UMBRELLAS UP FOR “SINGIN’ IN THE RAIN”

Put on your yellow slickers, rain hats, rubber boots and inflate your sunny umbrellas for Summer Theatre of New Canaan's truly delightful rain sparkled production of "Singing' in the Rain" under the big white tent at Waveny Park until Sunday, July 30.This smash 1952 movie originally starring Gene Kelly, Debbie Reynolds, and Donald O’Connor was first brought to the stage in 1985 and continues to be a saccharine sweet crowd pleaser. Credits go to Betty Comden and Adolph Green for the screenplay and to Nacio Brown and Arthur Freed for the music.

The time is 1927 and Monumental Pictures has just released another silent movie hit, “The Royal Rascal,” starring that classic romantic couple Don Lockwood, a dashing Matthew Tiberi, and  Lina Lamont, a lovely looking Jodi Stevens. But the old-fashioned heyday of silent films is suddenly taking a back seat to the new kid on the block, the talkies. Can Monumental and its two favorites make the transition? Only if Lina Lamont never opens her uncultured and raspy mouth. But who is going to tell her she sounds like a mad cat in heat, on her good days?

Enter the savior of the day in the personage of peppy and pretty, perky and

polished Kathy Selden, a darling Annabelle Fox who has a voice song birds would envy.

Don Lockwood’s good friend Cosmo,  an ever clowning David Rossetti, comes up with what seems to be the perfect picture solution as long as the lovely Lina never suspects: using Kathy’s

voice to dub in all the words and melodies.

The choreography is non stop super, both wet and dry, thanks to the talents of Douglas Shankman and the romantic songs like“All I Do Is Dream of You,” and “You Are My Lucky Star” are balanced by cheery ones like “Good Morning” and the silly ones like “Moses Supposes” and “Make ‘Em Laugh.” Melody Meitrott Libonati directs this puddle jumping joy.

For tickets ($30-64) call Summer Theatre of New Canaan, 11 Farm Road, Waveny Park, New Canaan (just off the Merritt, exit 37, behind the high school) at 203-966-4634 or online at www.stonc.org. Performances are Thursday at  8pm, Friday at 8pm, Saturday at 8pm, and Sunday at 4pm.  Picnic tables are available for reservation.

Also for the kiddies, STONC is offering up a world premiere of "The Dancing Princesses" about 

a mystery that surrounds the young girls and a two person show playing all the characters in "The Adventures of Robin Hood" on Saturday and Sunday mornings and early afternoons ($22-25).

It’s umbrellas and thumbs way up for “Singin’ in the Rain.”  Lucky stars shine in the New Canaan sky.