Singin' in the Rain (musical)
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| Singin' in the Rain | |
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| Original Cast Recording | |
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| Music | Nacio Herb Brown |
| Lyrics | Arthur Freed |
| Book | Betty Comden Adolph Green |
| Based upon | 1952 film Singin' in the Rain |
| Productions | 1983 West End 1985 Broadway |
Singin' in the Rain is a musical with a book by Betty Comden and Adolph Green, lyrics by Arthur Freed, and music by Nacio Herb Brown.
Adapted from the 1952 movie of the same name, the plot closely adheres to the original. Set in Hollywood in the waning days of the silent screen era, it focuses on romantic lead Don Lockwood, his sidekick Cosmo Brown, aspiring actress Kathy Selden, and Lockwood's leading lady Lina Lamont, whose less-than-dulcet vocal tones make her an unlikely candidate for stardom in talking pictures.
The West End production, directed by Tommy Steele and choreographed by Peter Gennaro, opened on June 30, 1983 at the London Palladium, where it ran for two years and three months. The original cast included Steele as Don, Roy Castle as Cosmo, Danielle Carson as Kathy, and Sarah Payne as Lina.
The original film's vocal score was embellished with additional tunes by Comden, Green, and Roger Edens, Dorothy Fields and Jimmy McHugh, George and Ira Gershwin, Johnny Mercer and Richard Whiting, and Cole Porter.
After 38 previews, a dramatically revamped Broadway production, directed and choreographed by Twyla Tharp, opened on July 2, 1985 at the George Gershwin Theatre, where it ran for 367 performances. The cast included Don Correia as Don, Mary D'arcy as Kathy, Peter Slutsker as Cosmo, and Faye Grant as Lina.
The highlight of both productions was the recreation of the film's title tune sequence, complete with an on-stage rain shower.
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[edit] Synopsis
Don Lockwood is a silent film star with humble roots as a musician, dancer and stunt man. Don barely tolerates his vapid leading lady, Lina Lamont, who is convinced that their screen romance is real. After the first talking picture, The Jazz Singer, proves to be a smash hit, the head of the studio, R. F. Simpson, decides he has no choice but to convert the new Lockwood and Lamont film, The Dueling Cavalier, into a talkie. The production is beset with difficulties, by far the worst being Lina's comically grating voice.
After a disastrous test screening, Don's best friend, Cosmo Brown, comes up with the idea to overdub Lina's voice and they convince Simpson to turn The Dueling Cavalier into The Dancing Cavalier, a musical comedy film. Meanwhile, Don falls in love with an aspiring actress, Kathy Selden, who is providing the voice for Lina. When Lina finds out, she is furious and does everything possible to sabotage the romance. She maliciously demands that Kathy continue to provide her voice in all future films, but remain uncredited. An irate, but desperate Simpson is forced to agree; Kathy has no choice because she is under contract.
The premiere is a tremendous success. When the audience clamors for Lina to sing live, Don and Cosmo improvise and get Lina to lip-synch while Kathy sings into a second microphone while hidden behind the curtain. Unbeknownst to Lina, as she starts "singing", Don, Cosmo and Simpson gleefully raise the curtain behind her, revealing the deception. Kathy becomes a star, and Lina is finished.
[edit] Broadway song list
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[edit] Awards and nominations
- Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical (nominee)
- Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical (Correia, nominee)
- Theatre World Award (Grant, winner)
- Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical (Grant, nominee)
- Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Choreography (nominee)
- Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Special Effects (winner)
