When the Rain Stops Falling

When the Rain Stops Falling
By Andrew Bovell. Brink Production with QTC. Playhouse, QPAC, Brisbane. Oct 20 to Nov 6. Director: Chris Drummond.

When the Rain Stops Falling is a fine, but complex, four generational family play. Spanning an eighty-year time-frame, it follows a young man Gabriel Law (Yalin Ozucelik), and his search for answers to his father, Henry Law (Neil Pigot) walking out on the family in London and his later disappearance in Australia. Long held secrets surface, which include pedophilia and murder, in this engrossingly dark tale, which is also about loneliness, loss, isolation, survival and global-warming. Beautifully written, and beautifully performed, it’s undoubtedly the play of the year. Performances overall were excellent and if one had to single anyone out it would have to be Neil Pigot, Yalin Ozucelik, Anna Lise Phillips and Carmel Johnson. Chris Drummond’s direction was subtle and effective, with Hossein Valamanesh’s sparse and stark set-design totally appropriate for the piece. Special mention must be made for the contribution of composer Quentin Grant. His score eloquently expressed the themes and moods of the piece and in its own way became another character. It helps to have read the family tree in the program before entering the theatre. I didn’t, so consequently was a little lost in the final scenes of the play, which ran 2 hours without intermission. Since its premiere in Adelaide in 2008, the work has won numerous awards in Australia (Green Room/ AWGIE etc) and has been applauded internationally in New York and London. It deserved them, and this production proves why. This is theatre of distinction.
Peter Pinne

Photographer: Jeff Busby

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