Reflections: What SINGIN' IN THE RAIN Lacks in Star Power, It Makes Up for In Extended Scenes, Live Spectacle

Manila, Philippines -- When compared to SUNSET BOULEVARD, (orig. film: 1950; West End premiere: 1993), which follows the same classic film-to-stage pedigree as SINGIN' IN THE RAIN (orig. film: 1952; West End premiere: 1983) and tackles the same dilemma of making the transition from silent films to talkies in the 1920s - albeit of psychological melodrama in genre compared to the latter's rollicking parody - SUNSET BOULEVARD had big stars of stage and screen who headlined the West End and Broadway productions, namely Patti LuPone, Glenn Close, and Elaine Paige who played the faded silent movie star Norma Desmond. SINGIN' IN THE RAIN did not delve into such stunt casting from the onset - unless you consider Tommy Steele, who originated the role of Don Lockwood in the West End, as big as Elvis Presley or Gene Kelly, the silver screen's original Lockwood.

Well, probably, that's it: Kelly, who originally sang and danced the role of Lockwood, one of Hollywood's biggest silent film stars whose humble beginnings were vaudeville double acts, made the role (who can ever forget those beautiful, carefree wide smiles of Kelly's Lockwood) and the whole singing and dancing sequence in the rain so iconic that no other actor could ever duplicate the aura of the original - there seems no point casting another big star for any of the original film's offshoots.

But that doesn't mean that (non-musical) SUNSET BOULEVARD original film actress Gloria Swanson's take on Desmond was not iconic at all (who can ever forget those chilly lines: "All right, Mr. DeMille, I'm ready for my close-up.") In the film, Swanson - who was a fine singer in real life - didn't have vocally-demanding Andrew Lloyd Webber songs to sing though, which LuPone, Close, and Paige had to belt out in character in their respective turns as the eerily desperate screen legend. We suppose it's simply just futile to pit a non-musical against a musical pursuit in the area of casting.

Nevertheless, for what the screen-to-stage adaptations of SINGIN' IN THE RAIN from 1983 to its latest international touring production - courtesy of the 2012 London revival of the musical that toured Wellington and Auckland, New Zealand several months ago, and is set to run in Manila, Philippines starting August 20 - lacks in star power, it makes up for in casting infectiously exuberant triple threats; working on one of the most faithful books and libretti that's based on a classic movie musical; and putting to use a 12,000-liter tank of water to create rain-like water to pour down and turn center stage into a rain-soaked public square.

Maybe not marquee names yet, but Grant Almirall* and Duane Alexander, who alternate in the lead role of Lockwood; Bethany Dickson, who plays wannabe Hollywood actress Kathy Selden (Debbie Reynolds in the film); Steven van Wyk, who plays Lockwood's former vaudeville double act partner-turned-studio musician Cosmo Brown (Donald O'Connor in the film); and Taryn-Lee Hudson, who plays the soon-to-be unemployed silent film star Lina Lamont (Jean Hagen in the film) fully realize these iconic roles like celluloid film images from the original movie bursting into three-dimensional life on stage at Civic Theatre in Auckland, where we first saw SINGIN' IN THE RAIN as a full-blown musical theater production.

In the show, these actors do somewhat the same physical comedy in musical numbers, also featured in the film, such as "Make 'Em Laugh" and "Fit As A Fiddle"; re-enact the ridiculously funny pastische of Lockwood and Lamont's non-musical-turned-musical starrer "The Dueling Cavalier," replete with heavy white make-up , Elizabethan upper class fashion, and tall wigs; and similar to the screen-to-stage adaptation of SUNSET BOULEVARD, deliver verbatim most of the dialogues from the movie, which, in this case, were written by the Broadway writing tandem of Betty Comden and Adolph Green.

Chichester Festival Theatre Artistic Director Jonathan Church, who directed this production of SINGIN' IN THE RAIN, forewarned everybody who's been involved in the production that "copying the movie is deadly; capturing the film's spirit should be everyone's goal instead."

"Capturing the film's spirit is not a tangible thing; but the piece in itself captures the spirit of the movie, anyway," said Almirall in a sit-down interview with BroadwayWorld.com. "It's just there: the script is almost the same as the movie except for a few scenes in the show."

As a matter of fact, SINGIN' IN THE RAIN is a carefully staged homage to one of the greatest American films of all-time (BBC Culture, 2015). It's actually like a travel back in time revisiting some of the most unforgettable dialogues and scenes from the landmark motion picture plus more, such as the extended dance sequences "The Broadway Ballet," also known as "Broadway Rhythm" - a flash forward big dance sequence from the final cut of "The Dueling Cavalier" - and, of course, the title song, where there's real water pouring down and flooding the stage not done only once, but twice-choreographed by British director-choreographer Andrew Wright.

But if you'd ask us, our personal favorite part of the show is the vaudeville showstopper "Beautiful Girl," charismatically performed by Kenneth Meyer, who donned a white pilot outfit in the style of Frank Abagnale in CATCH ME IF YOU CAN, together with the female chorus, including Dickson's Selden, who were sporting body hugging American flag tops and shorts. Politically incorrect by today's standards, that particular scene in SINGIN' IN THE RAIN satirizes the old Hollywood studio system (which was the whole point of the original film), especially the stereotypical role of women in early Hollywood cinema that's glossed over by a dream-like song and dance number: teeming with Nacio Herb Brown and Arthur Freed's overly romantic music and lyrics, a huge biplane set piece on stage, and lots of theatrical smoke and fog.

SINGIN' IN THE RAIN will be brought to Manila by David Atkins Enterprises, the Michael Cassel Group, Concertus Manila, Dainty Group, and Lunchbox Theatrical Productions. Produced by Stage Entertainment and Chichester Festival Theatre, SINGIN' IN THE RAIN will play The Theatre at Solaire Resort and Casino (ASEANA Avenue, Paranaque, Metro Manila) starting Aug. 20. For tickets (starting at PhP1,500), call (632)891-9999 or visit ticketworld.com.ph.

*Grant Almirall has suffered an injury and will be unable to perform in Manila; the role of Don Lockwood will be played by Duane Alexander, who is also the show's dance captain.

Video: Donald O'Connor plays Cosmo Brown in the 1952 film SINGIN' IN THE RAIN

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