WHEN THE RAIN STOPS FALLING - INDEPENDENT WEEKLY REVIEW

by Kath Lockett

Lantana writer Andrew Bovell’s new play covers a timespan of 80 years: London in the 1960s, Australia and London in the '80s, through to Adelaide in 2013. The audience is witness to a brilliantly-devised chain of events that runs through generations and shows how a shameful secret can affect the lives of many.

Every word and emotion expressed by the superb cast was asking for involvement and thought by the audience. Carmel Johnson is brilliant as the older mother who hides behind a steely British reserve as a means of self preservation, as is Paul Blackwell as Joe Ryan, the only character not directly linked to the family’s tragedy, yet forced by devotion to participate in it.

The recurring theme of pouring rain and fish add emotional and environmental layers of complexity to the sadness of the stories being unfolded in flashes of time. There are humorous moments in keeping with the struggles of the characters in coping with life and relationships. Drummond's tight direction, Bovell’s script, Valamanesh’s sparse sets and Grant’s musical accompaniments perfectly realise the characters’ anguish in hiding pain and yet feeling compelled to discover the truth about themselves. Multi-layered brilliance that resonates long afterward.