Why singing in the rain is still the perfect musical

Do do do, do do do do do. Whether you are a big fan of Singin’ in the Rain or you have never watched this movie in your life, those opening bars will be recognized immediately, very humble, and cheered immediately. More than 70 years since the film was first released, their continued control over our collective imagination sums up the pure carefree fun of the musical itself. This musical is often rated as the greatest film musical of all time. This summer, Sadler’s Wells will usher in a colorful life on the stage; after experiencing high-intensity top-level live music escape, this is a glorious feeling… We are happy again.

It may now have the eternal quality of minting gold coins Hollywood Classic, but “Singing in the Rain”-released in 1952 but set in the late 1920s-marked a specific turning point in the film industry, when silent films were replaced by “sound films.” Among the most iconic roles in his career, Gene Kelly Play as Don Lockwood, a leader who keeps himself up with the times through music. The power queen Lina Lamont (Jean Hagen) had a difficult transition, and her rude New York accent caused considerable panic to the audience (“I won’t stay here forever,” she was speaking Screaming desperately in class).

Because of the perfect combination of romance, comedy and imitation, it is often described as a “musical drama for people who don’t like musicals”, and it also has its own set of behind-the-scenes myths.Allegedly, Kelly had a fever of 103 degrees during the filming of the iconic title scene, and Debbie Reynolds (Playing the choir girl turned star Casey, was chosen as Lina’s voice-over) Apparently she had to leave after the 13-hour marathon shooting for the Good Morning scene caused her feet to bleed. “The two hardest things I have ever done in my life are childbirth and singing in the rain,” she once said.

Sadler’s Wells, directed by Jonathan Church, was first staged at the Chichester Festival Theatre in 2011, when he was the art director there, and then moved To the West End. This is not the first theatrical version-it premiered at the Palladium Theatre in London in the 1980s, followed by the infamous flop version on Broadway-but it is one of the most successful. So what makes “Song in the Rain” so attractive?

“There is an old saying about musicals: if you can’t speak, you sing; if you can’t sing, you dance. The perfect example for me is the numbers of Cathy and Don, you are for me,” Church said. “He must sing to her to describe how he feels about her. And, for her, singing is not enough, so it enters the most amazing duet. This is the perfect form of music-you are constantly in A moment of fusion structurally, musically and emotionally.”

He added that this is part of the post-war film era, which aims to “bring joy and love and all these positive things when we recover from the war.” Now coming out of our own crisis, Church and the company felt all these things in the rehearsal room. But he also believes that the engine of the plot—the sound in a silent film—has a driving force that is rare in musicals. “Everyone’s job is at stake. The Lina Lamont I know is an interesting person to some extent, she is about to lose her career, livelihood, and status.”

For Robin Baker, chief curator of the BFI National Archives, “Singing in the Rain” proves that popular entertainment can be an elegant art. “It’s almost always rated as the best film musical, but in fact it’s the best romantic comedy ever, one of the best acting movies ever, and one of the best movies about movies and movies. One,” he said. When the BFI screened it as part of the 2019 musical festival, he was shocked by its rare intergenerational appeal. “Looking at the audience’s age mix, almost no one has seen this movie for the first time,” he said. “It feels completely untainted by age. This thing has been around for nearly 70 years-very remarkable.”

Jeanine Basinger, a film historian and founder of the Department of Film Studies at Wesleyan University, did watch it when it was first released, and then saw it many times as a movie receptionist. “It’s always fun,” she said. For the past four decades, she has often returned to it during show screenings for students or community audiences. “You can always show one or two old movies with confidence-they will never let you down, because they are still what they are, they have not lost their charm, nor have they become mean or useless. They are the few true ones. Reliable old movies. Singing in the rain is one of them,” she said.

Its impact is so ubiquitous that it is not always obvious. Michael Jackson’s Billie Jean action was inspired by Kelly, while Baker saw the through line reflected in the satirical tone of the French comedy Call My Agent. In fact, its influence has become a ubiquitous cultural reference point.

“Since singing in the rain, it is impossible for any director to produce a musical at any time without thinking about it,” Baker said. “Something like La Demoiselles de Rochefort by La La Demoiselles or Jacque Demy, where he even involved Gene Kelly, feeling that the lively spirit of Song in the Rain was guided. But more generally “It shapes our current expectations and expectations for musicals; the word’technical color’ is almost impossible to separate from it. “

In an article in her book “Movie Musical”, Basinger pointed out that in the script, the key rain scene was simply written as “Tang is dancing on a wet street.” However, she wrote, “On the screen, these six words became the four-minute song and dance that defined Gene Kelly, and were often used to define the entire genre of Hollywood original musicals. Rain Dance: So easy, so easy, then Happy, so sensual, so simple. Just a carefree movie moment. But what does it take to put it there?”

This is the other part of magic-they make it look effortless. Before rehearsing with other members of the company, Sadler’s Wells leader Adam Cooper (also playing Don in Chichester), Charlotte Gooch and Kevin Clifton must attend boot camps to learn materials and stay healthy. “It’s easy to underestimate the absolute power of the will and energy involved in making this movie in the beginning, and the craftsmanship involved. Our work, and Gene Kelly’s work in making this movie, is to make it look simple, but it is very difficult. ,” Church said.

So, achieving great deeds is no easy task. The seemingly perfect alchemy comes from the efforts of many people, they are all at their peak, working together, seizing the opportunity-this is why “Song in the Rain” is still so precious. “Musicals are elusive-we are all waiting for Hamilton or Mies to appear, but they won’t grow on trees,” Church said. “I think they are like lighthouses in a world where the production of shows is complicated like this land.”

Singin’ in the Rain will be held in Sadler’s Wells from July 30th to September 5th; Sadlerswells.com