Duane Alexander does Gene Kelly in Manila

MANILA, Philippines - Duane Alexander is Don Lockwood for the Manila run of Singin’ in the Rain, which is playing at the Solaire’s The Theatre until Sept. 13.

Duane gets to perform that remarkable Gene Kelly scene from the 1952 MGM film, and the South African theater actor never falters when he dances around and on the stage — in the rain.

“Being a musical theater performer is like being a professional athlete,” Duane said in an interview with this writer during the Singin’ in the Rain tour in Auckland, New Zealand. “You have to make sure you’re eating properly, you are sleeping properly. You’re doing your gym, your yoga, your stretching, your exercise and all that stuff... But you have to remember that, at the end of the day, your job is to deliver hundred percent.”

This makes live entertainment interesting, especially when you know that the actors are as equally excited as you are, in creating a musical theater experience like no other.  

“I suppose the most interesting or exciting thing is, he has been the character I have always dreamed of playing as a performer,” Duane shared. “(I watched it) many times from my childhood; Gene Kelly is an absolute role model and a huge inspiration to me… Everyone is familiar with the movie. Everyone’s familiar with that number (Singin’ in the Rain). The exciting thing about playing that role is, the sort of a career-affirming moment it presents… the one thing about Don Lockwood is, he is a Hollywood, A-list celebrity that everyone wants to be, let’s all be honest. We all want to be the Tom Cruise, the Brad Pitt, the George Clooney, the Ryan Reynolds and the Bradley Cooper. We always wanna know what that lifestyle feels like even though it is just a couple of minutes on the red carpet. It’s good fun.”

Like fellow South African actor Grant Almirall, who was Don in the New Zealand run, Duane said he knows that his performance will always be compared to that of Gene Kelly and considers it the “tricky” part of doing the role.

“I watched the movie in preparation for the auditions,” he recalled. “I haven’t watched it again since because I don’t want to be copying anything that Gene Kelly did. The audiences come to see (it) and expect some movie elements but hopefully, they will appreciate the fact that we all have our own personal interpretation of these roles. I’m not trying to be Gene Kelly, I’m trying to be the character Don Lockwood. I didn’t watch the movie so many times because I want to have a fresh approach.”

Duane (left)is making a splash at Solaire’s The Theatre...With Singin’ in the Rain co-stars(right) Bethany Dickson and Steven van Wyk

The musical adaptation of Singin’ in the Rain beautifully pays tribute to the past and incorporates elements that appeal to today’s audiences. Bringing it to Manila requires hard work and dedication. The entire company had six weeks of rehearsals, including the filming of the black-and-white scenes for the Royal Rascals and the Dueling Cavalier/Dancing Cavalier parts, where Don is in his swashbuckling form; and a boot camp for the lead stars. It was quite a “lengthy process to get this point (performing before an audience),” as Duane put it, which requires fine-tuning of accent and characters and “how you will respond to other characters on stage, how you will play for certain moments.”

Doing musical theater, said Duane, is “complex but it is also very rewarding… To put all the stuff you practiced into a performance and get the audience response.” It is heartwarming and reassuring for every actor to know that your work on stage is appreciated, he added. This makes every performance worth doing.

Since every night means having different audience, Duane said he does some “tweaking and fixing” to deliver a true and sincere performance. The difficulty of Don’s dancing in the rain sequence, with the possibility of slipping, is something Duane must hurdle. “(The slipping) happens, especially on the pavement section because it is a different material,” he said, adding that the material for the floor should sound good with the taps, “it (shouldn’t) perish or mold as it gets wet every night.” Duane wears a water-proof microphone because he is in the rain for the longest and most part of the musical. And when the rain starts to pour, Duane’s suit becomes heavy and he has to take calculated jumps.

Act 1’s Singin’ in the Rain, however, tops his list of unforgettable segments, along with Moses Supposes. “It is such an iconic (scene) from the movie and it is such a big adrenaline rush. The music gets higher and higher, the tap and the choreography is quite exhilarating and complex, and yet when you nail it, you feel like “Yes!” It is like nailing a big exam or something,” said Duane.

Before heading to Singapore and Manila, Duane assumed the alternate Don Lockwood and dance captain positions. The latter gives him a different satisfaction, because Singin’ in the Rain is dance heavy. He has to make sure that the musical’s choreography appears “clean and sleek,” not to mention the task of meeting the UK Production standards. 

As an actor, Duane has done “fantastic roles” in musicals like Jersey Boys and Cats. But Singin’ in the Rain is special because he is able to show his triple-threat talent.

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