BWW Previews: New Jersey Symphony Orchestra set to make a 'splash' with POPS Series 'Singin' in the Rain'

There are few movies that evoke iconic imagery. This is just the case with the 1952 musical comedy "Singin' in the Rain." After all, who is not familiar with the charming and legendary Gene Kelly dancing through the streets and jumping in puddles while, well, singing in the rain?

Just as there are few movies that become classics, there are even fewer that produce a song, much less a complete soundtrack, that has become so engrained in pop culture. With this in mind, it comes as no surprise that "Singin' in the Rain" was chosen as the next movie to be showcased as part of New Jersey Symphony Orchestra's (NJSO) POPS Series.

As part of this series, NJSO lends live accompaniment to the screening of an iconic movie. Past POPS Series movies include "The Wizard of Oz" and "Casablanca," among others.

"The Singin' in the Rain program brings back the best part of nostalgia," NJSO President and CEO James Roe said.

"The POPS Series is just fun," he continued. "It's a great time. It showcases our amazing musicians."

From the aptly titled "Singin' in the Rain" to the fun and exciting "Make 'Em Laugh" to the romantic and beautifully interpreted "You Were Meant For Me," attendees will revel in these songs and the rest of the musical numbers as the exceptional orchestral ensemble performs them while the remastered film is projected.

According to Roe, presenting the film in this format required technology that took out the film's orchestral pieces while leaving behind its dialogue and vocals.

Conductor Constantine Kitsoupolos, who will lead the orchestra during the program, said that the concerts will allow music lovers to enjoy pop classics while seeing an orchestra in a different light and not just as a means for solely classical music.

According to Kitsoupolos, it is important for orchestras to take part in pop music interpretations because they are just as significant as classical pieces.

"What is generally performed in the POPS Series is pop music, which is really American music," he said. "It is important to keep it going and keep it going in the business."

"Singin' in the Rain" is an entertaining depiction of Hollywood in the late 1920s, with Kelly, Debbie Reynolds and Donald O'Conner portraying performers caught up in the transition from silent films to "talkies."

NJSO's "Singin in the Rain" concerts will take place on Saturday, Feb. 7 and Sunday, Feb. 8 at New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark at 8 p.m. and the State Theatre in New Brunswick at 3 p.m.

For more information or to purchase tickets, contact NJSO at www.njsymphony.org or at 1800-ALLEGRO.

Photo Credit: Emily Coladz, The Grand Rapids Press, Copyright 2008. Photo courtesy of New Jersey Symphony Orchestra