“I’m singin’ in the rain, just singin’ in the rain; what a glorious feelin’ I’m happy again!” You may remember legendary song-and-dance man Gene Kelly belting out those lyrics in the classic movie musical Singin in the Rain. Recently, the residents at Juniper Village at Lebanon had the opportunity to bring that story to life in their performance of Singin in the Rain, Senior – leaving us all feeling happy again! The show was performed in Juniper’s community room, which was transformed into a theatre – complete with sound and lighting for this special occasion. Through inventive storytelling, the creative team and all-resident cast brought the movie’s most memorable scenes to life, from Lena’s pie in the face, to the Kathy bursting out of a cake, to Don singing joyfully under an umbrella in a rainstorm. They even had an actual fiddler accompanying “Fit As a Fiddle”!
The cast featured 13 actors, some with previous acting or singing experience. Donald Mann who played the leading role of Don Lockwood, is known by many in the region as an accomplished actor and former president of Lebanon Community Theatre. Others, like Nancy Hemler, performed for the first time. Nancy is a gifted pianist, usually found on the other side of the footlights as an accompanist for school musicals. When Nancy was asked to play Cosmo Brown, she jumped at the opportunity saying, “It’s never too late to try something new!”
Singin’ in the Rain, Senior was made possible through a special arrangement with Music Theatre International (MTI), a licensing company which holds the rights to the world’s largest collection of Broadway musicals. Juniper Communities is proud to be partnering with MTI on the ambitious new initiative, Broadway Senior, aimed at adapting classic musicals for older adults. For more information on Broadway Senior, read the latest article in Senior Housing News. https://seniorhousingnews.com/2019/09/03/junipers-new-programming-model-gets-dramatic-start-with-broadway-senior/
Special thanks to the many volunteers who made this program possible, especially Director Liz Cummings, Music Director Ruth Ann Arnold, and Sound Engineer Karen Mann.
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