Forecast: Rains in shifts, songs on lips
Season change draws nigh as with the West End revival of “Singing In The Rain” in Manila.
Season change draws nigh as with the West End revival of “Singing In The Rain” in Manila. Based on the 1952 legendary musical film of the same title starring Gene Kelly and Debbie Reynolds, “Singing In The Rain” tells the story of silver screen darlings Don Lockwood and Lina Lamont as they witness the transition from silent movies to ones that require them to talk, sing, and dance; while the off-screen romance between Lockwood and aspiring actress-singer Kathy Selden blossoms.
Lockwood and Selden are played by Grant Almirall and Bethany Dickson, respectively. The two are in Manila promoting the show, along with Steven van Wyk a.k.a. Lockwood’s comical sidekick, Cosmo Brown.
“We’re so lucky to step into the shoes of these iconic roles. It’s such a privilege. I keep on reminding myself and pinch myself that it’s actually happening. Yet along with that comes a huge challenge and it can be really daunting. There is a lot of pressure,” Dickson admits at a recent press conference.
She notes Reynolds has set the bar so high that it’s futile to even try and copy her. Instead, she will give a different reading of the role, which she hopes people will see as her own.
Almirall, who gets the nightly honor of recreating the musical’s signature number “Singin’ In The Rain,” believes the key to portraying Lockwood effectively lies in simply enjoying it.
“My character as Don Lockwood really was Gene Kelly. He was a movie star, he’s extremely charming, and wonderful to watch on stage. Those were all the principal characteristics of Don Lockwood.
“So in essence, it’s hard to say that I made it completely different from Gene Kelly because he’s so in his character. But at the end of the day, I try to make my own personality come through.”
Van Wyk is lucky to have a bit of room for improvisation. He reveals not actually auditioning for what he calls his “dream role” because he was offered the part in the course of teaching the musical’s choreography.
“My character is quite the comic relief in the show. I have to do improvisation... that’s why I can’t do the same thing every night, otherwise we won’t find the funny side (of the musical). At some point, I have to kinda play (on stage) because he’s a playful character. This is really fun.”
Those familiar with the classic movie would probably compare the stage adaptation to the film, but the actors disclose that some choreographies and theatricalities won’t be the same.
Still, expect a lot of rain and singing (of course!).
It will rain
The production has allocated what they call “The Splash Zone” for a one-of-a-kind experience for audience members in that they will be treated to generous amount of rain during some of the dance numbers.
“We drop 12,000 litres of water in the show. So that’s 12 tons of water that we drop on them over the course of two numbers – the first one being the iconic ‘Singin’ In The Rain,’ as done by Gene Kelly and they see it again in the finale because it would be such a shame not to,” shares resident rainmaker and technical director Richard Blacksell.
“We’re certainly, relatively, environmentally friendly,” he adds. “All of the water is UV-treated, sand-filtered, and chlorinated. Essentially, it’s the same machinery you would have in a swimming pool, except we’ve got it in the air.”
Live the moment
The show boils down to one message: “(It) means finding the joy in life no matter what the circumstances are,” says Van Wyk. “If you have something to hold on to, it doesn’t matter if it’s raining or what’s going on. The sun shines in your heart.”
Almirall, Dickson, and Van Wyk pretty much live by one of the most popular mantras today: YOLO (You Only Live Once).
Fresh from the highly successful run in Auckland, New Zealand, the trio are currently packed with schedules in the Asia Pacific region where they will hold series of theater tours from July until May next year. Despite sleepless nights, they always remind themselves to enjoy the journey.
Dickson says, “We left New Zealand on Sunday night and it was Grant’s birthday. So we had our final show and his birthday party (on the same night). And then I went home, had about three hours of sleep, packed my bags, and quickly rushed to Hong Kong, then we met the press in Hong Kong. The next day, (we) packed our bags, barely slept (again) and came here (in Manila).
“But we are laughing the whole time because we are so tired. But this is life. This is a ‘You Only Live Once’ trip. I don’t think I’d ever be visiting four countries in a span of a week. So this is life. This is really cool for us (to travel together) and we’re really good friends.”