When 12,000 liters of rain pour, somebody is bound to get wet. And at “Singin’ in the Rain,” which is running at The Theatre at Solaire until Sept. 13, it isn’t just the cast members, it’s the audience too—at least the ones seated in the first three rows.
Audience members who snag seats in the Splash Zone will walk into the theater to find plastic ponchos waiting for them. But here’s an idea from the cast: Don’t wear it.
Bethany Dickson, who plays Kathy Selden in the show, said, “Don’t cover up, leave that poncho on the floor.”
Duane Alexander, who plays Don Lockwood, agrees. “Exactly. Maybe put your valuables in the poncho. I know when I go to a theme park and there’s a wet ride, I always make sure my cell phone is protected. You’re not going to get drenched… maybe. It depends on where you sit in the Splash Zone as well. Come here and have that experience of interacting with the cast and getting splashed, use your poncho sparingly and remember your fun time of getting wet with us in ‘Singin’ in the Rain.’”
Days before we spoke to the cast, we watched the show from the Splash Zone and, regrettably, chose to wear our poncho. That didn’t diminish the magic of the rain, though. As the downpour started, we had to stifle a squeal of delight.
“The rain is one of the stars of the show, you gotta make sure it works properly,” said resident director Anton Luitingh.
A dream
“Singin’ in the Rain” is the stage adaptation of the classic 1952 musical film starring Gene Kelly, Donald O’Connor and Debbie Reynolds.
“I don’t remember the first time I watched it but I remember the hundredth time,” said Bethany. “I watched it a lot growing up.”
“Playing this role in this show that we all grew up with has been sort of a dream. You’re an 8-year-old boy going, ‘I want to be like Gene Kelly,’ and here I am, a lot older than eight years old, 35, and getting to do that dream role,” said Duane.
The show transports audiences to 1920s Hollywood as it made the transition from silent films to talkies.
“It will never amount to a thing,” said the character Roscoe Dexter, shrugging off the idea of talking films as the audience laughed. He had no idea.
“Singin’ in the Rain” is cheeky, fun, laugh-out-loud hilarious and deliciously meta. Don and Kathy’s film versus theater argument had us chuckling.
The cast finds joy in being able to make people smile.
Steven van Wyk, who plays Cosmo Brown, said, “I like how happy it makes people. It makes us happy to do [it]… It’s such a feel-good [show]. You can just see the audience sitting there and smiling and laughing and I think there’s something nice about that. We live in a sort of post-World War reality and there’s darkness around us, but it’s nice to have this beautiful ray of sunshine.”
Bethany, who is luminous onstage, added, “It’s definitely such an incredible show to perform and it lifts people’s spirits, and to being able to do that is an honor.”
Challenges
The show poses challenges for Steven, Bethany and Duane, and singing (and dancing) in the rain is just one of them.
“They have the challenge of physical strain,” said Anton.
But for Taryn-Lee Hudson, who is hilarious and delightful as Hollywood bombshell Lina Lamont, the show is tough for other reasons. Because her character has an unfortunate voice, she has to screech her way through her performance.
“She has the challenge of vocal strain,” said Anton. “What’s difficult for her is completely different from what’s difficult for the trio, but they’re both very difficult.”
Taryn-Lee does it well, making the audience feel both excitement and dread each time she walks onstage.
“The secret to that role is to make it so that there’s a love-hate relationship between the audience and Lina… and Taryn-Lee’s got that down perfectly,” said Anton.
Filipino musicians
Six Filipino musicians play in the show’s orchestra every night: Paul Tadeo (reed 2: tenor sax, clarinet, flute), Glober Calambro (trumpet 1), Sylvester Aviñante (trumpet 2), Alejandro Fernandez (trombone), Leif Garret Concepcion (reed 3: clarinet, baritone sax, bass clarinet) and Jayson Rivera (reed 1: piccolo, flute, clarinet, alto sax).
Musical director Louis Zurnamer raved about the Filipino musicians, some of whom had also been part of Manila’s “Chicago” and “Wicked” orchestras.
“They play unbelievably well and I’m not just saying that. It’s very, very difficult music. And because they’re all so experienced, it makes all the difference. What I also find really interesting is so many of them come from a classical background, they have very big stamina. They can play for a very long time without getting tired. That’s crazy. Their stamina is quite remarkable. They work really really hard.”
The show’s cast and crew have been in the Philippines for a few weeks now and some of them have had the chance to explore. Duane said, “We have been to some of your very amazing malls, that’s been good. You have a lot of fantastic malls and we spend our days rummaging around those and having lunch here and dinner there and catching a movie here… But yeah, for me the standout thing for Manila at the moment are the people, the people are so lovely and friendly. I intend to see an island somewhere along the way, maybe Boracay. Soon.”
“I went to Puerto Galera. The natural beauty was quite astounding… the clear water. I went scuba diving and I saw sea turtles. I just thought that was amazing. But on top of that, it’s really the people who’ve made the Philippines such a special place, incredibly friendly and warm people,” said Steven.
Bethany agreed. “I think that’s really the thing that’s captured my heart since we’ve been here—the fact that the people are so friendly and sweet and loving and appreciative. It’s wonderful to feel that your work is appreciated in that way. It’s wonderful to be welcomed and to meet the people who live here. It’s been incredible.”
We asked how the Manila crowd differed from the other audiences they’ve performed for on this tour and the reply was quick. “They definitely laugh the loudest,” Steven said.