When the Rain Stops Falling

Showing at Unity Theatre
18th – 22nd June 2013

Reviewed by Jennifer Keegan

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.

Printer friendly page

Sorry Comments Closed