“Rainmaker” con man fits today
by John Angel Grant

Are there more con men around these days then there used to be, or does it just seem that way? There’s something about the fast-paced, digitally-drive global village that seems to invite fly-by-night huckstering.

Playwright N. Richard Nash wrote eloquently about the magical thinking of one such inspired con man in his wonderful 1954 Broadway hit “The Rainmaker,” which Hill Theatre is currently running in a strong community production in Foster City.

In “The Rainmaker,” a charming charismatic stranger unexpectedly appears one day in a small farming community that is parched with drought, claiming that for a hundred dollars he will create a rainstorm. Soon, one local farmer, an otherwise intelligent man, slaps his money down, setting off a chain reaction od deeply felt among his children and others.

In “The Rainmaker,” playwright Nash hit some deep nerves. This is a story with a powerful archetype feel. Under Ann Kuchins’ able direction, a strong human spirit comes across in the ensuing offbeat love story, one of Hillbarn’s best offerings in years.

At the center of the conflicted but supportive family, Alex Alexander turns in a solid performance as 20-something wall-flower daughter Lizzie – vulnerable, outspoken, humorous and self aware. The unexpected con game turns her world upside down, challenging the way she relates to herself and others.

John Byrd is charismatic as smooth-talking Starbuck, offering to bring rain to a parched world. Lizard-like, with an angled, unblinking gaze, Starbuck has a way of getting under the skin. With rainmaking props that include a bass drum and special “electro-magnetized” white paint, Byrd effectively plays the con man’s anger, as well as his possessed craziness.

Rudolph Vest is warm, wise and sympathetic as patriarch H.C. Curry, a shrewd old codger who inexplicably forks over money for a rainstorm, propelling his family into a new chapter in their lives. Taylor J. Smith is somewhat wooden as stern oldest son Noah, the wet blanket realist, and controlling older brother.

The Andy Griffith Show

Two local cops (Earle Carlson and Sean T. Cullinane) seem like characters out of Andy Griffith’s Mayberry. In some ways, “The Rainmaker” is like a really good two hour episode of the Andy Griffith Show.

Set consultant Fred Eiras’ early 1950’s farm living room, with authentic, wooden furniture pieces, adds to the magical feel of the show.

Playwright Nash hit gold with this story. The morally ambiguous Starbuck turns out to be a mirror of those around him. If you believe that he’s good, then he’s good. If you believe that he’s bad, then he’s bad – a powerful reminder that things are never what they seem.

close window