arts & entertainment

milt thomas

Singin’ in the Rain was one of the most popular movies – not just musicals – of all time. Now it is well on its way to becoming one of the most popular Riverside Theatre shows of all time. It has everything you could ask for in a musical – singing, dancing, laughs, and believe it or not – rain!

The movie version came out in 1952 and was a top ten grossing film that year. The stage version premiered in 1983 and continues to be a hit with theater audiences every year.

Set in 1927, the story revolves around two silent film stars, Don Lockwood and Lina Lamont, who are soon to have their popularity tested in the studio’s first ‘talkie.’ The show opens as Don (Michael Starr in the Gene Kelly movie role) and Lina (Erica Lee Bigelow, Jean Hagen in the movie) attend the premiere of their latest silent film, The Royal Rascal, at Grauman’s Chinese Theatre. They are accompanied by Don’s close friend and collaborator, Cosmo Brown (Joe Capstick in the role created by Donald O’Connor).

Don tells about his childhood and rise to stardom, which appears to be just a publicity stunt. Another publicity stunt is their rumored romantic relationship. In reality, Lina believes it is true while Don barely tolerates her. That sets the stage for later developments.

To escape the mob scene at their premier, Don and Lina jump into a passing car driven by Kathy Selden (Sara Esty in the Debbie Reynolds role), an aspiring actress, who later plays a key role in the story. Don, Lina and Kathy then attend an after-party, hosted by Monumental Pictures’ CEO, R.F. Simpson (Steve Brady, Millard Mitchell in the movie version). R.F. shows a demonstration of talking pictures, which is considered by most people in the business just a passing fad. (Steve Brady as R.F. is familiar to Riverside audiences, appearing in six shows over the years, most often in key roles. His latest was last season’s Yankee Tavern.)

All performers were at the top of their game. A friend of Lina named Zelda is played by Mychal Phillips here, by Rita Moreno in the movie. The Woman in Green (Kelly Gleason) was Cyd Charisse in the film. Two local youngsters, Grant Pickering and Hudson Hirst, play Don and Cosmo as kids. Both had their start at Riverside Children’s Theatre.

In 1929, after Warner Brothers releases the first successful talkie, The Jazz Singer, R.F. decides Don and Lina’s next movie, The Dueling Cavalier, will also be a talkie. The problem of course is that silent film actors were famous for hamming it up while faking dialogue and now they will actually have to, well, act. They start taking elocution lessons and the comedy goes non-stop from there, especially dealing with Lina’s “unusual” speaking voice.

Those of you who saw the movie know the plot from this point, but for the sake of those who haven’t, I suggest you see the show.  Just know you will be treated to musical comedy at its best. The actors are amazing at singing and dancing – especially tap dancing, a staple of early musicals. It is actually thrilling to see the entire cast of 25, all tap dancing together, which drew a roar of applause as it was happening.

The actors also do quite a few physically demanding routines, jumping, falling, writhing around on the stage, almost knockabout comedy.                                                                              

Whether or not you saw the movie, you will certainly recognize the music. When Don falls for Kathy, he sings “You Were Meant for Me,” one of many hit songs in this show. Other familiar songs include “You Stepped Out of a Dream,” “All I Do is Dream of You,” “Make ‘Em Laugh,” and more. The signature song, “Singin’ In the Rain,” is performed by Starr exactly as you saw it in the movie – including a driving rainstorm! That drew gasps from the audience and is worth the very reasonable price of admission.

Another unusual highlight of this production is the use of filmed sequences involving Don and Lina, made to look like they are straight out of the 1920s. They only total 16 minutes of the show but required 16 hours to produce!

The musicians are excellent as usual at Riverside, performing in the traditional orchestra pit. Stagecraft is also executed with the utmost professionalism in almost two dozen different settings, numerous backdrops, rolling sets on and off stage, all done at a fast, seamless pace.

Singin’ in the Rain is bringing nothing but sunshine to the Stark Stage at Riverside Theatre. It is showing until March 21 with evening and matinee performances. Tickets start at $45. Tickets can be purchased by calling the Box Office at 772-231-6990 or online at www.riversidetheatre.com.