On October 3, 2015, the premiere of the musical “Singing in the Rain” took place in the capital. This event was held on a grand scale and was furnished with chic in the style of the Oscars. And this is not surprising, since Stage Entertainment presented on the Russian stage a version of the Broadway play about the origins of the American sound film.
The guest of honor of the presentation was Foster Hirsch. This famous Hollywood historian specially came to Russia to evaluate what the musical “Singing in the Rain” looks like in Moscow. Reviews of the patriarch of American film criticism were enthusiastic. In any case, after the premiere, he told reporters that he was very pleased with what he saw on the stage of the Rossiya Theater and believed that an attempt to reproduce the retro atmosphere of the original on the Moscow stage could be considered a success.
Original
“Singing in the Rain” (musical, theater “Russia”) was created on the basis of the famous musical film, which was shot in 1952 by Stanley Donen. The star of this picture was Gino Kelly, who performed the song parts and the role of the main character. Other key images created by: Donald O'Connor (Cosmo Brown), Gene Hagen (Lina Lamont) and Debbie Reynolds (Katie Seldon). The musical film was an incredible success and entered the treasury of American cinema. Later, he was repeatedly put on Broadway and always had success.
Plot
“Singing in the Rain” (musical, duration 2 hours 40 minutes) tells about the formation of Hollywood as the world famous capital of world cinema.
Actor Don Lockwood has an “advertising” affair with screen partner Lina Lamont, who is confident that they have a serious relationship. After another quarrel, he gets acquainted with the dancer Katie Seldon and learns that they are going to shoot the sound film “The Duelist” for the first time at the studio where he works. The main roles go to Don and Lina, but it turns out that their way of expressing gestures in the style of silent cinema now looks ridiculous, and the partner’s terrible accent and shrill voice cause laughter in the hall. The actor’s friend, Cosmo Brown, decides to save the already shot picture by re-playing and turning on the musical parts, and also offers to invite Kathy as an understudy and female performer.
In the process of work between Don and the girl, love breaks out, which Lina seeks to prevent. She is offended because she is jealous of her on-screen lover and hates Katie for having more acting skills than she is. Lina finds in her contract a clause giving her full right to make changes to any promotions organized by the studio on the PR company of films in which she is engaged. The actress demands to indicate in the credits that she sings all the songs herself. During the premiere, which is a resounding success, viewers demand that Lina perform one of the musical’s hits. Katie has to stand behind the curtain and sing for the actress. At the end of the speech, Don and Cosmo reveal the deception. Lina runs away, and the audience applauds the real star of the picture.
Casting
The main thing that ensured the success of the musical show “Singing in the Rain” (musical) is the actors. In particular, Anastasia Stotskaya looks very organically in the role of Lina Lamot. Throughout the play, she speaks in a squeaky voice and causes a storm of emotions in the viewer. Successful is the choice of Julia Iva, who created a memorable image of Katie Seldon. In her performance, the dancer turned out to be provocative, cheerful and a little hooligan, just so that the audience remembered for a long time the numbers with her participation from the play “Singing in the Rain”.
The musical (the actors were selected as a result of a multi-stage casting) helped very young artists to prove themselves. Many critics also noted the excellent work of Tatyana Lazareva and Mikhail Shatz, which added to the performance of solidity and charm.
As for the performers of the main male roles, Andrey Karh and Stanislav Chunikhin were involved in this capacity. Both of them do a good job, and the success of some scenes depends entirely on their skill and ability to work in a duet.
“Singing in the Rain” (musical): where it takes place, staging features
The Moscow version of this famous Broadway performance can be seen on the stage of the Rossiya Theater.
Costumes for a musical in the style of the 30s were ordered in London. In total, almost 250 costumes were required. Moreover, the performers of some roles change clothes during the performance at least a dozen times. Many toilets, especially those demonstrated by Anastasia Stotskaya, delight in luxury and beauty.
During the performance, about 12 tons of water are poured onto the stage. When the actors begin to dance, the spray scatters in all directions, falling on the audience sitting in the front rows. So that they do not experience inconvenience, warm raincoats are distributed before the performance begins. However, they do not guarantee that you will come out of the water dry.
Another feature of the performance “Singing in the Rain” (musical, theater “Russia”) is lighting effects and music performed by the orchestra.
Who should go
The capital has always indulged lovers of theatrical productions with spectacular shows. In the fall of 2015, Muscovites and visitors were able to appreciate the Russian version of the famous production of “Singing in the Rain”. The musical (the price of tickets is from 1000 rubles) is held with full halls. Moreover, among the audience you can see people of different ages. And this is not surprising, because the original was created about 65 years ago, during the childhood of our grandparents.
And yet, the musical “Singing in the Rain” in Moscow (reviews see below) looks fresh and relevant, despite all its vintage. Even children will watch with great pleasure how fully grown-up "uncles and aunts" dance in the rain and enjoy jumping into puddles.
The musical “Singing in the Rain” in Moscow: reviews
As with any other show, one can hear completely opposite opinions about the new performance presented by producer Dmitry Bogachev. In fairness, it should be said that when the musical “Singing in the Rain” is discussed, the reviews in Moscow are mostly positive. Moreover, praise for the performances and actors can be heard from the lips of both ordinary viewers and celebrities who had the opportunity to see this performance on Broadway. For example, Ekaterina Strizhenova believes that Anastasia Stotskaya did an excellent job with the dramatic role of Lina Lamot, and Alexandr Tsekalo admired the level of skill of the dancers performing the step. The opinion of Maxim Dunaevsky, who noted as a positive side of the musical the participation of a large number of young talented actors in it, is also valuable.
Why go to the musical “Singing in the Rain”
So, judging by the reviews, the show is worth a visit, even though tickets are quite expensive. Why? Here are a few reasons:
- interesting story;
- great music, especially Good Morning;
- a good cast consisting of famous and young artists;
- temperamental dances;
- tons of water falling onto the stage and other special effects.
disadvantages
“Singing in the Rain” (musical), the duration of which is 2 hours 40 minutes with intermission, according to the majority of viewers, deserves to spend their free time on it. However, the show has several drawbacks. For example, some guests of the capital complain about the high cost of tickets. Criticism is caused by the fact that viewers are not warned in advance about the inconvenience that awaits those sitting in the first two rows. But in the cold season, not everyone is ready to go out after the performance to frost in clothes that are wet even with a raincoat, and the makeup that has floated does not add pleasant emotions either.
Now you know what awaits you if you purchase tickets for the production of “Singing in the Rain” (musical). You also know where this magnificent show with breathtaking special effects takes place, so be sure to give pleasure to your loved ones and go to this festival of music and dance in the Hollywood style.