Singin' in the Rain

[July 4th, 2007]

Summer is in full swing, thank heavens, and even Portland's semi-nocturnal theater people have emerged to enjoy the sun. Unfortunately, that means they aren't toiling night and day to crank out entertainment for the likes of you and me. What's a theater critic to do? See a movie? No! Go to Tigard, where Broadway Rose has taken on one of the greatest shows on Earth.

Full disclosure: I'm a bit of a fanatic when it comes to Singin' in the Rain, the finest musical ever to come out of Hollywood and the funniest film of its generation. I watch it more often than I care to admit, and it makes me prone to writing sentences like the former. If you don't love the movie, just stop reading now and go back to hating the troops and apple pie.

Stage adaptations of films are never easy to pull off, but doing Singin' is just crazy. Broadway Rose's production includes almost every scene from the movie, making the show seem like it's flying along at breakneck speed between musical numbers. Every time you think director Peggy Taphorn will skip a complicated sequence for reasons of cost or practicality, she goes ahead and does it anyway. Rain onstage? Check. Rapidfire flashback sequence? Check. Lengthy "Broadway Melody Ballet" dance number with no plot significance whatsoever? Except for the rotating stage and 50-foot scarf, you betcha. The Deb Fennell Auditorium is packed with extravagant costumes, impractical props and so many set pieces it's a wonder they managed to fit them all backstage.

Attempting a performance like this sets you up against the daunting charisma of Hollywood, but Broadway Rose is up to the challenge. Although William B. Hubert II is an excellent performer as Don Lockwood, he's no Gene Kelly (how could he be). However, Portland's own Amy Palomino (as Kathy Selden) can sing and dance the pants off Debbie Reynolds, Quimby Lombardozzi makes an excellently irksome Lina Lamont, Daniel Lee Robbins puts his own hilarious spin on Cosmo Brown and Stefanie Seamens is breathtaking as the "Girl in the Green Dress."

Ironically for a show about the advent of the talkie, the production is plagued with sound problems. The night I attended hardly a scene went by without some performer's wireless mike popping, buzzing or failing altogether. It was an annoying distraction, but not enough to spoil the fun.

Musical comedy is all about escapism, and Singin' in the Rain is the best mental vacation you could ask for. What Broadway Rose's production lacks in finesse it makes up for in gleeful audacity and spectacle. We're unlikely to see another show on this scale from a local company for quite a while, so head for Tigard while you can. .