The movie musical Singin' in the Rain was a sensational hit when it debuted in 1952. Even today, film critics list it as one of the ten best films of all time.

Almost everyone can picture the incomparable Gene Kelly splish-splashing – and singing – in the rain.

It was sometimes barely more than a drizzle that showered Michael Gruber on Wednesday night in Century II’s Concert Hall during the opening performance of Music Theatre of Wichita’s Singin' in the Rain.

But what better way to end a season than with such a happy show?

Singin in the Rain is set in 1927 when movies made the transition from silent to talkies. The story tells of silent screen star Don Lockwood (Gruber) who accidentally meets Kathy Selden following the premiere of Don’s latest swashbuckler, "The Royal Rascal".

Kathy is a struggling young actress who, with the advent of talkies, gets a job dubbing the speaking voice of a temperamental star, Lina Lamont (Heidi Karol Johnson), whose squeaky voice would have ended her career. Eventually the ruse is revealed and Kathy wins both stardom and Don.

Two of the four principals in this production – Gruber and Johnson - are reprising their roles from MTW's acclaimed 1992 production, as are artistic directors Jamie Rocco, director and co-choreographer; Linda Goodrich, co-choreographer; and Craig Barna, musical director and conductor.

Gruber, who left the Broadway production of Swing! to return to Wichita and Singin' in the Rain, makes it look so easy when it’s not. He is appealing as the love-struck Lockwood, singing romantic ballads like "You Stepped Out of a Dream" and "You Were Meant for Me". He’s even better in his dance-intensive numbers – "Fit as a Fiddle" and "Moses Supposes" – with his pal Cosmo Brown (Jim Raposa) – and the "Broadway Ballet" in which he plays a young hoofer who wins success on the stage but loses the seductive Woman in Green (sensationally danced by Katie Rayle) he adores.

Johnson is terrific as the squeaky-voiced but comical Lina.

Bosil has a crystal-clear voice that comes across so well in "You Are My Lucky Star" and “Would You?”. She's totally believable as Kathy, which marks her debut with MTW.

Raposa, also in his first MTW role, stopped the show Wednesday (to his own surprise) with his awesome acrobatics in “Make ‘Em Laugh”. Beyond that, his fine singing voice, dancing and cheery countenance won more than a few hearts in the audience.

Both Gruber and Raposa successfully walk (and dance) that fine line of bringing to life classic performances (Gene Kelly and Donald O'Conner) with their own nuances that dispel the urge to make comparisons.

There are also good performances by Timothy W. Robu as the movie director, Charles Parker as the studio head, Arthur W. Marks as a diction coach and Jenny Herzig as Phoebe.

This production of Singin in the Rain with its solid cast and company (61 in all) and its wonderful and colorful musical sequences throughout epitomizes what's right about Music Theatre of Wichita.

Producing Director Wayne Bryan brings together a good mix of solid professional and up-and-coming performers from all over the country. There's variety in artistic direction so that every show is really different. The company members (who work incredibly hard) consistently just get better as the summer progresses.

Music Theatre of Wichita, which turns 30 next year, has rightly been called one of our cultural crown jewels.