The Rainmaker: Change We Can Believe In

The Rainmaker

By N. Richard Nash

Director, Christopher Webb; Set Designer, Jenna McFarland Lord; Costume Designer, Kristen Mahan; Lighting Designer, Matt Guminski; Sound Designer, Ed Thurber; Prop Designer, Lisa Wondolowski; Stage Manager, Steven Espach

CAST (in alphabetical order): Jens Hinrichsen, Sheriff; Gabriel Kuttner, Starbuck; Jonathan Popp, Jimmy; Barry Press, H.C.; Dan Roach, Noah; Dennis Trainor Jr., File; Jessica Webb, Lizzie

Performances through March 1 @ Foothills Theatre Company

Box Office 508-754-4018 or www.foothillstheatre.com

Just in time for Valentine's Day, the Foothills Theatre Company stages a warm romantic comedy about the power of love to heal and change lives. Christopher Webb directs a talented ensemble, featuring his wife Jessica Webb as Lizzie, in The Rainmaker by N. Richard Nash. His 1954 play about the Curry family struggling to save their western farm in the midst of an extended summer drought still resonates today with its themes of financial stress, search for self, and hoping for dreams to come true.

Jenna McFarland Lord's set welcomes us into the well-worn living area of the family farmhouse to make us feel at home before the show even begins. As her father H.C. (Barry Press) and two brothers Noah (Dan Roach) and Jimmy (Jonathan Popp) await Lizzie's return from an unsuccessful trip to find a husband, they share their worries about her limited prospects for marriage because she is "plain." At the same time, they are concerned about their dying cattle and the rainless forecast. In this early scene, the actors clearly establish the traits of their characters. Noah is the alpha dog, given control of the business by H.C. as he winds down, and self-appointed overseer of his younger siblings. Jimmy is a congenial puppy dog, not so smart, and interested in having a good time with a local girl. Lizzie is disappointed, but she is a realist and tries to maintain a stiff upper lip.

Into this sad state of affairs comes an itinerant stranger with a confident promise to make it rain, for a fee. Starbuck (Gabriel Kuttner) insinuates himself into the family and proves to be a change agent. Kuttner plays the role with more arrogance than charm, but his persistence pays off when H.C. hires him and Jimmy volunteers to help in whatever way he can. Noah and Lizzie remain disdainful, but are forced to play along. Gradually, Lizzie warms to Starbuck as he insists upon treating her like a woman, and Webb's transformation unfolds in subtle ways. As he makes her see herself through his eyes, she softens and lets down her hair and her guard. Whether or not Starbuck is able to make it rain for $100, he gives Lizzie and the family something priceless: hope.

Although the central arc is Lizzie's story and the drought serves as a metaphor for her life, Nash has written parallel situations for several characters. The lonely deputy sheriff File (Dennis Trainor Jr.) concocts a tragic back story and hides inside his shell because he has been hurt and believes that he is inept with women. At the urging of the Sheriff (Jens Hinrichsen), he contemplates getting a dog for companionship. Starbuck lives the nomadic life in search of a dream, wanting to prove that he is special in some way. His gift is his ability to help others see inside themselves, realize their potential, and dare to take a chance. As he promotes this positive, proactive attitude throughout the play, everyone becomes a little lighter and finds it possible to believe.

This is a heartwarming, feel good production with an old-fashioned stylishness. The set is punctuated with iconic props, such as a crank handle telephone and a pot-bellied stove, and the depression era costumes by Kristen Mahan are denim and chambray for the men and thin cotton dresses for Lizzie. The sound of the telephone will be unfamiliar to cell phone users, but it's what a ring tone used to be. We even get the thunder and lightning effects of a dramatic storm when all is said and done. Most of all, we get a cast of characters we can care about as they are brought to life by this capable group of actors under the skilled direction of Christopher Webb. They put it all together to drive home the inspiring message of The Rainmaker, that love has the power to change lives and maybe even bring a little rain.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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