WHO would have thought that when it was 25 degrees Celsius outside it would actually take a little rain to make people smile?

Classic Gene Kelly musical Singin’ in the Rain has arrived with a splash at the Octagon Theatre.

It is a daunting task to reproduce the iconic movie and West End hit for a more compact stage but definitely one the production succeeded at.

The monochrome Art Deco set lit up under a melody of lights and sound with the action mostly playing out on a raised central platform with few props.

Of course it was all helped by a tight-knit cast and rain machine with 10 jets spraying out over the stage.

Front row audience members were thankfully supplied with bright yellow macs to protect themselves from the flying spray.

And there was a lot of that as leading man Matthew Croke, as Don Lockwood, twirled and tapped across the water with wonderful ease for the famous Singin’ in the Rain routine.

The rain was just one part of a magical production which combined old school Hollywood glamour with video screens and laugh out loud moments to tell the story of Hollywood studio Monumental Pictures struggle to transition from the silent movie era to talking pictures, as its stars battle it out behind the scenes.

The original choreography of Gene Kelly was given a fresh look by Sian Williams for the Octagon’s stage, such as the energetic Make Em Laugh number and the triumphant collection of musical instruments, chorus and dance all brought together for the stomping Broadway melody.

Here the cast did more than act, sing and dance, but were also the orchestra pit - jumping from playing the double bass to tap dancing.

The assembled cast were a fantastic collective, with Croke and Christian Edwards, as joker of the pack and Lockwood's best friend Cosmo Brown, making a great double act.

The advantage of the Octagon meant they could play off the audience with Edwards joking along with the front rows while Croke seemed to be enjoying splashing people with the ‘rain’ a little too much.

Eleanor Brown, as aspiring actress and Lockwood's love interest Kathy Selden, was both feisty, lovable and vulnerable, and when the trio got together for Good Morning it was a joy to watch

Silent movie star and jealous diva Lina Lamont, was played with fabulously spiteful venom by Sarah Vezmar. Her purposely not-so-pitch-perfect performance had the audience in stitches with a brilliant off-pitch speaking and singing voice.

Completing a cast of just a dozen are Philip Stainer as studio boss RF Simpson, frustrated director Dexter played by Richard Colvin, Matthew James Hinchliffe as Rod, Barbara Hockaday as Zeda Zanders, Wendy Paver as Syd Philips , Helen Power as Dora Bailey and making her professional stage debut, Sally Cheng as Olga Mara.

The orchestra was led by musical director Richard Reeday, and the production, co-produced with New Vic Theatre, Newcastle-under-Lyme and Salisbury Playhouse, was directed by Elizabeth Newman.

Singin’ in the Rain will run until June 25 at the Octagon Theatre in Bolton.