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When the Rain Stops Falling
Showing
at
18th – 22nd June 2013
Reviewed by
When the Rain Stops Falling is brought to Unity Theatre by Said and Done
productions, directed by Gillian Lemon, it cleverly spans eight decades,
four generations, and two hemispheres. The story follows Gabriel Law played
by John Edon, as he explores his family history and traces his ancestors
steps, particularly those of his absent father; trying desperately to
piece together his own identity and sense of self.
The play has many layers as historical family secrets are woven into
the identity of the characters, which then have a lasting impact on how
their lives play out. It is an ambitious play travelling from London to
Australia with only eight cast members and a very complicated story to
unravel, with past and present colliding and overlapping, sometimes with
two actors onstage simultaneously playing one character at different times
in their life. Lines get repeated by the characters at different points
in their lives and at first the whole concept is confusing and hard to
make sense of, but as each scene plays out the story unravels and we get
a clear picture forming, and this helps to keep the audience engrossed
in the story.
The whole cast carried the story, with the help of rainfall and fish
soup. However two of the cast really stood out; Jennifer Burgess who played
an older Gabrielle; her story is that of a survivor, brutal and honest
even when facing encroaching dementia, and Liam Tobin who played her husband
Joe. Joe is a solid and dependable character who might easily have been
dismissed where is not for his beautiful monologue of their meeting; moving
and beautiful in all its sadness. The scenes between the two are incredibly
moving and had the hair on the back of my neck stand up. When the Rain
Stops Falling is as complex as it is moving, and whilst it does require
your full attention to navigate your way through the story, it rewards
you with a beautiful, moving and very emotional story.
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