
As someone who previously performed a tiny part in a New Tampa Players (NTP) production, I can only tell you how much hard work it took to make community theater look and sound as good as it does when it finally hits the stage.
What I canât tell you is how much hard work it takes to blend together more than 30 cast members â some of whom sing only, others who dance only and still others who do both â and how to make it all come together seamlessly on stage after only a few weeks of rehearsals.Â

But, based on my experience performing in NTPâs production of âGreaseâ â the first Players performance held at the New Tampa Performing Arts Center (NTPAC) off Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd. last summer â I have no doubt that director (and NTP producing artistic director) Nora Paine, musical director Frank Meekins and choreographer Sarah Walston will make it happen when NTP presents the classic musical âSinginâ in the Rainâ at the NTPAC for two consecutive weekends â July 19-21 and 26-28.
Although Meekins was both director and musical director for âGrease,â Paine was the producer and stage manager for that show and Walston was the choreographer. In other words, the trio is comfortable working together, âand we all had an interest in working on âSinginâ in the Rainâ together,â Meekins says. âSo, it all just kind of worked out. Although the tap dancing definitely makes it more challenging, weâre all very excited about this show.â
According to Wikipedia, ââSinginâ in the Rainâ is a stage musical with story 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, starring Gene Kelly (and directed and choreographed by Kelly and Stanley Donen), the stage musicalâs plot closely adheres to the original film.âÂ
Set in Hollywood in the waning days of the silent screen era, âSinginââ focuses on romantic lead Don Lockwood (played by Kyle Billington), his sidekick Cosmo Brown (Rhett Ricardo), aspiring actress Kathy Selden (Olivia Carr, who played Sandy in âGreaseâ), and Lockwoodâs leading lady Lina Lamont (Melanie Bierweiler), âwhose less-than-dulcet vocal tones make her an unlikely candidate for stardom in talking pictures,â again, according to the âSinginââ entry in Wikipedia.Â
The stage show had its world premiere in 1983 at the London Palladium, where it ran for more than two years, and has spawned a Broadway production and many stagings worldwide. It has been called, âThe greatest movie musical of all time.â
According to NTPâs NewTampaPlayers.org website, âEach unforgettable scene, song and dance is accounted for, including the show-stopping title number, complete with an onstage rainstorm! Hilarious situations, snappy dialogue and a hit-parade score of Hollywood standards make âSinginâ in the Rainâ the perfect entertainment for any fan of the golden age of movie musicals.âÂ


All of the photos on these pages were taken during rehearsals for the New Tampa Players production of âSinginâ in the Rain,â which will have six performances at the New Tampa Performing Arts Center over two weekends â July 19-21 & July 26-28. (Photos by Charmaine George & Gary Nager)


Meekins says that in addition to the title number â âAnd yes, it will be raining,â he says â many of the songs are well-known, memorable and can be considered âshow stoppers,â including âYou Are My Lucky Star,â âWould Youâ and especially âBroadway Rhythm.â
âThe title song is actually performed twice â once by Don Lockwood at the end of the first act and the second time by the entire cast (at the close of Act 2), all of whom who will be singing and dancing together in the rain,â Meekins says. âI
know it will be amazing to see this cast come together for that finale. All of the cast members have different levels of experience, but I have no doubt that it will all come together.â
Get your tickets now for âSinginâ in the Rainâ at the New Tampa Performing Arts Center (8550 Hunters Village Rd., off Bruce B. Downs Blvd.). The show (presented through the generous support of Hillsborough County and Florida Arts and Culture and with special arrangement through Music Theatre International) will be performed Fri.-Sat., July 19-20 and July 26-27, at 8 p.m., and at 3 p.m. on Sun., July 21 & 28. Tickets cost $21-$35 and are available at NewTampaPlayers.org.Â
For more information, call (813) 543-6252 or see the ad below.Â
