Theater review: Splashy 'Rain'

They got it half-right. Ordway Center's staging of "Singin' in the Rain" has the splashy, classy aura of a big Broadway musical. James Rocco and Jayme McDaniel dance a bevy of crisp bodies across a stage decked in art deco grandeur with the sharp sounds of Jeff Rizzo's orchestra rising from the pit. The original choreography by Gene Kelly and Stanley Donen still feels inventive -- mixing tap, modern and ballet -- and when the spigots open above the stage for that stormy signature number at the end of the first act, it's a beautiful thing.

All right, so perhaps it's more than half-right. For even as Nacio Herb Brown's irresistible melodies dance through our heads, something about Rocco's production comes up short. Where is the heart -- the sheer, ecstatic joy of camaraderie and fresh love? There may never be a "fantastic production" of "Singin' in the Rain," given the transparent and slim contrivance of Betty Comden and Adolph Green's story. Arthur Freed, the MGM producer who conceived of the 1952 film, built this thing for song and dance, and to quibble about anything else conjures up the guy who clucked at "Deep Throat" because the plot didn't ring true.

However, the best stagings go beneath the flashing teeth and glittering eyes to find winsome characters for whom we can root. Michael Gruber, Christina Saffran Ashford and Tony Vierling sing and dance the bejeezus out of the roles originally created by Kelly, Debbie Reynolds and Donald O'Connor. Yet rarely does the frisson of discovery creep up on the back of our necks as this charming trio navigates the story's twists and turns.

"Singin' in the Rain" takes place on the cusp of Hollywood's talkie era. Gruber is Don Lockwood, a top star, and Vierling is his best buddy Cosmo Brown, who plays music for the films. Don is saddled with Lina Lamont (Austene Van), a screechy leading lady. Ashford plays Kathy Selden, an innocent who irritates Lina because she can actually sing -- and because Don has an eye for her. The scenario spins out and when Lockwood and Lamont make their talkie debut, Kathy's voice is dubbed for the shrill Lina. Intrigue and comedy ensue.

The key to unlocking this book is in the relationship among Don, Cosmo and Kathy, and here is where Rocco's production falters. Gruber and Ashford (who, with deepest respect, would have been a terrific Kathy 15 years ago) share nary an ounce of genuine chemistry or passion. In "You Were Meant For Me," one never sees the "Wow, I'm in love!" realization in their eyes. Similarly, the scene leading up to "Good Mornin,' " in which the trio figures out the solution for the talkie era (it's musicals!) does not quiver with the giddy surprise of triumph. And when Gruber and Vierling spoof a stuffy diction teacher, they display tap virtuosity, but one doesn't sense the glee of getting over on the old man.

Van plays Lina by the book -- neither brilliant, nor wrong. Michael Brindisi (who directed this show at Chanhassen in 2006) comically seethes as the film director frustrated by the new sound technology, and dancer Zhauna Franks (from Ballet of the Dolls) slices through the "Broadway Ballet" like a sexy stiletto.

It all looks and sounds lovely. If it only had heart.

Graydon Royce • 612-673-7299