BWW Reviews: Edgemar's RAINMAKER Remains A Must See Through Early September

The Rainmaker/by N. Richard Nash/directed by Jack Heller/Edgemar Center for the Arts/extended through September 7

Let me start off by saying that the performance of The Rainmaker on Saturday June 15 was almost cancelled due to the illness of the two actors playing File and the Sheriff. Ron Vignone and Daniel Robertson respectively stepped in with only a couple of hours rehearsal so that the show could go on. With script in hand, both covered their roles quite effectively based on the little amount of time they had for preparation. Bravo!

N. Richard Nash's contemporary classic tale of following your dreams and finding your niche comes to vibrant life in Henry Jaglom and The Rainbow Theatre Company's production of The Rainmaker onstage at The Edgemar Center for the Arts in Santa Monica through early September. Directed by Jack Heller, the cast is mesmerizing headed by Tanna Frederick as Lizzie and Robert Standley as Starbuck.

I have seen many productions of The Rainmaker over the years, and of course exulted in the film that was so perfectly suited to Katharine Hepburn and Burt Lancaster. Without two riveting lead actors, the play may easily fall short. Lizzie Curry is for all practical purposes an old maid who takes care of her dad H.C. (Stephen Howard) and two brothers Noah (David Garver) and Jimmy (Benjamin Chamberlain) and the upkeep of their 1937 farmhouse in the midwest. She is plain but possessing an inner beauty that shines incessantly via her good will and nurturing ways. Law officer File, who feigns at being a widower - his wife actually walked out on him - cares deeply for Lizzie but is too stubborn and 'pulled in' to realize it. He will offer any excuse not to come to supper until the Currys and the sheriff force to him to face up to his needs. Meanwhile, there's a horrorific drought besetting the town and out of the blue con man Starbuck arrives promising rain - for $100 - and hope...for the immediate problem, the family... and mostly, for Lizzie.

Tanna Frederick with her staunch yet gentle attitude creates a portrait of Lizzie that is truly unforgettable. Not unlike a young Carol Burnett, who would have been perfect for the part, Frederick brings a genuine, downhome quality that is unmistakably alluring. Miraculously without an ounce of makeup, she transforms her own beauty into plainness, totally from within. When her hair comes down in a later scene, she simply glows with natural beauty. Her performance is luminous throughout. Robert Standley's big, bold exuberant approach to his work makes him a perfect choice for Starbuck. He also brings a surprising gentleness and sincerity to the character that cause the scenes between him and Lizzie in the barn to take flight. Howard, Garver and Chamberlain are all fine, with a special nod to Chamberlain for creating a playfulness in Jim that is never forced. In a two and a half hour period, he incredibly matures from awkward teen to manhood. This natural quality is present in everyone's performance because of Jack Heller's wonderfully adept plan of not going overboard. He keeps it truthful at every turn and therefore more enjoyable. A special nod to Christopher Stone for his beautifully practical set design of The Farmhouse living area, the barn and sheriff's office.

Go see The Rainmaker and be prepared to be engrossed in Nash's fine words. The entire company, especially Standley and Frederick, inhabit them offering a newfound clarity of purpose and unfettered richness.

http://www.edgemarcenter.org/

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