Review: SINGIN' IN THE RAIN at Des Moines Playhouse

On March 14, 2020, after only two performances, Des Moines Playhouse made the difficult decision to postpone their spring production of "Singin' In the Rain." At the time, they didn't realize that COVID-19 would force them to cancel their show. I was fortunate enough to attend the second performance of their glorious production. Two years later, "Singin In The Rain" returned to the Playhouse stage on March 25, with many of the same cast and production team from two years before. So I was excited to be able to return to this glorious production on March 30 as they kicked off their second week of performances.

If this is your first time seeing "Singin' in the Rain," the show is a musical by Betty Comden and Adolph Green with songs by Nacio Herb Brown and Arthur Freed. It tells the story of Hollywood as the switch from silent pictures to talking pictures. Monumental Productions is getting ready to make their latest movie when they find out how successful the talking pictures are, and they decide to change it to a talking picture. They quickly find out that there is a problem. One of their stars, Lina Lamont, doesn't have the most appealing voice. How will they fix this problem? That you will have to attend the show to find out.

One of the fun parts about seeing this production again, after a two-year intermission, was picking up on things I had missed before. One of my favorite things I picked up on was how the show felt as though the whole show was being done on a Hollywood set. Part of the way this was done was by having actor's/crew members come on in costume to change set pieces. Another way this is done is later in the show, was the audience becomes people watching the film get made, and the action takes place around them. All of this ties together under the almost fanciful vision of director Erin Horst. She returned to recreate the 2020 production.

I also loved getting to see the elements that made this show stand out again as it did in 2020, such as the beautiful set designed by Teena Sauvola, which wonderfully captures the elegance of Hollywood. The gorgeous costumes by Angela Lampe bring pops of color throughout the evening. I still think, two years later, that "Beautiful Girl" has some of the most elegant costumes seen on stage and that "Broadway Melody" gives the show a beautiful pop of color.

The story told through Virgil Kleinhesselink's lighting was a fun surprise for me. Usually, when we think of lighting, we think of fancy lighting effects or colorful washes of light. With this production, it's was a subtler change that stood out to me. I appreciated that there was noticeably different lighting for the scenes when they were filming the "movie" within the show and the scenes that were part of the musical we were seeing.

There are so many aspects of the show that will bring a joyous smile to audiences. For me, one of those is the glorious orchestra under the direction of Brenton Brown. From the moment the tympani started the overture, I couldn't help but smile and take in the beautifully blended orchestra. Words can't describe the magic a live orchestra brings to a show.

While there were some casting changes for this production, I was delighted to see so many people returning, especially the leads that made the 2020 production a delight to watch. Charlie Reese as Don Lockwood and James Kolnik as Cosmo Brown return to their roles. They bring back the charm their characters had in the 2020 production. From the moment they come out for "Fit as a Fiddle," you see how well both of them play off of each other. It gi s that sense of lifelong friendship referred to in the story. The c t also features Stephanie Schneider as Kathy Seldon and Maggie Schmitt as Lina Lamont. Both are returning from the 2020 production, reprising their same roles. The cast is rounded out with a strong ensemble of 18, with roles of various sizes.

After a long, two-year wait, I am so excited audiences can see the glorious production I was able to catch in 2020. Revising this production brought a glorious feeling that only live theatre can bring. Each piece of this production beautifully comes together to deliver a show worth the two-year wait. To find out more about this production or purchase tickets, visit https://www.dmplayhouse.com/events/singin-in-the-rain-2/.

Review was written by DC Felton
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