Every now and then, a local theater borrows an old Hollywood trick: stunt casting. Right now, the 5th Avenue Theatre is pouring water on local celebrities and members of their board during "Singin' in the Rain." They've also switched the racial background of one character. One stunt works, in so far as it doesn't detract from the musical, and one, very unfortunately, doesn't.
On Wednesday, Feb. 23, Seattle Police Chief Gil Kerlikowske will play the policeman who appears at the end of Act 1 during the musical's signature splash dance. And the 5th doesn't stint on the water - it's falling from the ceiling and running along the floor, so expect Kerlikowske to be well wrapped up against the elements as he takes his stroll across the stage. On opening night, it was former Seafirst Bank chairman William M. Jenkins who took the stroll with the nightstick.
In another bit of twist casting, the 5th decided to give the role of the ultimate dumb blonde, Lina Lamont, to African-American actress Lisa Estridge.
While it's always good to see more opportunities for all actors of color, the race switch doesn't work because the 5th seems unable to think out the ramifications and make the needed tweaks to the script.
Estridge is a powerhouse of an actress/singer, as anyone knows who saw her in previous 5th Avenue productions such as "The Rocky Horror Show" and "Smokey Joe's Café." But the plot of "Singing in the Rain" hinges on the fact that Lina is an ice princess blonde whose raucous voice destroys any illusion of her being the sweet French aristocrat that she plays in film after film. As the movies move from silent to "talkies," Lina's co-star and producer need to dub her voice to keep up the illusion.
In the movie, the underrated Jean Hagen parlayed her Greta Garbo good looks against her (fake) horrendous voice to create her most memorable character.
Now, if the 5th was willing to go beyond making their production a monument to the movie, they could have made Estridge's casting work. But they forced her to play it like Hagen rather than create her own character. Esteridge looks completely unbelievable as a powdered wig French aristocrat (as the numerous film close-ups show throughout the evening). But the lovely actress would have made a terrific South Seas beauty menaced by pirates-the type of "exotic" role that 1920s Hollywood loved. And wouldn't it have been fun to see where the desperate movie director lampooned in "Singin' in the Rain" might hide Lina's mike if she was wearing a sarong?
The rest of the leads also don't deviate in style or race from the original models created by Gene Kelly, Debbie Reynolds and Donald O'Connor-which is a pity, because if you're going to break out and do color-blind casting, why not go a little further?
Filling very big dance shoes, Michael Gruber splashes through the gutter in one of the most famous dance sequences ever created. He does it with grace, although the more telling (and dated) "Broadway Ballet" number could have used a few cuts. It was too long in the movie, held together only by Kelly's phenomenal talents, and it drags terribly on stage.
In an equally tough role, Michael Arnold flings himself fearlessly through Donald O'Connor's knockabout number "Make 'em Laugh" and the physically easier but still tricky "Moses Supposes."
As Kathy, Christina Saffran Ashford needs to sing beautifully for such numbers as "You are My Lucky Star" and "Would You," which she does. But wouldn't a black Kathy, forced to hide her talents behind the curtain to dub the white actress, been a far more telling and poignant character?
The 5th Avenue has got talent to burn on stage and they should take risks in their casting. But it would be great if they'd take a few risks in their directing as well and be willing to mess around with some icons of American musical theater, rather than just pull a few stunts in their selections.
"Singin' in the Rain" continues through March 5 at the 5th Avenue Theatre. Tickets are $18 to $70, and if you want to avoid Ticketmaster fees, go down to the theater's box office at 1308 Fifth Avenue.
Rosemary Jones writes about arts and entertainment for the Capitol Hill Times. She can be reached at editor@capitolhilltimes.com.[[In-content Ad]]
