St Jude’s Players have done it again with their superb current production of When the Rain Stops Falling, a wonderfully crafted play by Andrew Bovell.  The action takes place from London to Alice Springs over a period of 80 years, including 23 years into the future, involving four generations of stories which are all interconnected. Confused?  You certainly could be – if it wasn’t so well done! This is not for the faint hearted – it is an emotional roller coaster which doesn’t allow the audience to relax until the final twenty minutes or so when all the pieces fall into place and the connections between the characters are fully understood.  

 

As always the stage at St Jude’s is transformed into something spectacular due to the design skills of Ole Weibkin and his group of builders.  Weibkin is also responsible for the extremely effective lighting design which is brought to fruition by Leigh Wheatley. The audio visual effects under the operation of Andy Courts add atmosphere without being intrusive. Geoff Brittain has brought together a stellar cast who embody their characters and have full understanding of who they are and how they fit into the complex narrative, thanks to the direction of the experienced Brittain.

 

Mark Healy as the central character, Gabriel Law, creates a totally believable character as he leads us through the complex narrative, delivering an almost faultless performance.  Rhonda Grill as the older Elizabeth Law is convincing, as is Casmira Hambledon as the younger Gabrielle York and Cheryl  Douglas as the younger Elizabeth Law. Tim Williams, Tracey Walker, Peter Davies and Nick Fagan all deliver believable performances.

 

St Jude’s Players and everyone connected with this performance should be congratulated for achieving a standard many professional companies would be proud of.