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When The Rain Stops
Falling
Presented by: Melbourne Theatre Company in association with
Melbourne International Arts Festival presents Brink Productions’
Date
Reviewed:
20 October, 2009
Venue:
Sumner Theatre
Reviewer:
Adam Rafferty
Photos: Jeff Busby
Having won more awards than I have room to mention, since it opened
at last year’s Adelaide Festival, and coming from the pen of one of
Australia’s most respected and highly talented writers, Andrew
Bovell, it shouldn’t be a surprise that When The Rain Stops
Falling is a truly remarkable piece of home-grown theatre. Yet
this tale of generational pain, hurt and reconciliation is so
extraordinarily touching, that it is still a revelation to discover
the beauty of this story firsthand.
Set
in London and Australia between 1959 and 2039, When The Rain
Stops Falling tells the story of four generations of a family,
through the interconnected events of their lives, starting from
where the story begins its ending - when on a rainy day in Alice
Springs, sometime in 2039, a fish falls from the sky at the feet of
Gabriel York. In this dystopian future, fish are few and far
between, whether you are as far from the coast as Alice Springs is
or not. So this blessing from the heavens – still smelling as though
it’s fresh from the ocean – could be either a fortuitous event or a
portentous indicator of the likely success of the dinner meeting
Gabriel is about to have with his estranged son.
On
another rainy day, eighty years earlier in London, Gabriel York’s
grandfather, Henry Law predicts fish will fall from the sky when the
‘great flood’ comes and thus begins the chain of interrelated
circumstances that result in the estrangement of his descendants and
their related families. From a small London flat, to a roadhouse in
The Coorong on South Australia’s coast, and then to the red centre,
these events are unveiled in a slow, but careful release of
information that shows how Henry Law came to travel to Ayers Rock
then disappeared; how his son Gabriel Law followed him there to find
answers; and then the fateful events that followed when he met a
girl named Gabrielle York.
Repetition is a common theme used by Bovell here, in the
interconnection of his scenes, but also in the interconnection of
his characters, hence the number of them who share the same name.
Through this reverberation, we are able to see how the characters
are caught up in a cycle of despair and melancholy that is flowing
on through the generations. However, the brilliance of Bovell’s
script lies in the way he presents the information to us, by
revealing the stories concurrently on four timelines, set in 1959,
1988, 2013 and 2039. This means that up until about halfway through
the story, the connection of the events seems obscure and without
reason. The sheer joy then, of putting the last half of the jigsaw
puzzle together is eminently rewarding, especially when the result
of all this reflection upon melancholic lives, actually leaves you
feeling uplifted and hopeful for the future.
This
production is a recreation of the original from the 2008 Adelaide
Festival, which then went on to play at Sydney Theatre Company in
May this year and it’s no surprise that it has retained all of its
cast along the way as performances are almost uniformly outstanding.
Yalin Ozucelik, playing the second and fourth generations, (Gabriel
Law/Andrew Price) brings great warmth and humour to both roles –
when it would be so easy to play them both darkly – while also
creating a clear distinction between the two. Anna Lise Phillips as
the younger incarnation of Gabrielle York plays the lost girl with
equal parts palpable heartbreak and steely determination. Neil Pigot,
as the first and third generations (Henry Law/Gabriel York), is
extremely strong in his portrayal of two essentially broken men –
each with different injuries.
A
more difficult character to warm to in the early stages of the play,
Henry’s wife Elizabeth, is leant great pathos through the ‘stiff
upper lip’ portrayals of both Michaela Cantwell (as the younger
Elizabeth) and Carmel Johnson (as the older). Johnson did seem
guilty of some parallel-play in her early scenes, but more than made
up for it through the strength of her depiction of how Elizabeth
deals with her grief.
Rounding out the cast are Kris McQuade as the older version of
Gabrielle York and Paul Blackwell as her husband Joe Ryan, both
creating an extraordinarily empathetic rendition of a couple whose
relationship and even mortality is on the brink.
Hossein Valamanesh’s layered set design works brilliantly to allow
the overlapping and intersecting storylines to parallel one another
and transition from one to the next with great precision. Likewise,
Chris Drummond’s direction provides great definition, creating clear
differences between the four eras and two countries in which the
story is set. Drummond’s delicate work is highly effective in
ensuring that the ubiquitous melancholy of the piece isn’t
oppressive, but ebbs and flows to create ever-increasing intrigue.
The subtle hand of Valamanesh’s costumes is also perfectly pitched
to describe era without playing to caricature.
The
final element of this brilliant production, that makes it work so
well, is Quentin Grant’s live performance of his musical
compositions. Playing the piano and a strangely concocted bowed
instrument with pre-recorded strings and electronic elements
breathes immediacy into this story and helps to create a driving
urgency that is electrifying.
When The Rain Stops Falling
is the sort of theatre that restores your faith in original
Australian plays. If there is any sense in the world, this script
will become a staple of Australian repertory theatre and theatre
education.
Like
Speaking In Tongues before it, Bovell has created a story
that reveals itself in an intriguing fashion and leaves you moved by
the astonishing tragedy of the situation. The difference between the
two pieces though, is that by its denouement, When The Rain Stops
Falling unexpectedly uplifts in a way that is both touching and
incredibly beautiful.
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