The Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris is sending its second musical to Broadway. The theater and Weinstein Live Entertainment announced Monday that “Singin’ in the Rain,” which opened at the Châtelet in March and returned on Nov. 7 for a six-week run, would transfer to Broadway in the fall of 2016. It follows “An American in Paris,” which Châtelet co-produced and which transferred to Broadway in April, receiving glowing reviews and earning 12 Tony nominations.
The Châtelet production of “Singin’ in the Rain,” based on the 1952 movie, is directed by Robert Carsen, designed by Anthony Powell and choreographed by Stephen Mear. It faithfully reproduces the dialogue and action of the film, with its songs by Nacio Herb Brown and Arthur Freed, and its famous splash-in-the-puddles, rain-drenched dance solo for Gene Kelly. A different production appeared on Broadway in 1985.
Victoria Parker, an executive producer at Weinstein Live Entertainment, said that capitalization costs were still to be determined. “As we are bringing an existing production, it’s a different scenario, so it’s hard to speculate,” she said. Ms. Parker said that current plans were to bring Mr. Carsen’s production intact to Broadway.
Harvey Weinstein, the heavyweight Hollywood producer who had been an investor in a number of Broadway musicals, made his entry into the thorny world of live theater production with “Finding Neverland,” which opened on Broadway in April. In an email he said that he had always wanted to bring “Singin’ in the Rain” to Broadway. “When I saw Jean-Luc and Robert Carsen’s production I said this is the production,” he wrote, referring to Jean-Luc Choplin, the Châtelet’s director. He added that he first saw the film while a student, two days after his father had died.
“I was incredibly sad and I took myself to the Regency to see a double bill of Singin’ in the Rain and American in Paris,” he wrote. “Up until that day, I hadn’t loved American musicals, but I realized this was great art, as good as any European filmmaker that I was idolizing at the time like Bergman and Fellini. Vincente Minnelli, Stanley Donen and Gene Kelly were right up there for me.” He added that he hoped Mr. Donen, who directed the 1952 film and is now 91, would be in the audience on opening night.