Let a Smile be Your Umbrella

Singin' in the Rain

Based on the MGM Film (Original choreography by Gene Kelly and Stanley Donen)Screenplay by Betty Comden and Adolph Green, Songs by Nacio Herb Brown and Arthur Freed; Director/Choreographer, Jayme McDaniel; Musical Director, Matthew Smedal; Costume Design, Gregory A. Popyk; Production Stage Manager, Randy Lawson; Associate Choreographer, Seth Hoff; Lighting Design, Richard Latta; Sound Design, Adam Rigby; Hair Design, Jennifer Kucera; Certain Scenery Designed by Michael Anania; Film Sequences by Video Creations; Scenery and Props leased through courtesy of Reagle Players, Waltham MA and the 5^th Avenue Theatre, Seattle WA

Starring: Amanda Lea LaVergne (Kathy Selden), Jon Peterson (CosMo Brown), Joey Sorge (Don Lockwood)

Featuring: Amy Bodnar (Lina Lamont), Peter Marinos (Roscoe Dexter), William McCauley (R.F. Simpson), Celia Tackaberry (Phoebe Dinsmore/Dora Bailey)

ENSEMBLE: Blair Best, Kelley Bradshaw, Scott Brateng, Lindsay Devino, Buddy Flowers, Tim Hackney, Elaine Hayhurst, Michael Joyce, Julia Lopez, Laura Leitheiser, Lindsay Luppino, Christopher Noffke, Benjie Randall, Mahri Relin, Kristyn Pope, Molly Thomas, Alan M-L Wager, Eddie Zitka

Performances through September 12 at Ogunquit Playhouse

Box Office 207-646-5511 or www.ogunquitplayhouse.org

The weather report calls for blistering heat and unlimited sunshine, but it's raining inside the air-conditioned Ogunquit Playhouse for the next severAl Weeks as they present the stage version of the beloved 1952 MGM movie Singin' in the Rain. With witty repartée by the renowned team of Betty Comden and Adolph Green, a song lineup that doesn't quit, and black and white film sequences interspersed with live action, there are showers of laughs and downpours of toe-tapping moments in the forecast for the run of the show.

Set within the late 1920s time frame of the birth of "talkies," the story is of the familiar "boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy gets girl" genre, and the measures taken by one studio to quickly convert from silent to talking pictures. Singin' in the Rain provides a fun, behind the scenes peek into the world of Hollywood, from the famous Graumann's Chinese Theatre, to a glitzy premiere party, to a soundstage during shooting. Don Lockwood and Lina Lamont are the stars who appear larger than life on the silver screen and draw the adoring crowds; CosMo Brown is Lockwood's childhood chum who handles the musical accompaniment for the silent films; and Kathy Selden is the ingenue trying to break into the business who sings like a nightingale. They have a good thing going until the first feature-length talkie The Jazz Singer does boffo box office and Monumental Pictures must scramble to compete.

Don and Cosmo come to the rescue of the studio when they convert the silent Dueling Cavalier into the musical The Dancing Cavalier. As was the case with many movie stars at the time, Lina finds herself having to take voice and diction lessons to try to maintain her livelihood. Don sees an opportunity for Kathy to dub Lina's voice and make a name for herself, but Lina isn't keen on the idea, especially when she realizes that the romance is heating up between Kathy and Don. She does her best to sabotage things with some legal maneuvers, but good triumphs over evil when Lina gets her comeuppance and everyone else lives happily ever after.

The narrative is sweet and innocent, albeit dated, which contributes to a sensation of plodding through the first act where the relationships are established and most of the exposition happens. Fortunately, eight of the thirteen scenes contain Nacio Herb Brown/Arthur Freed musical numbers that are either lively or lovely - or both - and the pace picks up decidedly whenever the singing and dancing begin. The highlights include "Make 'Em Laugh," "Moses Supposes," "Good Mornin'," and the iconic rain dance that concludes act one. The second act has only four scenes, including the "Broadway Rhythm/The Broadway Ballet" dance sequence that represents the movie they are producing, and a wonderful finale with the ensemble in high rubber boots and bright yellow rain regalia, toting red umbrellas for their slosh through the title song.  

The three principals in the cast have abilities that match them to their roles and share comfortable chemistry as a trio. Amanda Lea LaVergne sings beautifully and seems to be channeling Debbie Reynolds with her feisty enthusiasm as Kathy Selden.  When her character auditions for the studio boss, she gets the job and wins over the audience. As silent film heartthrob Don Lockwood, Joey Sorge has matinee idol good looks and his vocals are effortless. Jon Peterson displays crisp comic timing as sidekick CosMo Brown and excels in the hoofing department. Simultaneously charming and child-like in his solo replication of Donald O'Connor's shenanigans in "Make 'Em Laugh," Peterson has star quality that draws all eyes to him, even in his dance pairings with the other two.

Amy Bodnar brings life to the screechy-voiced Lamont, Lockwood's constant co-star and on-screen paramour. She makes a nice transition from the simple, cartoonish "dumb blonde" to the vindictive, all-business, nobody's fool. Although she has one solo ("What's Wrong with Me" in the second act), it is difficult to discern Bodnar's true voice as it is camouflaged in service to Lina. William McCauley is wonderfully blustery and dim as studio head R.F. Simpson, and Celia Tackaberry is colorful in dual roles as a gossip columnist and voice instructor. Many members of the talented and energetic ensemble play supporting parts, but the dulcet tones of Benjie Randall are deserving of special mention as the Production Tenor who sings "Beautiful Girl," and lithe Mahri Relin weaves a spell in "The Broadway Ballet" fantasy.

Director/Choreographer Jayme McDaniel lovingly recreates the original choreography of Gene Kelly and Stanley Donen and artistically maneuvers the large cast on a set that is said to be one of the largest and heaviest ever put on the Ogunquit Playhouse stage. Musical Director Matthew Smedal leads a corps of six musicians who provide a full sound that belies their small number. Unfortunately, the amplification system is less kind to the human voice and the actors sound canned, more so when speaking than singing, but it is jarring. It didn't seem as bad after intermission, but maybe I was used to it.

Gregory A. Poplyk's costume designs and the scenery on loan from the Reagle Players of Waltham, MA add immeasurably to the feeling that we've gone for a ride in the "way back machine" to an era of elegance and art deco. Some of Richard Latta's lighting designs give extra pop to the costumes, especially in "Fit as a Fiddle" and "Temptation Tango." For those who are conversant with the movie, you'll recognize the staging and props used in many of the songs, such as a brick wall, a sofa, and a lamp post. Local film producers Lee Cote and Blake Baldwin of Video Creations are responsible for the projections on a drop-down screen that bring to life the Lockwood/Lamont vehicles The Royal Rascal and The Dueling Cavalier. Biggest kudos to Director of Production Robert Levinstein and The Playhouse production team for figuring out the mechanics of making it rain on stage without getting the audience wet! This is a massive undertaking and a job well done.

Singin' in the Rain has a lot going for it, not the least of which is a barrel full of memorable music. Even if it's not a rainy day, it's worth your while and you might just find yourself singing and dancing as you exit The Playhouse. For my money, that's what summer theatre is all about.

Photo: Joey Sorge

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

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