AUGUSTA, Mich.–Rain, rain. Don’t go away. Come again every day through Aug. 28 as The Barn Theater in Augusta splish-splashes through one of the sunniest scores on stage, Singin’ in the Rain.

The Barn’s delightful production is dedicated to the late co-founder Betty Ebert Ragotzy. Her son, current producer Brendan Ragotzy, said his mother always pushed for the theater to tackle the stage adaptation of the 1952 movie, but his father, the late Jack Ragotzy, was hesitant because of the show’s technical challenges including creating silent movies and making it rain on stage.

But The Barn masters both movies and rain so well that the closing curtain call features the entire cast on stage with umbrellas and another downpour.

As mind-boggling as it is to have actual water pouring onto the stage — enough to fill and be spilled out of an upturned umbrella at one point – this show’s biggest big draw is tap dancing, which the three leads do often and everywhere, from desk top to sofa.

The story is set in 1927 as silent movies are giving way to “talkies.” Silent screen stars Don Lockwood (Jamey Grisham) and Lina Lamont (Melissa Cotton Hunter) will need to adapt their melodramatic acting style to survive in the new medium, and Lina’s irritatingly high squeaky voice seems insurmountable. Don’s buddy and partner from vaudeville days, Cosmo Brown (Sam Balzac), comes up with the idea of having Don’s new love interest, actress Kathy Selden (Hannah Eakin), dub in her voice for Lina’s.

Grisham and Balzac are talented tap-dance twins with all the moves made famous by Gene Kelly and Donald O’Connor in the movie. Eakin has no trouble keeping up with them in “Good Morning,” and often leads the way. Balzac’s long, lean limbs and expressive face come in handy when Cosmo Brown clowns around on “Make ‘em Laugh,” and he can tickle the ivories as well. Grisham and Eakin have a whole lab full of chemistry – Eakin’s spunky resistance at first, Grisham’s puppy-dog eyes, their tender pauses and passionate kisses.

Hunter also deserves a heaping helping of kudos as Lina. Consistently keeping up that irritatingly squeaky voice is no easy trick. Lina’s definitely the character you love to hate.

As both director and set designer, Hans Friedrichs integrates the two to keep the complex story as fluid as possible. A beautiful, back-lit art deco design dominates the stage and frames a movie screen at the back of the set. In film sequences designed by Michael McShane, the screen features credits rolling during the opening overture, silly silent movies starring Lockwood and Lamont, a hilarious intro to talkies and equally funny attempts to record Lina with a hidden microphone.

Scaffolding lines the sides of the stage creating the feeling that the whole play is taking place on a Hollywood sound stage, so the grips who wander in and out moving around set pieces seem perfectly appropriate. The play flows from one scene to the next seamlessly with minimal set changes and lots of reliance on audience imagination. Director Friedrichs also has these grips and sound people pausing to admire the romantic dance scenes between Don Lockwood and Kathy Selden, further emphasizing their smoldering chemistry.

A raised floor in the center of the stage provides a handy step for tap dance feats, but also disguises the trough that catches the rain in one dance scene and recirculates it.

Costume designer Carly Heathcote has really outdone herself. The filmy pale green chemises and swirling pink hats for the “Beautiful Girl” ensemble transport the whole scene to another time. And the glitter and glitz of ‘20s stars is perfect.

The bow ties on the tuxedoes for the male dancers proved a little challenging and didn’t want to stay on. Sound and microphone problems also bedeviled the opening night show, which seemed strangely appropriate in a story that focuses on the sound problems of the early talking movies. But an errant microphone bobbing around on a collar or picking up the wind noise from a fan didn’t slow the action much or interfere with such snappy tunes at “Fit as a Fiddle and Ready for Love,” “Moses Supposes,” “Would You?” and “You Are My Lucky Star.” Music director Matt Shabala and his six-piece orchestra are tucked under the stage playing the full, rich score and tossing an occasional comment to the stage.

“Singing in the Rain” is all about overcoming adversity and trying new things. It’s an ideal tribute to Betty Ragotzy and The Barn’s nearly 70 years of making magic. What a great way to close the summer!

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