The Rainmaker [With Earbuds] by N. Richard Nash, Full Cast (Read by)

From the Publisher

Lizzie Curry’s father and two brothers are more worried about her marital prospects than about the drought that’s killing their cattle. When con man and dream-maker Bill Starbuck appears with a promise to bring rain, he becomes the vehicle for Lizzie’s transformation.

Publishers Weekly

L.A. Theatre Works boasts an impressive library of plays on audiocassette and CD, recorded in a unique way. The plays are performed in front of a live audience, so they also capture applause and laughter. But they are staged specifically to be recorded for audio, so there are no sets or props; just actors performing their lines. This strategy offers the best of both worlds for audio: a perfectly clear, state-of-the-art recording combined with the energy of live performance. This particular production lends itself superbly to audio. The listener can easily envision the dusty, drought-plagued ranch and the disheartened characters whose lives are changed by the arrival of a smooth-talking con man spinning colorful dreams. The actors offer outstanding performances, particularly David Aaron Baker as giggly, enthusiastic teenaged Jim; Jayne Atkinson as Lizzie, who knows she's plain and serious but can't help wishing for romance; Jerry Hardin as the kind, grizzled patriarch of the family; and James Morrison as Starbuck, the friendly pretender whose tall tales, while untruthful, offer their own brand of hope and comfort. For those who can't get to the theater as often as they'd like, this production is an excellent option. Based on the Samuel French paperback. (Dec. 10) Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.

Library Journal

A 1954 hit on Broadway, a 1956 film and a frequent regional theater favorite, Nash's The Rainmaker is a lively romantic comedy. It concerns an elderly Western rancher, his three children, and an itinerant con artist who boasts he can save their drought-parched herd by creating rain. The spinster daughter falls in love with the mercenary stranger, although everyone knows he will depart soon. The Roundabout Theatre Company's Broadway revival cast enacts this simple story with gusto before an audience, which is audible only in discreet laughter. Praise the sound engineer and the excellent actors (Jerry Hardin, James Morrison, Jayne Atkinson, and others). Someone has added words (an occasional damn; often a well; several new lines that enhance clarity) and has altered some sentences of the published script. This tampering is offset by an overall enthusiasm that builds to a joyful conclusion. Highly recommended for general collections appealing to romantically inclined drama fans. Gordon Blackwell, Eastchester, NY Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.

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