There’s nothing terribly sophisticated about the West End Theater and Home Planet’s co-production of The Rainmaker; it’s a straightforward production of an old-fashioned play, with tried-and-true characters and a predictable plot. This predictability is sort of soothing, though, like listening to your grandmother tell a story you’ve heard a thousand times before. It’s to the West End and Home Planet’s credit that their production of The Rainmaker possesses an earnest, wholesome charm, while remaining relatively (though not entirely) cheese-free.
Lizzie Curry (Nicole Snyder) is a “plain” soon-to-be old maid who lives on a drought-afflicted ranch with her father and two brothers. Her older brother, Noah (Pierre Brulatour), manages the ranch; he’s a penny-pinching pragmatist who keeps meticulous accounts in his trusty ledger. Younger brother Jim (Aaron Groben) is a fiery idealist, while father H.C. (William Tate) is kindly and doting. The three men are all concerned about Lizzie’s spinsterhood, but are unsuccessful in their well-meaning efforts to hook her up with eligible bachelors.
One night, a mysterious drifter calling himself Bill Starbuck (Patrick Dizney) arrives for dinner. Starbuck claims that for the low price of $100, he can make it rain. It’s obvious that Starbuck is a snake oil salesman, but his charm and enthusiasm win over most of the Curry family—with the exception of Noah, who single-handedly demonstrates how ugly cynicism can be. Starbuck falls for Lizzy, and teaches her to “believe” in her own prettiness, before riding off into the proverbial sunset.
The West End and Home Planet endow this script with a certain classiness, in no small part due to the artful, elegant set design, which makes some of its hokier moments a little easier to stomach. The cast holds down their end of the bargain as well, allowing nary a hint of irony to mar the play’s surface. While this production won’t be blowing any minds, it could certainly serve as a primer for how a certain kind of play should be performed: plays in which earnestness triumphs over banality, and they all live happily ever after.