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©King County Journal Feb. 11, 2005 |
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The first thing everybody wants to know about the 5th Avenue Theatre's production of "Singin' in the Rain" is, will they do the rain -- as in indoors, inside the theater, with the audience two rows away?
"We will indeed. I thought we should give umbrellas to the people in the front row, but apparently that won't be necessary," said Jennifer Rice, spokesperson for the theater. It won't be necessary because of a monumental, six-month design and construction project by the theater's technical staff. Not only will the rain -- all 500 gallons of it -- not blow out on the audience, it will drain off the stage fast so the next scene can be set up -- and so Michael Gruber, who plays the lead, will not slip and slide on the puddles it forms and the scenery will not collapse into a soggy mess. Special attention all around The rain scene is just one of 18 in the two-act musical, an exceptional number of set-ups for a stage production. All require quick changes, along with a variety of other special design features necessary to cope with the often large number of actors and dancers on stage at once. Even the costumes needed special attention: Gruber's suit in the rain scene has to keep its shape and dry out fast, and the vintage hats and coats worn by the chorus needed special attention so they don't knock things down. Sounds like fun. "Yeah, it's a blast, sort of like a root canal," said Andy Luft, 5th Avenue's production director. "With this show, you find out just how good you really are at stage craft." The fact "Singin' in the Rain" will open Saturday proves Luft and his crew are pretty good. What he and others say is that the production just may be the biggest show the theater ever has mounted -- "A monster," in the words of Rice. "Gigantic," in the words of director Jamie Rocco. "It's about finding your soul mate." Pure size and technical virtuosity, however, are not what make "Singin' in the Rain" great, Rocco said. The story is. The music, too. "'Singin' in the Rain' is funny, often very funny, fast-paced and, ultimately, quite touching," Rocco said. "It's about finding your soul mate, your kindred spirit," Rocco said. "That's why Don dances in the rain. He feels so great, he just has to express himself, no matter what the weather is doing. That's why the scene works so well, time after time." The story involves the travails of Don Lockwood and Lina Lamont, silent movie stars who specialize in romantic costume dramas -- sort of like Errol Flynn with powdered wigs. Then comes the talkies and they find themselves adrift. Directors can't figure out how to use sound, or even where to put the microphones. The actors don't know how to act in the new medium. Stage play elocution sounds dumb on film and silent movie pantomime looks even more dumb. Worse still, some actors' voices don't work in talkies, particularly Lina's, which sounds like Curly the Stooge. To save their first talkie from disaster, Don overdubs Lina's voice with that of a bit player, Kathy Selden. Lina finds out, whips out her iron-clad contract and demands something be done. Don is looking at career doom. It's up to Don, Kathy and Don's old vaudeville partner, Cosmo, to make things right. They do, of course, but there's a lot of misunderstanding, screw-ups and physical comedy along the way -- and a lot of songs. "Singin' in the Rain"'s lyricist was Arthur Freed, who grew up in Seattle, hence, some claim, the inspiration for the title song. 500 gallons of warm rain In order to stage that rain for the title song, Luft has two 250-gallon tanks off stage. They are heated to 130 degrees -- partly so Gruber won't develop bronchitis during the run of the musical and partly because warm water is easier to drain and mop up. The water is pumped into three valves. Two of them are overhead and one goes into a drain pipe that, at a critical moment, unplugs and gushes onto Gruber's head. The stage is tilted so the water drains into the middle, goes back to the tanks and then is recirculated. An elaborate lighting system reflects off the rain drops and creates shadow and color play that gives the rain mass. In the movie, director Stanley Donen achieved a similar effect by mixing the rain water with milk. The set's floor is treated with a mixture of crushed walnuts, sand and polyurethane so Gruber won't slip and break his neck. And, yes, all the scenery, lights and electrical connections are carefully waterproofed. Finally, the whole works, including the floor, is on castor wheels so, when the scene is over, it is rolled off the stage and a crew rushes out with mops to dry any overspill. It takes a few minutes, which is why the rain scene is the last one in the first act. Actually, it turns out the rain scene is not the biggest technical challenge Luft faced. The number of scene changes in "Singin' in The Rain" called for a record number of set pieces. A total of 32 motors on two overhead trolley beams will move them, but there are so many that, in some cases, the storage space between them is less than two inches, Luft said. Thanks to a great deal of planning and testing, it all works. Freedom from technicalities That gives director Rocco the freedom to concentrate on the acting, choreography and music. This is the third time he has directed "Singin' in the Rain" and each time has been challenging. "If I had any sense, I wouldn't touch it," he said. "But when they called, I couldn't help myself." He couldn't help himself because, when all is said and done, "Singin' in the Rain" is a great study in human nature, Rocco said. All the characters are trying to hang on to the only jobs they know in a world that is falling apart. Their bewildered responses are funny because they are just the sort of responses most of us would make, Rocco said. "'Singin' in the Rain' holds you," he said. "It makes you feel something."
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