Musical Review / `Singing In The Rain' -- Film Classic Hits The Stage

------------------------------------------------------------------ Theater review

"Singin' in the Rain." Adapted by Betty Comden and Adolph Green from their screenplay. Songs by Nacio Herb Brown and Arthur Freed. Directed by Charles Repole. 5th Avenue Theatre, Tuesdays-Sundays through Dec. 22. 292-ARTS. ------------------------------------------------------------------

First things first: Yes, the stage musical based on the film "Singin' in the Rain" replicates the scene of a love-struck hoofer singin' and dancin' in a downpour.

At the 5th Avenue Theatre, Dirk Lumbard (playing a role Gene Kelly immortalized in the 1952 movie) splashes around nimbly in 700 gallons of warm prop water, which streams onto the plastic-coated stage, collects in a hidden drain, then gets recycled for the next show.

What a nifty stunt, all that precipitation - though a rather redundant sight in a Seattle winter.

The show's redundancy problems do not end there. Resurrecting one of the all-time great movie musicals scene by scene, song by song, dance by dance may fly commercially. And it sure is part of a theatrical trend.

But without a consistently high-voltage cast putting a fresh spin on this romantic comedy spoof set in 1920s Hollywood, such cloning makes little creative sense.

Now and then the 5th Avenue production catches a bit of the movie's infectious high spirits. And it's enjoyable to hear the Nacio Herb Brown- Arthur Freed score, including "You Were Meant For Me" and "All I Do Is Dream of You" among other standards.

Much of this "Singin' in the Rain," however, is a workmanlike rehash of celluloid pizazz. And a repeat of cornball bits authors Adolph Green and Betty Comden should have edited out, when they adapted their screenplay for the stage.

In roles filled on screen by Kelly and Debbie Reynolds, Lumbard as '20s movie idol Don Lockwood and Cynthia Ferrer as his cheerful gal Kathy Seldon are competent but bland. Lumbard taps and sings well, but lacks the animal magnetism and jaunty cynicism that made Kelly's Lockwood irresistible. Ferrer locks into pert and perky mode, and her voice doesn't always carry. In an eccentric turn, Alan Sues (formerly of TV's "Laugh In") hams it up as an old-time movie director.

It's up to turbo-powered Randy Rogel to steal the show, which he does with ease. Rogel is amazing in the showstopping "Make 'em Laugh" number - mugging, cavorting and pratfalling to beat the band. And throughout, Rogel radiates so much personality he makes the role originated by Donald O'Connor very much his own.

Rachel de Benedet scores, too, as silent screen queen Lina Lamont, delivering her dumb-blonde lines in a perfectly timed diesel shriek.

Just don't mistake this "Singin' in the Rain" for the definitive edition. That one you can catch on video, anytime you need a lift.