Review: Artistry’s ‘Singin’ in the Rain’ gets a splashy new look and taps into nostalgia

It’s splashy, wholesome and tap-tastically entertaining.

“Singin’ in the Rain” opened Saturday in a honking production at Bloomington’s Artistry theater. With her deft staging and delightful dance numbers, director and choreographer Kelli Foster Warder has delivered her own energetic and thrilling response to the question of why even do a stage adaptation of this throwback 1952 movie musical that memorably starred Gene Kelly.

One answer seems to be to capture audiences weary of the world’s stresses and deliver them into a dreamily escapist 2½-hour fantasy. Mixing twirling umbrellas and onstage showers, this “Rain” offers pleasant relief with surprising topical references, including one visual nod to the viral Jumbotron couple slinking away at the Coldplay concert.

Long before real-life fraudsters Milli Vanilli were exposed for lip syncing, fictional screen stars Lina Lamont (Serena Brook) and Don Lockwood (Danny McHugh) were trying to navigate the mid-1920s transition from silent films to talkies.

Don, a matinee idol with vocal and acting talent, is beloved by fans and his scene partner. But while Lina looks glamorous and is gifted at pantomime, she’s otherwise talentless, and sounds like a human mosquito.

Don’s best friend Cosmo Brown (Armando Harlow Ronconi) suggests a solution that involves rising singer and actor Kathy Selden (Brittany Mendoza-Peña), Don’s love interest and Lina’s nemesis.

This “Rain” is conducted with verve by Sanford Moore, has gorgeously arresting dance numbers and features first-rate turns by its headliners.

He also stands out on “Broadway Melody,” the huge tap number that’s been renamed and reimagined from “Broadway Ballet.” And McHugh does a good job of negotiating the contradictions of a character who says that dignity is his most important attribute but who is unrelenting in his disdain for Lina, whom he calls a reptile.

A deft physical actor, Ronconi continues to thrill audiences the way he did in Artistry’s “Waitress.” On “Good Morning,” Cosmo’s and Don’s showstopper, he adds loads of hilarity, gleefully kicking the role up a notch.

Artistry has a knack for introducing new talent, and in Mendoza-Pena the company has given the stage over to a charismatic triple threat. Her Kathy is naturally alluring, and her take on “You Are My Lucky Star” is magnetic and gorgeous.

In actuality, Brook is a brilliant actor and singer, but she dumbs it all down for clueless pill Lina with skill, even drawing notes of pity with “What’s Wrong With Me?”

Foster Warder has tapped a huge ensemble for “Rain,” including Gabrielle Dominique as Lina’s encouraging best friend Zelda, Lynnea Doublette as celebrity reporter Dora Bailey, Ben Siglin as the Crooner and Wendy Short-Hays as studio honcho R.F. Simpson. They all dance well (even with one little traffic pattern mishap on opening night), meeting the show’s ambitions on a soundstage-style set by Sarah Bahr, who also crafted gorgeous eye-catching period costumes that are beautifully lit by Jeff Brown.

When: 7:30 p.m. Wed.-Fri., 2 Sat. & Sun. Ends Aug. 31.

Where: Artistry, 1800 W. Old Shakopee Road, Bloomington.