{"id":223332,"date":"2015-05-22T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2015-05-22T07:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sdnews.com\/singin-in-the-rain-on-a-san-diego-stage\/"},"modified":"2015-05-22T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2015-05-22T07:00:00","slug":"singin-in-the-rain-on-a-san-diego-stage","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/singin-in-the-rain-on-a-san-diego-stage\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Singin\u2019 in the Rain\u2019 on a San Diego stage"},"content":{"rendered":"

San Diego Musical Theatre presents a rare live production of the film classic<\/strong><\/p>\n

por David Dixon<\/p>\n

Movie buffs consider \u201cSingin\u2019 in the Rain\u201d a musical masterpiece with its many iconic scenes, memorable songs such as \u201cMake \u2018Em Laugh\u201d and \u201cGood Morning,\u201d and a triple threat ensemble led by Gene Kelly. The stage version, on the other hand, is not as well-known and has rarely been produced in San Diego.<\/p>\n

One reason for that is the technical challenge of creating a rain shower on stage for the trademark dance scene. This year, however, the San Diego Musical Theatre<\/a> has found a way to incorporate the precipitation into their production at Spreckels Theatre, despite California\u2019s drought emergency.<\/p>\n

\"Ed<\/a>
Ed Hollingsworth<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

La Mesa resident Ed Hollingsworth, who plays the role of movie studio chief R.F. Simpson, said the rain is not an illusion.<\/p>\n

\u201cI can\u2019t tell you any more,\u201d he said. \u201cWe\u2019re sworn to secrecy.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hollingsworth was able to reveal that recycled water will be used during the Act I finale. \u201cIt\u2019s used in the last number of the first act, which is a good thing, because we can mop up everything,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Hollingsworth, who taught theater at Grossmont High School for decades, has acted in previous productions of San Diego Musical Theatre in North Park, but this is his first time performing at the Spreckels Theatre in Downtown San Diego.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is just such an incredible theater,\u201d Hollingsworth said. \u201cWhen it was starting out, silent movies and talkies were being shown at the space. The theater itself is a part of what the show is about.\u201d<\/p>\n

Another cast member who is excited to perform in the rain is University Heights resident Bryan Banville, who plays the production singer who croons the tune, \u201cBeautiful Girls.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI think it\u2019s going to be interesting dancing on stage with rain,\u201d he said. \u201cIt does not rain in San Diego, period. I come from the East Coast, so I am used to rain. It will be interesting working with local actors who probably do not get to experience it too often. To be able to do that on stage I think will be fun.\u201d<\/p>\n

His wife, dancer\/ensemble member Katie Whalley Banville, will also dance in the rain.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think the first pair of galoshes I\u2019ve ever put on was for this show for my costume fitting,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

A dry sequence that Lance Carter is looking forward to is the final number. Carter is portraying Rod, the head of the publicity department at the fictional movie studio Monumental Pictures.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is always fun to be in the big finale,\u201d he said. \u201cI am not much of a dancer, so I am sure I will be put in the back and maybe just move my feet and smile. That is what I hope happens, because I do not want to screw anything up.\u201d<\/p>\n

Carter said that performing at the historical theater will be an unforgettable experience.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am just excited to do a show in the Spreckels,\u201d he said. \u201cI think that is going to be awesome.\u201d<\/p>\n

Before rehearsals began, Hillcrest resident, Cameron Lewis, visited Spreckels. He will be co-starring as Cosmo Brown, the role portrayed by Donald O\u2019Connor in the original 1952 movie. Though Lewis has plenty of theatrical experience, \u201cSingin\u2019 in the Rain\u201d marks his San Diego debut.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe theater is gorgeous, and the gorgeousness adds to the whole experience,\u201d he said. \u201cI am looking forward to the day when the artists move from the rehearsal and into the space. That is always one of my favorite days.\u201d<\/p>\n

Another date Lewis is anticipating is the first time the cast gets to work with a live orchestra. \u201cRehearsing with an orchestra adds excitement,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Katie and Bryan Banville have persuasive reasons why audience members should see \u201cSingin\u2019 in the Rain.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is a classic,\u201d Katie said. \u201cThe tale is the embodiment of what American musical theatre is. This is a Golden Age musical, and it represents the beginnings of American musical theater and its development. Shows from the Golden Age of musical theater continue to be revived, because they will always be relevant and entertaining.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bryan thinks theatergoers might want to watch the old-fashioned experience, because there will not be too many opportunities for San Diegans to see the upbeat adventure live.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is the first time \u2018Singin\u2019 in the Rain\u2019 has been produced in San Diego in years, and will probably not be back for a while,\u201d he said. \u201cIt is definitely one not to miss, because the opportunity to see it is fleeting a little bit, because of the technical elements.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2014David Dixon is a freelance contributor. Write to him at daviddixon0202@gmail.com<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

San Diego Musical Theatre presents a rare live production of the film classic By David Dixon Movie buffs consider \u201cSingin\u2019 in the Rain\u201d a musical masterpiece with its many iconic scenes, memorable songs such as \u201cMake \u2018Em Laugh\u201d and \u201cGood Morning,\u201d and a triple threat ensemble led by Gene Kelly. The stage version, on the […]<\/p>","protected":false},"author":726,"featured_media":221984,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"11548","_seopress_titles_title":"\u2018Singin\u2019 in the Rain\u2019 on a San Diego stage","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"jnews_override_counter":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[11549,11547,11548],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-223332","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-arts-entertainment","category-features","category-la-mesa-courier"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/223332","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/726"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=223332"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/223332\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/221984"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=223332"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=223332"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=223332"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}