Old school, new cool

There’s been a chopper that has landed onstage, witches that defied gravity, a chorus of cats, even a disappearing Phantom. This time, prepare yourselves to get wet (the first four rows at least) when Singing in the Rain pours onstage at the Solaire Theater starting August 20.

Saw the smash hit musical during its Singapore run a few weeks before it premieres here in our shores. I never got to see that iconic movie musical that starred Gene Kelly and launched Debbie Reynolds, but we all know the song from the1952 song-and-dance classic —LSS-ing in my head as I write this.

The stage version starts splashy with a live coverage of a Hollywoodland red carpet premiere, complete with the paparazzi, the stars and the seduction of silent pictures. The story follows the saga of Monumental Pictures as it goes to a new era, from silent film to sound. The studio’s biggest star Lina Lamont has a voice fit only for muting, so leading man Don Lockwood must save their debut talkie by tapping the services of his lady love Kathy Selden. This may have been one of the best executions of a “dubbing session” ever seen onstage after Cyrano de Bergerac.

There is the love team, the diva, the secret “real love” of the leading man, the comical best friend of the lead, fickle fans, and the producers out to make their money. It perfectly illustrates and makes a parody of the smoke-and-mirrors industry that is show business. This is a musical about the Hollywood dream. 

MORE THAN JUST SHOWBIZ

Singing in the Rain has more than just showbiz in its reins~it’s an actual show that takes much skill, genius and creativity to mount. Translating this movie musical onto the stage and into our shores takes 11 40-foot containers with 23 cast members and a total of 50 traveling people, a stage deck that lights up with over 100,000 LED lights, three different show decks which are all waterproof for the 12,000 liters (of heated, filtered and re-treated) water that fall onstage in each performance, drenching the cast and audience (at the Splash Zone, with ponchos provided) for a wet experience at the theater. Think the big Hollywood version of local stage favorite Rak of Aegis.

Singing in the Rain has many unexpected highlights — upbeat choreography, a dreamy cabaret sequence, hilarious vintage cinema snippets and delightful performances. Duane Alexander’s Don Lockwood performs his tap and other dance sequences with balletic ease as he also doubles as the show’s dance captain. Talk about flexibility. Bethany Dickson’s Kathy Selden is an angel that lights up the stage each time she’s in it. Taryn-Lee Hudson’s Lina Lamont is a scene-stealing diva that gives the show its comedic twists and Steven Van Wyk’s Cosmo is a firecracker on the loose!

24 numbered, colored umbrellas are assigned to each member of the cast for every show for their big drenched dance number (NOT a spoiler) and waterproof microphones are used in the entire show.

But you must watch it not just for the spectacle, the choreography, the physical comedy, the inside look at the glitzbiz industry and the insight on the development of film. Watch it just to have a mighty good time at the theater, because it is what this musical has plenty to offer.

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Singing in the Rain at the Solaire Theater is on a limited run from Aug. 20 onwards. For tickets, call 891-9999 or go to ticketworld.com.ph. For more inside scoops on shows and events, follow @officialtimyap on twitter and Instagram.