Singin' in the Rain | |
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Original Cast Recording
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Music | Nacio Herb Brown |
Lyrics | Arthur Freed |
Book |
Adolph Green Betty Comden |
Basis |
Singin' in the Rain by Adolph Green Betty Comden |
Productions | 1983 West End 1985 Broadway 1994 UK Tour 2000 West End revival 2001 Australian Tour 2011 Chichester Festival Theatre 2012 West End revival 2012 Warsaw 2013 Second UK Tour 2013 Melbourne 2014 Tokyo 2015 Paris 2015 Moscow 2015 Manila 2016 Second Australian Tour 2016 Oslo, Norway |
Singin' in the Rain is a musical with a book by Betty Comden and Adolph Green, lyrics by Arthur Freed, and music by Nacio Herb Brown.
Adapted from the 1952 movie of the same name, the plot closely adheres to the original. Set in Hollywood in the waning days of the silent screen era, it focuses on romantic lead Don Lockwood, his sidekick Cosmo Brown, aspiring actress Kathy Selden, and Lockwood's leading lady Lina Lamont, whose less-than-dulcet vocal tones make her an unlikely candidate for stardom in talking pictures.
The original West End production, directed by Tommy Steele and choreographed by Peter Gennaro, opened on June 30, 1983 at the London Palladium, where it ran until September 1985. The original cast included Steele as Don, Roy Castle as Cosmo, Danielle Carson as Kathy, and Sarah Payne as Lina and Julia. The original film's vocal score was embellished with additional tunes by Comden, Green, and Roger Edens, Dorothy Fields and Jimmy McHugh, George and Ira Gershwin, Johnny Mercer and Richard Whiting, and Cole Porter.
Singin' in the Rain opened on Broadway at the Gershwin Theatre on July 2, 1985 and closed on May 18, 1986 after 367 performances and 38 previews. Directed and choreographed by Twyla Tharp, the scenic design was by Santo Loquasto, costume design by Ann Roth, and lighting design by Jennifer Tipton. The cast included Don Correia as Don, Mary D'Arcy as Kathy, Peter Slutsker as Cosmo, and Faye Grant as Lina. The musical was dramatically revamped.