Review: SINGIN' IN THE RAIN a Delightful Downpour at Beef And Boards

If you enjoy the old Hollywood, the one full of glamour and beautiful people and genuinely great dancing, then SINGIN' IN THE RAIN is all of that-plus a healthy dose of humor! SINGIN' IN THE RAIN is a musical theater classic and therefore a mite intimidating to take on because expectations will be so high. But at Beef & Boards, they do not shy away from that challenge and instead meet it head on.

Celeste:

The story centers around a highly amusing love triangle made of two silent film stars, one of quality and one of questionable intelligence, and a chorus girl with gumption. This creates many opportunities to pit these personalities against one another as their tug of war comes to a head.

Don Lockwood, the leading man with two potential leading ladies, is played with gusto by Timothy Ford. He is charming and suave but also to the point when telling his co-star Lina Lamont that their love story is as fictitious as the films they star in. Ford is also an excellent dancer. SINGIN' IN THE RAIN calls for quite a bit of dexterous tapping, but that does not deter Don as he sings and dances through rain and the trials of love.

Kathy Selden disrupts Don and Lina's world when she saunters in with high ideals about what a true performer is. She is portrayed by Kimberly Doreen Burns with much poise and ease. Kathy is a perfect counter-character to Lina. Burns has a crystal clear tone, and her body language clearly communicates that Kathy is a force to be reckoned with, a true lady.

In all of this singing and dancing, it's a little surprising to say that a real stand-out presence on the stage was Sarah Hund as Lina Lamont. Her unfortunate lack of speaking and singing skills are a recipe for hilarity throughout the production. Her strident voice, flirtatious attitude, and vacant looks make her a joy to watch. In fact, even without speaking, Hund makes Lina very obviously a blonde with a lack of brains.

Dylan:

Even though the movie is consistently thought of as one of the greatest movie musicals ever created, the stage version received highly critical feedback when it reached Broadway in 1985. The Broadway debut five years earlier of "42nd Street," based on a 1933 Busby Berkeley extravaganza, had fared much better, critically and at the box office. Still, SINGIN' IN THE RAIN managed to keep open for almost a full year and has had successful regional runs. Beef and Boards is no exception. The musical, based on the book by Adolph Green and Betty Comden, is set in 1927 Hollywood as a silent movie producer struggles to adjust to the changing demands of talking movies.

The Beef and Boards production offers much to combat the reviews, including three wonderful leads who worked on-stage well together, a passionate ensemble that definitely showed they knew how to dance, steadfast direction by Eddie Curry and joyous choreography by Ron Morgan.

The inventive staging and thrilling choreography by Morgan was a clear hearken back to Gene Kelly's original routines and often takes off in startling and delightful new directions of its own. If any single parts lifts the show up further, it's the choreography. The thrilling moment one craves in a musical comes during "Moses Supposes" when the show's leads break out of closed in dressing-room set to launch into a whirling tap dance. I was especially impressed by Timothy Ford and Buddy Reeder, who plays his sidekick, Cosmo Brown. The two of them were able to synchronize their dance routines precisely and were a delight to watch. That is especially true in their first duet, "Fit as a Fiddle," a flashback to their vaudeville days. Buddy shines as the comic offsider, with a brilliant smile, strong voice, and dance mastery that makes everything he does - elaborate tap routines, cheesy vaudeville, or the knockdown slapstick of Make 'Em Laugh look totally effortless.

In all, the cast is terrific. It honestly can't be easy following in Gene Kelly's magisterial footsteps, but Ford brings a mixture of charm, humor, nonchalance, and spectacularly fleet feet to the role of Don Lockwood, which all but confirms him as a major star on the stage. He sings with great feeling too and exudes the kind of charisma that can light up a whole theater. Remember to wear a raincoat if you are in the front rows.

Beef and Boards will be playing SINGIN' IN THE RAIN through May 26th, so don't miss out on your chance to indulge in some musical excellence and a hearty laugh.

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