"The Rainmaker" at Lyric Arts

The classic play The Rainmaker is like a mix of The Glass Menagerie and The Music Man, set in a rural area beset by drought during the Depression. There's the family daughter who's a bit different that everyone is trying to "marry off," and the charming con man who sweeps into town and brings new life and hope to the community. It's a beautiful and bittersweet story about a woman finding her confidence and self-worth through the eyes of a stranger. Experience the wonder of the long-awaited rain in Lyric Arts' new production, featuring a talented cast and lovely design, continuing through March 23.

The Curry family consists of patriarch H.C., smart and capable daughter Lizzie, older son Noah who runs the ranch, and the youngest, the easygoing Jimmy. The boys are worried about Lizzie's future and try to marry her off, first by sending her to a nearby town to stay with a family with six sons, then by inviting the local deputy over for dinner. But Lizzie isn't like other the other girls in town, flighty and flirty and intent on "getting a man the way he needs to get got." She speaks her mind, and thinks that no man would want her because she's always been told that she's plain. One hot, dry night, a stranger shows up and offers them something they're all craving - rain. Gullible Jimmy believes him, practical Lizzie and Noah do not, but H.C. wants to give it a chance just in the hopes of something happening.*

Lizzie (Nora Targonski-O-Brien) and
Starbuck (Eric Knutson, photo by Moly Weibel)

Something does happen, maybe not what they expected, but something that changes all of their lives. Whether or not Starbuck is a rainmaker as he claims remains to be seen, but what he is is a dream-weaver, a catalyst for change to get them out of this rut they've fallen into. He's Professor Harold Hill, come to sell River City, or in this case, the Curry family, something more than a big band or rain, something much more vital - hope for the future, faith in something, and a belief in oneself. He teaches Lizzie to say "I'm pretty" and mean it, but it's not really about being "pretty," it's about believing she's a beautiful woman deserving of love and happiness and all that life has to offer. Even though the plotline about "marry her off before she becomes an old maid" could seem sexist and offensive, it's a product of its time and really represents any longed for and almost given up dream.*

Ben Thietje directs the play, with a tone that strikes a nice balance between humor and sadness. Nora Targonski-O'Brien is a revelation as Lizzie, a performance that's raw and vulnerable. She's constantly fidgeting and fluttering, making us feel Lizzie's pain and discomfort and longing. The Curry boys are all great, Warren Sampson as the loving father, Samuel Burnham as the no-nonsense Noah, and Jack Bonko stealing scenes as the sweet and simple Jimmy. Eric Knutson is larger than life as Starbuck, barreling in like a breath of fresh air and a much needed excitement in this quiet world. When he says he can bring the rain, I almost believe him. Christopher D. Knutson makes for a legitimate romantic rival in File, a quiet man with depth he tries to hide. Rounding out the cast is Bruce Bell-Myers as the Sheriff.

Starbuck and the Currys (photo by Molly Weibel)

The Curry's Depression-era farmhouse is well represented in Justin Hooper's set - all weathered wood, faded wallpaper, and homey touches. The set has depth and layers too, a kitchen partly seen behind a door, a stairway that ascends to the unseen bedrooms, a hint of a porch. A couple of crates are well-used to form other settings, and neatly hide props. Characters are dressed in dusty worn clothing, Lizzie in simple pretty dresses, the men all donning a hat when they leave the house. Lighting evokes the dusk, and the sound sets us firmly in the country, with wistful Americana music played during scene changes. (Props design by Vicky Erickson, costume design by Samantha Fromm Haddow, sound design by Corinne Steffens, lighting design by Alyssa Kraft.)

Like Professor Hill, Starbuck almost gets his foot caught in the door on the way out of town, if not for the warrant for his arrest. He lives his life only in dreams, while Lizzie has forgotten how to dream, if she ever knew. He teachers her how to dream and reach for her dreams, and she teaches him that real life can be beautiful too. The Rainmaker was adapted into a musical called 110 in the Shade in the '60s and revived in the mid-aughts (starring Audra McDonald). It's rarely done, Theatre in the Round did a lovely production eight years ago, and I'd love to see in Lyric Arts' next season! But in the meantime, you can enjoy this sweet and funny, sad and hopeful play in downtown Anoka through March 23.

*Plot summary borrowed from my review of Yellow Tree Theatre's 2014 production.