A few drops of heaven
The Norris Theatre offers three weeks of “Singin’ in the Rain”
Wesley Alfvin stars as Don Lockwood.
There are certain facts audience members must understand before attending the opening of the stage version of “Singing’ in the Rain” tomorrow night at the Norris Theatre in Rolling Hills Estates.
Most importantly, the play is a play based on a movie that’s a movie within a movie.
It’s simple to follow, really. The story of “Singin’ in the Rain” – 1952 screenplay by Betty Comden and Adolph Green, songs by Arthur Freed (lyrics) and Nacio-Herb Brown (music) – tells how a rival studio scores an enormous hit with its first talking picture, 1927’s “The Jazz Singer.” R.F. Simpson, head of the studio producing “The Dueling Cavalier” decides he has no choice but to convert his new movie into a talkie. The production is beset with difficulties that reportedly reflect what actually took place during the early days of talking pictures. The stage script (1985) is nearly identical to the movie script, according to Norris Artistic Director James Gruessing, who also directs the play.
Did I mention that it rains in the picture? It will also rain inside the Norris beginning tomorrow night. Gruessing assures that nary an orchid wrist corsage will be doused. Gentlemen theater-goers will most certainly provide their evening companions with some sort of floral accessory, won’t they? C’mon, this is Hollywood!
Route 66 to PV Peninsula
Gruessing’s youthful pilgrimage to the South Bay and damp stages began at his birthplace: Albuquerque, N.M.
“We spent a lot of summers out here with family,” said the director, “so I was kind of familiar with it; the climate, the kind of attitude of Southern California. So, when it came time to move, it seemed like a comfortable fit for me. My intention was to work in film and television, but I discovered I was more of a theater kid than anything.” He presently lives in Lakewood.
“Kid” is the operative word. “I was about 13 when I did my first production,” he said. Gruessing admits he was and still is a performer, though duties at the Norris have abbreviated his time on stage.
“I manage to squeeze in a production here and there. I occasionally do shows out at Disney. For the last two years I’ve been playing the genie in the Aladdin musical show at California Adventure and I still do it from time to time on a call-in basis.”
Gruessing came to the Norris in 2002 for the show “1776.” “I auditioned and was cast; a few years went by and a friend of mine called in November 2004 and said the Prime Time Players were in need of a director.” PTP is a community outreach program of the Norris made up of performers 50 and older who produce two shows a year for senior centers and charitable events throughout the South Bay.”
While Gruessing was working with the senior Thespians, then-managing director of the Norris Dick Moe said to him, “you have a lot of potential and a good background. Would you like to work for us?”
“In April 2005, I started working full-time,” said Gruessing. He said his primary duties as artistic director – when he’s not directing a show – include “day to day work dealing with accounting, bookkeeping, booking (the artists), gathering all the information for our seasons, contracts, overseeing the staff, all the nuts and bolts that go along with the theater.”
This year is a three-show season at the Norris. After “Singin’” will come “The Odd Couple” and “The Andrews Brothers.” Gruessing will also direct “The Odd Couple.”
Regarding the current production, Gruessing said, “I’ve always admired it as a movie musical – it’s one of the quintessential movie musicals. When you ask any person on the street, most either have seen it or are familiar with some of the music from it…. Having seen it onstage a few times, I realize it’s one of those shows where the reaction of the audience is ‘Wow! They really tried to recreate the film on the stage.’”
The musical score includes “Fit as a Fiddle and Ready for Love,” “Temptation,” “All I Do is Dream of You,” “Make ‘em Laugh,” “Beautiful Girl,” “You Were Meant for Me,” “You Are My Lucky Star,” “Good Morning” and more. Many of the tunes in the 1952 movie release had been performed in previous Hollywood productions and in films to come, but such does not dampen their relevance. Cary Grant whistled the title song during a shower scene in Alfred Hitchcock’s “North by Northwest.” If it’s good enough for Cary….
Let it rain
“With the rain and the film effects and all… the challenge in the production is how do you keep all of the stuff that everybody knows and loves – like Gene Kelly dancing in the rain – yet make it your own and make it work for your space,” said Gruessing.
The rainstorm is 32’ x 6’ and is rented (along with the rest of the set) from Candlelight Pavilion in Claremont (Riverside) where the show was mounted in February. “Up until that point, the only set I had seen was from the 5th Avenue Theatre in Seattle and it’s about five semi-loads’ worth, obviously a little too big for the Norris.
“It’s always been something (‘Singin’ in the Rain’) that we thought we couldn’t produce because it’s too big, until I saw it in Riverside. I said, ‘That set is actually perfect for our stage. I think we can finally do it.’”
As per normal in Southern California theaters these days, rehearsal time is short. How has the cast and crew handled the tight schedule?
“Actually, to be quite candid, they’ve met the challenge and exceeded the challenge. I’m very surprised at how quickly they’ve adapted and learned lines and choreography.”
The leads rehearsed two-and-a-half weeks; one week more for the ensemble. More than two weeks before opening, Gruessing said the cast was doing full run-throughs of the show.
“It’s one of those things that’s either feast or famine. My philosophy is if you give the cast six weeks, they’ll take the full six weeks to learn the show. Give them two weeks, they’ll learn it in two weeks,” said Gruessing.
“I’ve been blown away by the caliber of talent.”
Local song-and-dance man
With Gene Kelly doing the choreography for the movie, and Ann Myers mimicking much of the same as the Norris choreographer, it takes little imagination to figure that there will be quite a bit of tap dancing onstage, especially by leads Wesley Alfvin (Don Lockwood/Gene Kelly), Savannah Ackerman (Kathy Selden/Debbie Reynolds) and Sam Cavanaugh (Cosmo Brown/Donald O’Connor).
Alfvin plays Gene Kelly playing the character of Don Lockwood, Hollywood film star. If you’ve any doubts about Alfvin’s dancing ability, he has an impressive posting on YouTube. In “Singin,’” he’s the one who gets wet, a condition to which Alfvin is unaccustomed, given that he was born and raised in the South Bay. It never rains in California, regardless of the rantings of Fritz Coleman in February.
“I grew up in Manhattan Beach, went to Mira Costa High School, and I’ve been doing musical theater for a long time. I did a few shows with Music Theatre West (Long Beach) when I was in high school, then went on to major in musical theater at the University of Michigan,” said Alfvin. “I toured with the musical ‘42nd Street’ for a year and have just been following my dreams.”
Alfvin knows that tap dancing is his forte. “I tend to audition and get cast in tap shows,” he said. “I’m a song and dance man at heart; that’s what I love to do, that sort of passion is for me. The opportunity for me to play this role (in Singin’) that Gene Kelly created is an absolute dream come true.”
This will be Alfvin’s first time in the part.
What’s most difficult about playing a role created by an icon? Are the numbers ever intimidating, or are you over that?
“I wouldn’t call it intimidating; it’s more of an honor. I’ve studied Gene Kelly’s style, his choreography and all his work for a long time, so the opportunity to bring that to the stage is really exciting to me,” said Alfvin.
“I think one of the hardest things about producing this show is that we’re essentially recreating a movie that took weeks to shoot. [Editor: The rain sequence was filmed over three days.] We’re trying to bring that whole production to the stage, from beginning to end with the rain sequence and all the dance numbers and everybody’s favorite moments they remember from the movie. We’re bringing all of that to life for one evening.”
Alfvin said the book of the stage show is essentially identical to the script of the movie, which makes it “such a beast to bring to the stage. It’s honestly like recreating the movie, shot for shot.”
Alfvin truly enjoys the cast of “Singin’,” especially his co-leads Savannah Ackerman and Sam Cavanaugh.
“We’re having a wonderful time,” he said. “I can’t think of two better people to play this show with. They’re both incredible in their roles and I know it’s going to be a lot of fun to see onstage. We’re having a blast in rehearsals.”
Years after making the “Singin’” movie, star Debbie Reynolds reportedly said that making this film and surviving childbirth were the two most difficult experiences of her life. Such seems not to be the case – childbirth aside — among the cast members who will be onstage tomorrow evening at the Norris.
Regardless of the weather outside, “Singin’ in the Rain” plays Sept. 24-26, Oct. 1-3 and 8-10 at 8 p.m. with Sunday matinees at 2. Norris Theatre, 27579 Crossfield Drive, Rancho Palos Verdes. Tix, $42, can be purchased by calling 310-544-0403 or visiting www.norriscenter.com. The facility is wheelchair accessible and provides assisted listening devices upon request. ER