Chanhassen's 'Singin' in the Rain' is sunny
Piano Lesson
Looking around Chanhassen Dinner Theatre's main stage during a performance of 'Singin' In the Rain,' there's one common denominator: Everybody is smiling.
And why not? This production is nothing but a huge crowd-pleaser.
Chanhassen opened 'Singin' in the Rain' in June, and it's been making a big splash ever since.
The stage musical is based on the beloved 1952 film featuring Gene Kelly, Debbie Reynolds and Donald O'Connor. It's loaded with amazing dance numbers and many favorite songs, including 'Good Mornin',' 'Make 'Em Laugh,' 'Moses Supposes,' 'You Are My Lucky Star' and of course, the title song, 'Singin' in the Rain.'
The plot centers on late 1920s Hollywood in the panicky days when movies were changing from silent to 'talkies.' Half of Hollywood was denouncing the 'talkies' notion, and the other half was trying to figure out how to make them. Don Lockwood (played by Tony Vierling), once a vaudeville song-and-dance man is now a star of silent movies, and his former partner, Cosmo Brown (Mark King), now plays on-set piano during the shooting. It's Lockwood's co-star and would-be fianc'e, Lina Lamont (Janet Hayes Trow), who stands to wreck a great thing when talkies become the rage: Her voice is grating, despite the assistance of speech coaches. Sweet Kathy Selden (Leslie Brown) agrees to dub Lina's voice. Romance ensues as Kathy and Don fall in love. But power-hungry Lina isn't happy about that - or Kathy's promising career.
King in the Donald O'Connor role amazes everyone with his versatility on the piano, singing and dancing. And Hayes Trow brings continuous laughs every time she opens her mouth. It's hard to believe she's the same actress who played Marion the Librarian in Chanhassen's 'The Music Man.' And Vierling and Brown are both very capable and enjoyable in their roles.
But southern Minnesotans have another reason to enjoy this production, and that's because Albert Lea native Doug Anderson (a 1979 ALHS graduate) is featured in this show. Anderson may be listed in the credits as a member of the ensemble, but he gets quite a bit of time on stage. This musical is a great showcase for his song and dance talents.
'Singin' in the Rain' is directed by Chanhassen's resident director, Michael Brindisi (also a former Albert Lea resident). Look for a guest appearance by him in the short film clip on talkies as a film within the play. It's very entertaining.
Other members of the creative team include Thomas Mustachio, Nayna Ramey, Sandra Nei Schulte, Sue Ellen Berger, Russ Haynes, Susan Magnuson and Vin Parker, who created those short, entertaining film clips.
|
