Singin’ In The Rain is one of the most beloved musicals of American’s Golden Age and is frequently described as one of the best movie musicals ever made. Singin' In The Rain first opened on June 30, 1983 at the London Palladium, where it ran until September 1985. The show then opened on Broadway at the George Gershwin Theatre on July 2,1985 and closed on May 18, 1986 after 367 performances and 38 previews. It was succeeded by a successful national tour. The plot of the film is actually an autobiography of Hollywood itself at the dawn of the talkies and it humorously satirizes and parodies the panic surrounding this troubling period in the dream factory of Hollywood of the late 1920s. As Betty Comden recalled, she and co-screenwriter Adolph Green were told by lyricists Arthur Freed, "'Kids, you're going to write a movie called "Singin' in the Rain". Just put all of my songs in it.' All we knew was there would be some scene where someone would be singing, and it would be raining." The time frame of Comden's and Green's script, the Roaring 20s Era of flappers, was mostly determined by the fact that lyricist Freed (and songwriter Nacio Herb Brown) had written their extensive library of songs in their early careers during the 1920s and 1930s, when Hollywood was transitioning to talkies. The musical comedy's story, then, would be best suited around that theme. Except for two songs, all of the musical arrangements in the film to be showcased were composed by Freed and Brown for different Hollywood films before Freed became a producer.
As R.F. Simpson says, “We’ve got to put our best foot forward.” Since we first decided to take on this challenging production, “putting our best foot forward” has been our motto~turning “it’s impossible” into “it’s a cinch”! And this production team, cast and crew have done just that.
Read the bios and you will realize that our students have had an amazing opportunity to work with some of Austin’s most prestigious and talented professionals in the business. I’m so grateful for the enthusiasm and dedication of this production team.
But the real stars of the show are our sensational students. I’ve had an enormous amount of fun working with these young actors and technicians. They take pride in doing quality work and the results of their dedication and efforts will be evident on stage tonight.
Behind the scenes, the student crews worked after school and on weekends to create our versatile and amazing set, costumes and lighting. They took ownership of building projects, costume adaptations and lighting design. They honed their skills under the guidance of our technical director, Lisa Raymond and our parent volunteers.
On stage, our actors took direction beautifully, taking all the directors’ critiques as an opportunity to improve. A desire to understand their characters, a drive to give an excellent performance, and a willingness to take risks, made this cast a joy to work with.
As Cosmo sings, “Make’em laugh”. I guarantee that not only will you laugh but you will hum, tap your foot and grin from the energy that these students radiate.
To our brilliant actors and our creative, hard-working technical crews, “You’re the Cat’s Meow and I love you!”
To our patrons, “Thank you for supporting our program and our amazing students!”
Jerry Blake
