Play Review
Churchill’s ‘Singin’ in the Rain’:
No Gene Kelly, but Close

By K-K Bracken (November 16, 2006)

K-K Bracken is a member of the George Mason Cappies (Critics and Awards Program) Team. Critics attend plays at High Schools around the area and submit reviews. A few are selected for publication in local newspapers, including the Washington Post. This one, a review of Winston Churchill’s “Singin’ in the Rain,” was published in The Sentinel.

One thing that can be taken from Winston Churchill's "Singin' in the Rain" is the instruction to "make 'em laugh"-- and in this all-singing, all-dancing production, they did just that.

Originally created as a film in 1952 as a star vehicle for Gene Kelly and hailed by many as one of the best move musicals ever made, "Singin' in the Rain" tells the story of Hollywood's transition from silent films to the "talkies." Film star Don Lockwood falls in love with struggling stage actress Kathy Seldon, who is as beautiful as she is talented. Together they must push through the difficulties of the new talkie technology-- and Lockwood's vapid, shrill costar, Lina Lamont.

Churchill did not shirk from the legacy of the movie, including company tap dance numbers and actual rain onstage during the title number. The songs, which included choreography from students Rachel Simon and Stephen Nailmoli, were wonderful throwbacks to 1920s Broadway productions. The dance ensembles worked tightly with the tricky steps, and where sometimes they were lacking in variation, the unity and sheer difficulty managed to keep the energy onstage up.

The orchestra was truly exemplary, committing as much to the stage numbers and overture as they did to the transitions.

As the leads, Ben Hoffman and Tahlia Gottlieb's superb dancing was second only to their vocal quality. Hoffman, with eight songs (almost all of them dance numbers) carried the show with poise and talent that belied his high school years. Gottlieb, as the aspiring actress determined not to fall in love with the movie star, controlled her acting to a splendid degree of precision.

Comedy was found all over the Churchill stage, but two characters in particular added laugh after laugh. Cosmo Brown (Michael Butvinik) had the difficult task of singing, dancing, and telling jokes throughout the show, and with his sense of timing and character he coped very well. As Lina Lamont, Sarah Anne Sillers embodied the bleach-blonde airhead, committing whole-heartedly to her voice and temperament every time she was onstage.

The sets, designed by Marc Fisher, were grandiose and fitting for the Hollywood setting, incorporating giant film reels and elaborate backdrops for movie scenes. The crew itself worked swiftly and well, making the many transitions go as quickly as possible.

Attempting to redo "Singin' in the Rain," on stage or screen is an attempt to fill some very big shoes, and Winston Churchill answered the challenge with a strong performance indeed.