Teardrops to Raindrops – Drayton Entertainment’s The Rainmaker Covers The Full Range of Emotions

While the rain arrived in Kitchener Waterloo on Friday night, so did THE RAINMAKER by Drayton Entertainment.  Upon arrival at the opening night performance at St. Jacobs Country Playhouse you could feel the audience anticipation of the show as soon as you arrived, similar to the way you can feel a strong rain coming on.  Being on site as a media reviewer we often listen to the thoughts of others around us before the performance, during the intermission and after the show.  The Rainmaker had many in the same boat, not knowing too much of this story but just like the sprinkling of rain many found this period piece a refreshing change of pace from their modern-day life.

The Life of a Rancher’s Family During A Drought

As the performance begins we learn that the Curry family is experiencing drought it many forms.  The pressing one is lack of rain which is putting a strain on the survival of their family ranch.  The less obvious one is the drought of suitors that Lizzie, the daughter of the rancher, has felt most of her life. The rancher’s eldest son is finding a drought when it comes to funds that keep the farm afloat and the local deputy sheriff that Lizzie has her eye on is finding the drought of personal relationships something he has come to accept. The youngest son of the family which, they are all concerned about, is doing his best to keep everyone upbeat in this trying time, but his older brother scolding him on his choice of girlfriend is getting too much to handle during the heat wave.  Together these stories collide to become a perfect storm of high emotions.  Some bring on tears and others bring on frustration but they all seem to think the lack of rain is the root of problem and as soon as the next storm passes through, they believe they will be “right as rain”.

It Becomes All About Making It Rain

Just as the family and believes all hope is lost for the ranch and the idea of Lizzie finding a husband, a smooth-talking confidence man comes by with the promise he can bring the rain.  The family members disagree about the validity of his words but decide to take a leap of faith and hire him to make it rain.  What they get in return is a change in the air which continues on well into the second act.

It’s Raining Men

When the Rainmaker himself spends time with Lizzie they both see their skies transform.  He begins to realize he is living in a fantasy and needs someone to ground him and Lizzie shape-shifts in front of the audience into a confident woman who now can see herself as beautiful for the first time.  This newfound self-esteem has it raining cats and dogs in the potential husband department as both the Rainmaker and the Deputy Sherriff begin vying for her affection.

These become stormy situations for everyone involved and while heat wave is keeping the weather hot, so is the scene with Lizzie and the Rainmaker and the heat is on when it comes to her younger brother and his girlfriend.

Will a change in the weather change the trajectory of these characters? You’ll have see THE RAINMAKER to find out.

Get Your Tickets

Tickets are $46 for Adults and $27 for Youth under 20 years of age. Tickets for groups of 20 or more and selected Discount Dates are $37. HST is applicable to all ticket prices. Tickets may be purchased online at www.draytonentertainment.com, in person at the Box Office, or by calling 519-747-7788 or toll free at 1-855-DRAYTON (372-9866).