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And the Rains Came
by R. Rex Stephenson
Music by Gary Evans
A musical in two acts for family audiences. Large ensemble of men, women and children, simple set. 90 minutes
. $ 6.50
The story of Noah, in the account of the great flood as found in Genesis, is a story filled with both good and evil, with trust and mistrust, with obedience and disobedience, and with believing and disbelieving. In the tradition of playwrights going back at least to The Wakefield Cycle of mystery plays in medieval England and continuing to our own Pulitzer-prize winning Green Pastures, Rex Stephenson has taken one of the great stories of the Old Testament and brought it to the stage for contemporary audiences of all ages.
The seriousness of the theme is handled with a light touch. ("Outrageously funny," said one reviewer). There is rousing music and dance, fun with contemporary references (an enterprising umbrella salesman, for example) and contemporary diction which helps make the drama accessible to the young. And of course the costumed animals will add great charm to your production, especially in the delightful "Two by Two" march, but their cuteness never overwhelms the poignant human concerns.
And the Rains Came is a natural choice for church and church school programs. (The resource guide contains notes for producing it as chancel drama.) It will also find a welcome home in community and summer theatres as well as the growing number of programs combining college students with children from the surrounding area. The intergenerational opportunities are delightful--in the original production the cast age ranged from five to eighty five. Three five-year-olds in little mice suits were a moment in theatre one is not likely to forget. Almost as appealing were the 11 through 15-year-olds portraying giraffes, hippos, and camels. It is a play you can populate with young and old alike, singers and non-singers, and enjoy it as much as your audiences.
Playing Mother Noah was an experience I shall always cherish. As a member of the original cast, I saw dinner theatre audiences of all ages respond to the humor, follow the familiar story as if it were new, and appreciate the human, timeless reactions to a coming cataclysm. With a serious theme for our time, the play is a find for churches, community theatres and schools, indeed anywhere that good family entertainment is sought. And the Rains Came stays with me as it will with you.
Nellie McCaslin
New York University
And the Rains Came...and Came will appeal to a diverse audience for several reasons. Outrageously funny. . .true to the Biblical account. . . with a few exceptions, the cast is composed of villains who mock, beguile and cheat to satisfy their own desires. The villains play their parts well, their own evil illuminating Noah's goodness.
Michael Trochim is Noah. With a disarming air of vulnerability, he plays the righteous man of God who tries to warn his friends and neighbors of impending doom. Plagued by a nagging wife and a mother who treats him like a 10-year-old, Noah desperately tries to understand and obey the Word of the Lord. Questioning but obedient, loving but resigned, optimistic but struggling, he portrays an immense number of emotions. As dutiful husband, loving son, obedient believer, Trochim shines.
Mother Noah is played by the inestimable Nellie McCaslin.Taking some liberty with the Genesis account of the flood, Stephenson uses the character of Mother Noah to remind the audience of Noah's heart-wrenching dilemma, having to leave behind friends and loved ones who will not be rescued from the flood. We root for Mother Noah; yet, like Noah, we ultimately accept God's divine wisdom and move on.
Joyce Tukloff
The Franklin News Post
Rocky Mount, Virginia
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