‘Singin’ in the Rain’ to make Türkiye premiere in Samsun

SAMSUN

The Samsun State Opera and Ballet (SAMDOB) stages the Türkiye premiere of the iconic Hollywood musical “Singin’ in the Rain” as part of the Samsun Cultural Road Festival.

Composed by Nacio Herb Brown and Arthur Freed, with lyrics by Betty Comden and Adolph Green, the musical will be presented with a new orchestration conducted by Kıvanç Tepe. Maria Chekriekchieva will lead the choir, while Didem Tepe will serve as concertmaster.

Choreography is by Yunus Emre Örgüt, with costumes designed by Gülnur Çağlayan Tuluk, set design by Tayfun Çebi, lighting by Oğuz Murat Yılmaz and video projections by Murat Turgut.

The production will premiere on June 21 at 8 p.m. at the Atatürk Cultural Center’s Aydın Gün Stage and will be performed again on June 22.

Director and translator Aclan Büyüktürkoğlu explained that the musical, first released as a film in 1952, portrays Hollywood’s transition from silent to sound cinema through the romantic and comedic story of Don Lockwood, a silent film star caught between two women and two eras.

Büyüktürkoğlu emphasized that despite its lighthearted tone, the production explores themes of authenticity and emotional depth. “It may sound like a bubbly comedy, but it’s really about truth, sincerity and the human desire to hold on to what feels real,” he said.

A unique stage design will even include artificial rain, with actors getting wet during the performance. “This required intense research and technical work,” Büyüktürkoğlu noted. “It’s visually stunning but also built with the utmost attention to safety.”