I didn’t know much about the now-classic 1952 film Singin’ In The Rain. I knew it had the song ‘Singin’ In The Rain’ in it, and possibly another song, but that was about it.
So going into the musical based on the number 1 rated film from the American Film Institute’s Greatest Movie Musicals was an education for me.
I knew there would be singing.
I knew there would be dancing.
I knew there would be rain.
I just didn’t expect there to be so many laughs, claps and the widest smile from the joy that is the production.
Singin’ In The Rain tells the tale of Don Lockwood (Grant Almirall), the ‘George Clooney’ of Silent Film stars so to speak.
Walking in a world where he can’t be touched, with long time friend and collaborator Cosmo Brown (Steven Van Wyk) by his side, Lockwood finds love in Kathy Selden (Bethany Dickson) as his world and celebrity starts to yield to the invention of the ‘Talkie’ (or what we now know as modern movies!).
Littered with musical numbers you would have inadvertently heard through any amount of media (representative of the film’s place in pop culture), numbers like the title of the musical, along with Good Mornin’ and Make ‘Em Laugh will have you “ohh’ing” and “ahh’ing” as you recollect hearing them, bringing to surface a certain nostalgia that makes you not only smile at how far we’ve come, but also of these simpler times.
Floating through the decade of the 1920’s, it brings with it a gorgeous wardrobe of well-fitted suits, wonderful dresses and luxurious gowns. The Vaudeville movement pops up, it so lovingly glanced at with classical instruments and pinstripe coats. The production never lets up in capturing as much of the early 1900’s as it could, with a set that transforms between ‘Industry & Streets’ to ‘Hollywood Glam’ (and don’t forget the fact that it LITERALLY rains on-stage!).
The leads of Almirall, Dickson and Van Wyk command the stage with remarkable dexterity, breathtaking stamina and swoon-inducing vocals that capture you for the entirety of the production.
A strong supporting cast and ensemble help bring a life and harmony to these olden times, with Taryn Lee Hudson a stand-out as “villainess” Lina Lamont.
As the final rain drop falls and the cast bid the audience farewell, you’ll walk out with a smile and soul so giddy that if it were raining outside, I think you’d find it hard to not run around in it.
