THE FRIDAY FIVE: Boman, Delaney & Walker-Hill from SINGIN' IN THE RAIN

Inspired by BroadwayWorld.com's Friday Six, welcome to BroadwayWorld Nashville's latest installment of The Friday Five: five questions designed to help you learn more about the talented people you'll find onstage throughout the Volunteer state. This week the spotlight shines on Danny Boman, Jake Delaney and Katherine Walker Hill- the stars of Singin' in the Rain, opening tonight at Crossville's Cumberland County Playhouse, directed by Britt Hancock.

Danny Boman

What was your first taste of live theatre? My first taste of live theatre was dressing up in a Minnesota Twin's uniform in kindergarten and belting "Take Me Out To The Ball Game." There was a mitt involved. The crowd went wild/my parents.

What is your favorite pre-show ritual? In this show I have to stretch. A man in his 30s who plays a character who has to jump on and off chairs, flip over couches, and fall to the floor repeatedly must stretch... And reapply Band-Aids.

What's your most memorable "the show must go on" moment? At the ripe age of 23, I played a dancing fork in Beauty and the Beast and was forced to wear a blue lycra unitard with a gold bicycle helmet with a gigantic styrofoam fork glued on top of it. I had never felt more naked. One special performance I danced on stage in "Human Again" and I ran into a set piece only to see a styrofoam tine fall to the floor from my helmet! A piece of me fell off! The tine was a piece of my body as a dancing a fork! An appendage! I immediately decided to feel the pain a dancing fork would feel if his tine came off! I screamed, ran offstage, changed into an extra spoon helmet, and made my next entrance. Theatre magic!

What's your dream role? I have a bucket list of dream roles. I have already had the chance to play a couple but I have yet to play my number one, Seymour in Little Shop of Horrors.

Who's your theatrical crush? I'm in love with Harriet Harris. You can currently see her in It Shoulda Been You on Broadway.

Jake Delaney

What was your first taste of live theatre? My first taste of theatre was the kindergarten Spring Sing. My one line ("God loves me even when I pull my sisters' hair.") got a huge laugh and I was hooked.

What is your favorite pre-show ritual? My favorite pre-show ritual is interrupting Katherine Walker Hill's pre-show ritual. Knocking on her dressing room door while she's in the middle of preparing for a show and sitting and talking about our mornings reminds me that as long as we're out there together, the building could burn down around us and we'll be just fine.

What's your most memorable "the show must go on" moment? My favorite moment that I felt the "show must go on" would probably be when I was on tour with Fiddler on the Roof. We got to the venue and discovered that not a single set piece was able to fit through the venue's loading doors. We performed the entire 3-hour musical using only tables, chairs and milk cans. The feeling of the cast and crew rallying together to put on a brand new version of the show we had been performing for months, and the gratitude we felt from the audience in a small town in New Hampshire for doing so, is something that has stuck with me years later.

What's your dream role? I love new shows written in a classic style, so sitting at the top of my list of dream roles now would probably be Jimmy in Nice Work If You Can Get It.

Who's your theatrical crush? In no particular order, my talent crush(es) would be: Jessie Mueller, Stephanie J. Block, Megan Hilty, Sierra Boggess, Hadley Fraser and Steven Pasquale. All for very different reasons.

Katherine Walker Hill

What was your first "live onstage" taste of theater? My first live onstage taste of theatre was here at the Cumberland County Playhouse. I was five years old and I was cast as Molly in the musical, Annie. I still remember my audition, the excitement of getting cast, and the thrill of opening night.

What is your favorite pre-show ritual? My favorite pre-show ritual is prayer. To be able to do what I love every day is such a blessing and my heart is beyond full every night I step out onto that stage. Thanking my Heavenly Father for the opportunities he has given me is the least I can do for all he has given me.

What's your most memorable "the show must go on" moment? My most memorable "the show must go on" moment was opening night of a production I did of Little Shop of Horrors. The giant plant, Audrey 2, fell, opened mouthed, onto the front row of the audience. What can you do? You bevel and keep on belting!

What's your dream role? My dream roles are Maggie in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof and Esther in Meet Me in St. Louis. Fingers crossed!

Who's your theatrical crush? My theatrical crush is Jake Delaney. My best friend, my favorite scene partner, and the person I trust most in the world. Who could ask for anything more?

About the show: Cumberland County Playhouse announces the return of one of its most popular musicals, Singin' in the Rain. This stage adaptation of the beloved 1952 MGM film will star California natives and Playhouse newcomers Jake Delaney and Danny Boman as Don Lockwood and Cosmo Brown and Cumberland County native Katherine Walker Hill as ingénue Kathy Selden. Mr. Delaney most recently appeared in the national tours of The Addams Family and Fiddler on the Roof and Mr. Boman appeared in the national tours of My Fair Lady and Fiddler. Both actors also have extensive experience in regional theater. Ms. Walker Hill, who first appeared on the Playhouse stage at the age of five when she played Mollie in Annie, received her BFA in Musical Theatre from Webster Conservatory and has been working as a professional actress in New York for nine years.

"I'm thrilled to be able to come home to Cumberland County Playhouse and be part of its fiftieth anniversary," she said.

Director Britt Hancock said, "I'm very happy to be at the helm of this iconic musical after playing the role of Don Lockwood in CCP's 2006 production. And I'm delighted to announce that some of the advanced tappers from our Triple Threat Education Program will be part of choreographer Leila Nelson's spectacular tap routines."

Associate Producing Director Bryce McDonald added, "Singin' in the Rain is always a crowd pleaser. It has a great story, a great score, wonderful characters, glamorous period sets and costumes... and, of course, it actually rains on stage!"

Singin' in the Rain is set in the Roaring Twenties when handsome, dashing Don Lockwood and his glamorous co-star Lina Lamont were the brightest stars in Hollywood. But times change, and 1927's advent of "talking pictures" caused the crash of careers and fortunes, as audiences quickly lost interest in silent films and many of their stars. Some stars thrived and new careers were born. The MGM film endures as "America's best movie musical" (according to the American Film Institute) because of its story of hope, resilience and the power of love and friendship to see us through tough times. That spirit shines through the stage adaptation, along with the razor-sharp comedy, sweet romance and the hit parade of unforgettable songs like "Singin' in the Rain," "Good Morning," and "Make 'Em Laugh."

Rounding out the cast are Leila Nelson as Lina Lamont, Bobby Taylor as producer R.F. Simpson and Jason Ross as director Roscoe Dexter, along with Playhouse favorites Daniel Black, John Dobbratz, Carol Irvin, Lindsey Mapes, Lauren Marshall, Michael Ruff, Caitlin Schaub and Chaz Sanders. Singin' in the Rain opens April 24 on the Mainstage, runs through July 12.

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