Singin’ in the Rain, now playing in New York, is wonderful fun and a witty commentary on the world of Hollywood musicals. Unfortunately, the main focus of the plot—Don Lockwood’s romantic interest in sweetnatured Kathy Selden—is weak. Lina Lamont, the blond bombshell who most definitely “ain’t dumb,” steals the show completely. I kept hoping for a miraculous twist in the plot that would give her a voice change, the starring role in talking pictures, and the guy.

Don Correia plays the leading man Don Lockwood, with impressive musical talent and excellent dancing. The New York Times critic complained about his lack of sex appeal, but the Correia I saw exuded enough warmth and gentleness to satisfy any reasonable woman.

Cosmo Brown, the dancing clown, projected the exuberance and enthusiasm of choreographer Twyla Tharp. She had the good sense to keep the original choreography of “Fit as a Fiddle,” “Moses Supposes,” “Good Mornin,'” and “Singin’ in the Rain.” Her wacky and offbeat dances in Act Two are staged as production numbers for musicals supposedly being filmed on sound stages. Apparently, anything goes (or went) in Hollywood musicals—roller skates from the 18th century, a dancing horse, feet fighters, French peasants learning to tap-dance, and a blues singer who materializes out of nowhere.

Gordon Willis (best known for his work in Woody Allen films, including The Purple Rose of Cairo) filmed the actual movies shown on stage. His sense of style and his attention to period detail are impeccable. The audience actually chuckled more during the film sequences than when the live actors were performing. Perhaps Americans are more comfortable with the two-dimensional medium of film than with live theater.

And does it rain! The downpour at the end of Act One soothed the psyches of drought-stricken New Yorkers. Don Correia threw himself into the scene with such gusto that he broke his umbrella. He was having such a good time that he barely noticed. The audience will also find reasons to applaud the talents of Betty Comden and Adolph Green (who adapted their screenplay for the stage) and of director/choreographer Twyla Tharp. Now that she has flexed her musical muscles in this adaptation, I would love to see Tharp stage a totally original musical. With more attention to the fine points of acting, her high spirits might bring new life to a dying Broadway.

Big River was brought to Broadway by Dodger Productions, the same group that staged Jim Wann’s rollicking Pump Boys and Dinettes. They maintain the same standard of excellence with Big River, a musical adaptation of Huckleberry Finn. Even before the curtain goes up, the audience is eased into a 19th-century country mood, with crickets chirping in the background and a handsome “antique” map of the Mississippi River Valley over the stage. As the houselights are dimmed, the map fades as the river glows in soft shades of blue. Heidi Landesman (scenic designer) and Richard Riddell (lighting designer) richly deserve their Tony Awards for this and similar effects.

John Short as Tom Sawyer and Daniel Jenkins as Huck Finn both are making their Broadway debut in Big River, and neither is a disappointment. This Huck and Tom are not as shiftless as their counterparts in Mark Twain’s classic, but then, if they were, they’d probably have long ago left the Big Apple for Western territory. I somehow cannot imagine Huck as earnest as he is here, but never mind. As Huck announces at the end, he never would have started his story if he had known how much work it was going to be. Jenkins works so hard at being Huck (on stage almost continually) that the audience cannot help but like him and his performance, including the songs.

More Tony Awards went to Roger Miller for the songs and William Hauptmann for the dialogue. I would grade the 17 original songs as “B” work. (My son—Huck’s age—was less impressed.) The songs in Act One are stronger than those in Act Two, which sounded a little sappy. The best-staged musical number is “When the Sun Goes Down in the South” with Huck, the King, and the Duke. The audience’s favorite was “Hand for the Hog,” a philosophical solo sung by Tom. I would also give a hand to the accomplished country blues musicians who provided the accompaniment.

Most of Act One takes place on and near the Mississippi, with an ingenious automated raft and the illusion of the river stretching out to the far horizon. Jim, superbly played by Ron Richardson (another Tony winner), makes the river come alive with his gestures and grand style of singing. The theatrical experience of Jim, Pap, the King, and the Duke gives their roles depth and interest, which Daniel Jenkins and John Short will be certain to develop as Big River settles in for a long, long run.

 

 

[Singin’ in the Rain; Based on the MGM film with choreography by Gene Kelly and Stanley Donen; Screenplay and adaptation by Betty Comden and Adolph Green; Directed and choreographed by Twyla Tharp; Songs by Nacio Herb Brown and Arthur Freed; Presented by Maurice Rosenfield, Lois F. Rosenfield, and Cindy Pritzker, Inc.]

[Big River; Written by William Hauptmann, adapted from the novel by Mark Twain; Staged by Des McAnuff; Music and lyrics by Roger Miller; Presented by Rocco Landesman, Heidi Landesman, Rick Steiner, M. Anthony Fisher, and Dodger Productions]