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“All singin’, all dancin’, all splashin’!” is my description of CLO’s Singin’ in the Rain, the stage-musical version of the MGM classic about the birth of the Hollywood talkie.
All splashin’? Yes, indeed: There’s a thunderstorm happening right on stage at the Benedum. In a scene lifted from the movie, and presented as the first-act finale, the curtain rises to reveal a 1920s street. David Elder starts singing the title tune, and thousands of gallons of water began showering the stage.
Elder, the epitome of the suave performer, recreates Kelly’s iconic number with help from director and choreographer Linda Goodrich. And the rain it raineth for a good 10 minutes.
And the audience went nuts! They cheered when the set came into view, they cheered when Elder started singing, and they almost stroked out when — in a reconstruction of the movie’s most famous image — he jumped up onto the lamppost, with his face turned toward the deluge.
And then, at intermission, a fleet of stagehands came out and spent 15 minutes mopping up the floor. (Though the set, by Michael Anania, is designed to collect the water, physics being what it is, there was plenty still on the ground.)
Other scenes were recrafted with loving hands. Elder, Cary Tedder and a very charming Mary Michael Patterson turn in an enjoyable “Good Mornin’.” And Tedder couldn’t have been a bigger crowd-pleaser with “Make ‘Em Laugh.” In fact, Elder, Patterson and Tedder are astonishing dancers, as is Kristine Bendul. Their performances are even more impressive when you consider that they’re doing in “one take” what originally took weeks to film.
It may seem that, for a theater review, I’m invoking the movie an awful lot. Believe me, it’s nothing compared to what the musical itself does. This is a show with only one purpose: to recreate famous movie scenes and numbers on stage.
I’m not sure what the theatrical purpose of that is. Is a movie the highest to which a play can aspire? But I am in the decided minority. The audience loved it … and the more like the film it was, the more they applauded. Good for them, but haven’t they ever heard of Netflix?
This article appears in Jun 4-10, 2014.
This musical isn’t just based on a movie, it’s based on a true classic. I started tearing up when the title song began, remembering watching the movie for the first time with my Grandma (who passed away last year.) Sitting on her living room floor, watching that 19 inch tv set was my intro to Kelly & he’s been my favorite male performer ever since. The songs & dance numbers feel like old friends. Seeing these elements live, after all those viewings on small screens evokes a lot of emotion via peoples’ memories. Some theatregoers can even recall seeing the movie in it’s original release. It’s pretty powerful to be transported back in time! It’s a shame Mr. Hoover doesn’t relate or realize that.
This reviewer needs to brush up on his Pittsburgh-related entertainment info. The Singin’ in the Rain song from the MGM movie was shot in ONE TAKE. It took a lot longer to set it up than it did to shoot it. Kelly accomplished this singing & dancing masterpiece under falling water, all while suffering from a cold. He also ad-libbed many of the lyrics. The performers in the show last night were great, but they can’t come close to the likes of Kelly. Even if this reviewer doesn’t know that, I’m sure they do.