Spring show by Vaud-Villities celebrates all kinds of weather

Everyone talks about the weather, but during its 76th annual spring variety show, VaudVillities performers will sing and dance about it.

“Blue Skies,” directed by Artistic Director Johnny Steiner, will open Thursday at Northland Performing Arts Center.

“Since we can’t escape the weather, we should make the best of it — like Gene Kelly did in ‘Singin’ in the Rain,’” Steiner said.

For the first VaudVillities show with a weather theme, Steiner researched a vast musical catalog to select 29 seasonal songs to restage — including Irving Berlin’s title song and Kelly’s signature solo dance, jazzily restaged with 10 women singing and dancing in raincoats.

“There’s a wealth of music referencing sunshine, storms and seasons. We could do seven hours of rain songs alone,” he said.

Among the songs to be performed include “Fire and Rain,” “A Foggy Day,” “Here Comes the Sun,” “I Got the Sun in the Morning,” “It’s a What: Who:

Where: Contact: 614-262-7469, vvshows.org Showtimes: 7:30 p.m. Thursday and Friday; 2:30 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday; and 2:30 p.m. Sunday Tickets: $25, or $20 for senior citizens, $15 for students, $10 for ages 6 to 16; free for age 5 and younger

Sunshine Day,” “It’s a Lovely Day Today,” “Love and the Weather,” “Rain, Rain, Beautiful Rain,” “Rockin’ With the Rhythm of the Rain,” “Seasons of Love,” “Snow,” “Stormy Weather,” “Thunder,” “Voice on the Wind” and “Walking on Sunshine.”

“You’re never sure what you’re going to get or in what order, because it’s a variety show like on TV in the 1960s and 1970s,” Steiner said.

As always, the revue highlights male, female and combined choruses.

“Vaud-Villities grew out of a chorus at First Community Church in Upper Arlington, and that focus has kept the show grounded in choral singing,” Steiner said.

The combined chorus will mimic ukulele sounds in an a cappella arrangement of “Over the Rainbow,” based on a Hawaiian version of the song.

“It’s so simple but so poignant,” Steiner said.

The show will end with “Africa,” a 1982 Toto hit known for its refrain “I bless the rains down in Africa.”

“The chorus will begin by mimicking a rain storm,” Steiner said.

“They do that by rubbing their hands together … tapping their fingers on their palms and then going heavier. All 148 performers doing that will sound like rain in the distance.”

This will be the 50th Vaud-Villities production for Scott Gettinger.

“I never thought I’d be in it that long,” said Gettinger, 68, who joined the troupe in 1969. “It’s been so much fun, and I’ve met so many friends and great performers over the decades.”

In “A Fella With an Umbrella,” Gettinger will sing the lead backed by 10 women.

“In this song from the film ‘Easter Parade,’ the guy is hoping to find a girl who can share his umbrella … and maybe fall in love,” Gettinger said.

Gettinger also will appear in “It Happened in Sun Valley,” a 21-person number about skiing through the snow.

“We all have ski poles and have to act like we’re skiing down different slopes,” he said.

Ardin Applegarth, 55, has performed with VaudVillities since 2013.

“I enjoy the whole process of learning what we’re going to be singing,” she said.

She will appear in the title number, plus “It Happened in Sun Valley,” “It’s Raining Men” and “Steam Heat.”

Applegarth and other performers began rehearsing in February.

“It takes a lot of time, but being in Vaud-Villities is one of my favorite things to do,” she said.

“We’re just everyday people with everyday jobs who like to perform and sing. … Most people tell me that I look like I’m having fun.”

“Blue Skies” Vaud-Villities Productions Northland Performing Arts Center, 4411 Tamarack Blvd.