THE RAINMAKER
by N. Richard Nash
December 7, 8, & 9, 2006 -
Directed by Jill Navarre
SYNOPSIS: Richard's Nash's classic work of Americana,
The Rainmaker , takes us back to a time in America's history when life was lived close to the land, marriage seemed to be the prime objective of womanhood, and family determined the boundaries of one's life. The country's heartland in the mid-1950s is the setting in which these mythic notions of American identity are played out.
Before America became the suburban nation of the 21st century, the rural landscape of small town life contained a sense of place and identity where the space for dreaming was limited only by the horizon. The humor and humanity of this play make it suitable for all ages.
The New York Times critic Ben Brantley's description of the 2003 Signature Theatre revival of 110º in the Shade , the musical version of The Rainmaker :“…smooth talking con-man meets dry prairie virgin in drought-plagued farm town and suddenly there's love in the dust.”
Salon.com critic Steve Vineberg's description of the 1999 Broadway revival of The Rainmaker which featured Woody Harrelson and Jayne Atkinson:“ The Rainmaker is a fable about how faith carves a fairy tale out of workaday realities.
Sometime in the mid-Fifties. Somewhere...
...in the middle of the country, in the middle of “a Western state.” Sometime in the middle of a drought. It is the world of a fable or fairy tale, but a uniquely American one: a tall tale from days gone by. A story about dreams, but
also about reality—about how dreams can come true not just from believing and hoping and waiting for stars to fall, but also from working hard and living in the world.
Henry “H.C.” Curry has some problems. There is no rain, his ranch is suffering, and cattle are dying in droves. His elder son, Noah, manages the ranch and frets, trying to run the family like an orderly business. Jim, the youngest, is either tuning in faraway places on his crystal radio set or scooting off with town flirt Snookie McGuire in her new car. Daughter Lizzie, the sensible bedrock of the family, has them all stumped in their best efforts to get her married off. She just can't talk to a man without scaring him away. Maybe Deputy File, the town's most eligible bachelor (seems he's a widower from way back),can be lured over with the promise of supper? Or maybe the smooth-talking Starbuck can help, the stranger who just rolled up in a wagon, promising to bring rain—and hope—for a flat fee. Can all his fancy stories and all his magic bring a downpour to the dry places, inside and out?
1954 The Fifties in America :
$1 then = $6.70 today
COST IN 1954
House: $22,000
Ford car: $1548-$2415
The New York Times critic Ben Brantley's description of the 2003 Signature Theatre revival of 110º in the Shade , the musical version of The Rainmaker :“…smooth talking con-man meets dry prairie virgin in drought-plagued farm town and suddenly there's love in the dust.”
Salon.com critic Steve Vineberg's description of the 1999 Broadway revival of The Rainmaker which featured Woody Harrelson and Jayne Atkinson:“ The Rainmaker is a fable about how faith carves a fairy tale out of workaday realities.
Sometime in the mid-Fifties. Somewhere...
...in the middle of the country, in the middle of “a Western state.” Sometime in the middle of a drought. It is the world of a fable or fairy tale, but a uniquely American one: a tall tale from days gone by. A story about dreams, but
also about reality—about how dreams can come true not just from believing and hoping and waiting for stars to fall, but also from working hard and living in the world.
Henry “H.C.” Curry has some problems. There is no rain, his ranch is suffering, and cattle are dying in droves. His elder son, Noah, manages the ranch and frets, trying to run the family like an orderly business. Jim, the youngest, is either tuning in faraway places on his crystal radio set or scooting off with town flirt Snookie McGuire in her new car. Daughter Lizzie, the sensible bedrock of the family, has them all stumped in their best efforts to get her married off. She just can't talk to a man without scaring him away. Maybe Deputy File, the town's most eligible bachelor (seems he's a widower from way back),can be lured over with the promise of supper? Or maybe the smooth-talking Starbuck can help, the stranger who just rolled up in a wagon, promising to bring rain—and hope—for a flat fee. Can all his fancy stories and all his magic bring a downpour to the dry places, inside and out?
1954 The Fifties in America :
$1 then = $6.70 today
COST IN 1954
House: $22,000
Ford car: $1548-$2415
CAST:
Sonja - Lizzie Curry Anadi -younger brother Jimmy Partha - older brother Noah Otto - Pop (H.C. Curry) Floyd - Starbuck, the Rainmaker Swar - Deputy Sheriff File Axel - the Sheriff |
Directed by Jill Navarre
Set Design: Batsala and Indra Lighting: Jean and Mahi Sound: Jonah |