The Rainmaker at Burning Coal Will Help You
Open Your Mind and Find Your Own Rainbow

When the curtain rises on Burning Coal Theatre Company's Dec. 5-22 production of N. Richard Nash's The Rainmaker: A Romantic Comedy in Three Acts, directed by Steven Roten, we have set down in 1940s farm country, right around Dust Bowl time. In a simple farmhouse, an unmarried young woman named Lizzie Curry (Laurel Ullman), lives with her dad H.C. (Dan Oliver), a kind leader; brother Noah (Carl Martin), a practical hothead; and youngest brother Jim (Andrew Price Carlile), a happy dreamer. Lizzie knows opportunities to marry are narrowing for her, as she is passing the marrying age; and she is not like the frothy, flirty girls who seem to catch the eyes of the fellows at the dances.

Even Lizzie's father and brothers are racking their brains to find her a man, because she "ain't got what'll make her happy." They even suggest to her, "You gotta get a man the way a man gets got." They invite the deputy sheriff, a widower named File (Preston Edgar Campbell) to come to supper. She is afraid to be hopeful about a match. There is tension in the air. And although Lizzie is suffering through her own personal drought, the community at large is suffering through a literal one. Crops are drying up, cattle are dying, and there is desperation in the air. All they need is some rain.

Burning Coal's production of The Rainmaker stars Laurel Ullman as Lizzie (photo by Kevin Lord)

Like a wandering minstrel, a traveler named Starbuck (John Jimerson) walks across the Curry family's threshold and into their lives. The Currys are first wary of this stranger; however, when he offers to make it rain within 24 hours for the low, low price of $100, they are intrigued. Starbuck makes fantastic claims of having brought storms, mists, and showers as he traveled across the country.

Of course, Lizzie thinks he's a conman, Noah thinks it would be throwing money away, and Jim is held rapt with the traveler's rainmaking stories. Ultimately, inexplicably, H.C. decides to take the deal. But can Starbuck really make it rain?

John Jimerson stars as Bill Starbuck in The Rainmaker at Burning Coal

The actors do a great job of bringing their characters to life. Laurel Ullman gives a moving and believable turn as a woman scared to hope, worried about her fate while living in a time when women had few options outside of marriage. I also adored Andrew Carlile's take on brother Jim. His wide-eyed optimism and naivety brought the audience a lots of laughs, and I enjoyed his character immensely. I really grew to love these characters and this family.

Hat's off to scenic designer Jordan Jaked Carrier, as her set is perfection. The simple framed-lumber outline of a house, simple furniture, wooden plank moon, and dry cornstalks were the quintessential farmhouse; and the set magically transforms into a barn. The costume designs by Beth Barringer Gargan fit the characters perfectly. From Lizzie's simple day dress, to Starbuck's fancier clothes, their outfits subtly outlined the nuances of the characters.

Andrew Carlile stars as Jim Curry in The Rainmaker at Burning Coal (photo by Kevin Lord)

At first blush, the plot of The Rainmaker seems out of touch to modern sensibilities, offering the old trope that a woman needs a man for self-fulfillment; and I sat wondering about the relevance of this play in the modern world. However, it hit me like a thunderbolt (pun intended!). Just like a storm blowing into town, The Rainmaker's presence slakes the thirst of this family in a different way -- by challenging their viewpoints and thinking. In more ways than one, this family feels the rumble of Starbuck's thunder and they see a rainbow after the storm that his very presence brings.

The Rainmaker at Burning Coal stars Preston Edgar Campbell as File and Laurel Ullman as Lizzie (photo by Kevin Lord)

Ultimately, what this play really teaches us is the power of hope and self-love. By having hope, all things are possible; and by loving ourselves, we have the power to open the skies. Go see The Rainmaker to find out if Lizzie gets her man. Go see it to find out if Starbuck brings the rain. But really, go see this play to open your own mind and find your own rainbow.

Jim Roof stars as The Sheriff in Burning Coal Theatre Company's production of The Rainmaker (photo by Kevin Lord)

N. Richard Nash's THE RAINMAKER: A ROMANTIC COMEDY IN THREE ACTS (In Person at 7:30 p.m. Thursday-Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 12-15 and 19-22), directed by Steven Roten and starring Laurel Ullman as Lizzie Curry, Preston Edgar Campbell as File, John Jimerson as Bill Starbuck, Dan Oliver as H.C. Curry, Jim Roof as The Sheriff, Andrew Price Carlile as Jim Curry, Carl Martin as Noah Curry, and fight captain Thomas Nash Tetterton as Male Understudy (Burning Coal Theatre Company in the Murphey School Auditorium in Raleigh). DIGITAL PROGRAM: https://burningcoal.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/THE-RAINMAKER-program.pdf. TRAILER: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zbI0DfHj0Ek. PRESENTER: https://burningcoal.org/, https://www.facebook.com/burningcoaltheatrecompany, https://www.instagram.com/burningcoaltc/, https://twitter.com/burningcoaltc, and https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3qVv6iWGS3yQtVoFH5_XNQ. PODCASTS: https://burningcoal.podbean.com/. 2024-25 MAINSTAGE SEASON: https://burningcoal.org/now-playing/season-28/. VENUE: https://burningcoal.org/plan-your-visit/ and https://burningcoal.org/history-of-the-murphey-school/. DIRECTIONS/PARKING: https://burningcoal.org/plan-your-visit/. ACCESSIBILITY: https://burningcoal.org/accessibility/. THE RAINMAKER: A ROMANTIC COMEDY IN THREE ACTS (1954 Broadway Comedy): https://www.concordtheatricals.com/p/2314/the-rainmaker, https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-show/the-rainmaker-7362, and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Rainmaker_(play). THE SCRIPT (excerpts): https://books.google.com/books. N. RICHARD NASH (Philadelphia, PA-born playwright, nee Nathan Richard Nusbaum, 1913-2000): https://www.concordtheatricals.com/a/1920/n-richard-nash, https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/n-richard-nash-7856, and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/N._Richard_Nash. TICKETS: $30 ($5 college students, $20 educators and active-duty military personnel, and $25 seniors 65+), except Pay-What-You-Can Day on Sunday, Dec. 8th, $20 Thursday Special and $5 Thursdays and Fridays for students 18 and under with ID. Click here to buy tickets. INFORMATION: 919-834-4001 or info@burningcoal.org. PLEASE DONATE TO: Burning Coal Theatre Company.

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