3017 or going online www.atgtickets.com/liverpool