The Bryan Family Sampler: Singin in the Rain (Act I :)

Is it even legal to have a blog post this long?!?!?

Seriously, this is a lengthy one folks so feel free to skip or skim or whatever you need to do.

The week before Singin' in the Rain opened I went to a couple of the dress rehearsals.

I wanted to peek in and see how things were going. The first night I was able to stay through the first act. I was so excited about how well Matt was doing that I am not ashamed to say I actually teared up during "Moses Supposes". Matt and Sam were obviously having so much fun with it and it was the first time I had seen Matt really tap dance. It was amazing! 'Moses' remained my favorite number of the show through the whole run.

The second night I offered to take pictures throughout rehearsal...not because I am a great photographer, but because, selfishly, I wanted to make sure pictures were taken. The director had me use the school's DSLR with which I was not familiar at all. She gave me a quick tutorial and set me free. I had a ton of fun doing it...moving around the auditorium and trying to catch the best moments. However, I had some frustrations with the camera and when I finally saw the pictures a month later, I found that a lot of them ended up blurry. I was super sad...and embarrassed since they had all been sent out to the entire cast and their parents.

So, most of the pictures you will see below were taken by me during dress rehearsal. However, a few of them were sent to me by my mom from an actual performance and, on closing night, I did take several of the final number and bows.

A very talented student was over all the filming for the black and white portions of the show and also photographed and edited and created these movie posters. They were displayed on either side of the stage. Such a fun addition!

So, without further ado, I present Singin' In the Rain!

(I will give minimal commentary and mostly let the pictures tell the story.)

*This big, white coat cracked me up :)*

"Dignity, always dignity..."

{Fit as a Fiddle}

"...terribly lonely."

"Oh no?!"

{You Stepped Out of a Dream}

(one of two numbers not in the Hollywood version of the show)

*I glued together the champagne tower in the background :)*

"A talking picture!"

"Now that I know you live in a cake, let me see you home."

{All I Do is Dream of You}

"Here's one thing I've learned from the movies..."

*Lina (Maggie Liddle) did such an amazing job with her role.*

"Dignity Lina, remember your dignity!"

*So Benji (the guy in the middle) was actually a student director but during the dress rehearsal, the guy that played Rod (Michael Thatcher) was sick so Benji stepped in.*

{Make 'Em Laugh}

*Sam Heiner did such an incredible job!

He was super fun as Cosmo and put his own spin on the character.*

"I'd like to break every bone in your body."

"Well of course we talk...doesn't everybody?"

{Beautiful Girl}

*Poor Jack lost his singing voice after a couple of nights and, ironically, ended up having to lip sync the last couple of shows.*

{My Lucky Star}

{You Were Meant For Me}

"Tah Tay Tee Toe Too"

"And I can't stand him"

"Around the rocks the rugged rascal ran."

{Moses Supposes}

"Pierre, you shouldn't have come!"

"You have to talk into the bush!"

"I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you."

"No, No, No! Yes, Yes, Yes!"

{Good Mornin'}

{Singin' in the Rain}

{Would You}

{What's Wrong With Me}

(The second non-movie number)

{Broadway Rhythm}

"People?! I ain't People!"

{Lucky Star Reprise}

After the final scene, the entire cast came out and sang and danced to a medley of the songs before, during and after the bows. It was adorable!

After the second to last show I talked to Michelle, the prop lady (love her!) and asked if on closing night they could make it rain during the finale. She liked the idea but didn't think it would be logistically possible since they had to have the curtains drawn partially to conceal the kids shaking the bags of rain...and they needed the whole stage to fit everyone on for the finale. So, I told her I understood and we left it at that. Imagine my surprise when the "rain" started coming down on closing night! (I don't know how she ended up making it work).

It was so fun and I was so excited! Matt said that none of them had any idea it was going to happen and they all loved it!