Feature: With real rain, musical Singin' in the Rain debuts in Singapore

The renowned and ever-popular musical Singin' in the Rain made its debut at the MasterCard Theaters of Singapore's Marina Bay Sands on Friday night.

This award-winning show is led by a cast of 27, with Duane Alexander playing the hero of Don Lockwood, who in the musical is a famous silent Hollywood movie star in the late 20s. Set against the backdrop of Old Hollywood in 1927, the show tells the story, made famous by Gene Kelly and Debbie Reynolds in the iconic 1952 movie, of the first Hollywood musical, when the silver screen found its voice and left silent movie era, and some of its stars, behind.

Premiered on the big screen in 1952, the movie soon became a big hit among audiences. And the stage production of Singin' in the Rain, which is based on the classic Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer film, was first shown live on stage in 2011.

And the actual rainfall during the famous rain sequence is no doubt the highlight of the show. According to the company manager Johann Kupferburger, who is the person that "controls the rain", the show uses 12,000 liters of water every time it performs.

"It's a very complicated system with pumps, nozzles, sand filters, UV filters as well as chemically treated water," Kupferburger explained.

"We have 18 nozzles of water from the top of the stage, and also floods with tons of water from underneath as well to make a really good splash."

To those who may worry that it leads to water being wasted, Kupferburger stressed that all the water is "recycled".

When asked how the stage can hold such a huge volume of water, he explained that the floor is made of a special composite material which the cast travels with wherever they go.

"We just put the floor onto the Singapore stage which doesn't allow for slippage during choreography and also complements the tap dancing sequences."

But its a tough routine for the actors, even Duane Alexander, the leading actor of this musical, said performing the whole show is just like running a marathon.

One big challenge is the rain. "The suit becomes heavy with the rain, and under the umbrellas, it's quite difficult to hear the orchestra, and you have to be careful not to slip on the wet surface."

But sometimes, a little bungle can also delight the audiences. "If you slip, it doesn't really matter. The audiences laugh at you and you laugh and get up and keep dancing..."

This is the first time the show has come to Singapore, and James Cundall, Presenter of the show expects the stage version to generate a great buzz in Singapore. "I am absolutely delighted to have the opportunity to bring one of my favorite musicals to Singaporean audiences, this show is a winner because it sends people out of the theater in the happiest of moods!"

Co-presenter Milan Rokic, Managing Director of BASE Entertainment Asia says, "Singin' in the Rain is the most brilliant comedy about the film industry. Egomaniac stars, monstrous film moguls, fickle fans, classic 'golden-era' choreography and slapstick comedy are all brilliantly included. There are floods of laughter and a host of big, colorful and remarkable musical numbers."

The show will be playing until July 26 at the MasterCard Theaters, Marina Bay Sands Singapore. Endi