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).
