SINGIN' IN THE RAIN Comes to Riverside Theatre

Riverside Theatre has announced the Golden Era film turned stage musical Singin’ in the Rain as the next production of the 2024-2025 season on the Stark Stage. Sponsored by Ron & Lisa Hunt, The O’Haire Group-Merrill Lynch Wealth Management and Riverside Theatre’s Patron Producers, Singin’ in the Rain plays Riverside Theatre from February 25 – March 21, 2025. 

Billed as the "Greatest Movie Musical of All Time," this Hollywood classic was faithfully and lovingly adapted for the stage by Broadway legends, Betty Comden and Adolph Green, from their original award-winning screenplay. Filled with every memorable moment from the film and a downpour of unforgettable songs, Singin' in the Rain is a guaranteed crowd-pleaser.  

The film, released in 1952, depicted Hollywood during the late 1920’s, when the industry was converting from silent films into “talkies.” Unfortunately, not every silent film star of that era transferred into talking films because of their vocal liabilities.  

In the film, Don Lockwood and Lina Lamont are major silent film stars  and a romantic duo. When the director of the silent film they are shooting, The Dueling Cavalier, decides the film should have sound and become a musical, Lina’s vocal deficiencies come to the forefront. Don’s voice is terrific, but Lina’s is terrible.  Enter Kathy Selden, a young Hollywood stage actress on contract with the studio, who is recruited to dub her voice over Lina’s. Working closely together, Don and Kathy fall in love, but Lina threatens to sue the studio if they divulge Kathy’s involvement. Kathy is contractually relegated into dubbing Lina’s voice anonymously going forward.  At the celebration of The Dueling Cavalier’s opening, Lina is asked to sing some of the songs live on stage.  She will lip sync while Kathy remains hidden behind a curtain.  Wanting to expose Lina as a fake, Don and some of the film’s production staff open the curtain during the performance, and Kathy is revealed as the real star.   

    

After it premiered at Radio City Music Hall in April 11, 1952, Singin’ in the Rain was only a modest success, but went on to receive an incredible array of international awards. When the movie was filmed, Gene Kelly was 34, and Debbie Reynolds was just 18.  Debbie was under contract with MGM, and this was her first major role. She was an experienced gymnast, but had never had dancing lessons.  She, Donald O’Connor and Gene Kelly worked tirelessly to perfect her dancing routines.  

       

The original song, “Singin’ in the Rain,” was written and first produced in The Hollywood Box Revue in 1929, and was widely popularized by Cliff Edwards and The Brox Sisters, a very popular trio of singing sisters in the late 1920’s and early 1930’s.  Many of the other songs in the film were written during the 1920’s, which led to the idea of a movie about Hollywood during that era. 

Singin’ in the Rain was adapted to the stage in 1983 keeping all the musicality of the film.  The original screen writers, Comden and Green, wrote the book for the stage adaptation with Twyla Tharpe choreographing the show.  In addition to the title song, the musical features “Good Mornin,” ”All I Do Is Dream of You,”  “Fit as a Fiddle,” and “You Are My Lucky Star,” some of which were written by Cole Porter, George and Ira Gershwin.     

Singin’ in the Rain debuted at the Palladium Theatre in London in 1983 and ran for over two years. The musical opened on Broadway at the Gershwin Theatre in 1985, where it enjoyed a run of 367 performances after 38 preview performances.  

Riverside Theatre’s production of Singin’ in the Rain is Directed and Choreographed by Richard Stafford and stars Michael Starr (Don Lockwood), Joe Capstick (Cosmo Brown), Sara Esty (Kathy Selden), Erica Lee Bigelow (Lina Mamont), Patrick Richwood (Roscoe Dexter), Steve Brady (R.F. Simpson), Stacia Fernandez (Dora Bailey), Joseph Dellger (Rod), and Kelly Gleason (Olga). 

The ensemble includes: Katie Scarlett Brunson, Bianca Bulgarelli, Sarah Buscaino, David Callahan, Joey Cullinane, Peyton Dickens, Mallory Davis, Nick Davis, Zak Edwards, Michael Everett, Hudson Hirst, Dot Kelley, Jacob Major, Mathew Marvin, Grant Pickering, and Mychal Phillips.

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