Rainshark

The International Social Studies Project's GlobalArts Initiative focuses on South Africa, with the U.S. premiere of Neil McCarthy's "Rainshark."

It's a retelling of the "Rainmaker" story. Set in the transforming post-apartheid South Africa, it focuses on a dysfunctional white family suffering through drought,
depression and irritation with each other. A quirky, mysterious black man offers them hope. McCarthy's writing is a sizzling feast of witty and astute dialogue and observations.

High school students have seen and discussed the play. But there will be a free public performance tonight at East Chapel Hill High School.

Let it Rain

“Rainshark,” presented by the International Social
Studies Project, is one of the Triangle's best

By Robert W. McDowell, Spectator Magazine

Strangely enough, some of the best drama in the Triangle is performed for free, in short runs, by the UNC-Chapel Hill School of Education's International Social Studies Project. The ISSP's Friday night production of Rainshark, sponsored by the North Carolina Humanities Council and the University Center for International Studies, is a case in point.

South African playwright Neil McCarthy's provocative remake of The Rainmaker by N. Richard Nash is set in a drought-stricken portion of post-apartheid South Africa. The large farm that Mike (John Murphy) and Pinkie (Sharlene Thomas) manage is literally drying up before their very eyes. The fruit trees are withering; and if rain does not come soon, the orchards will perish.

Into this desperate situation walk Mike's headstrong niece, Deirdre (Beverly Bryant), and the mysterious Dr. Ellington (Dante Walker), a cheeky and charismatic African who claims that he can make rain - for a price.

Sharlene Thomas, Dante Walker and John Murphy in the ISSP GlobalArts production of "Rainshark"
(photo by Steve Whitsitt)

Deirdre is a fugitive from her latest low-life boyfriend and from the pressures of big-city life. In her latest attempt to start over, she has returned to the farm where she grew up. Deirdre also toys with taking up with a childhood friend, Boy (Michael Rhyne), until his repeated examples of his virulent racism sour her on that proposition.

Dr. Ellington is a more complex character. He is a nomad, prematurely severed from his roots, and an obvious conman, whose glib tongue and personal charm still convince those who want and need so desperately to believe that he can make rain. So, they ante up the sizable fee that he requires to begin the improvised ceremonies that he claims will conjure up clouds and compel them to pour their precious moisture on the parched fields.

Whether Dr. Ellington is a complete charlatan or just a so-far unsuccessful rainmaker, incompletely informed of the magic that his witch-doctor grandfather used to conjure cloudbursts, is left up in the air. Certainly, Mike and Pinkie and Deirdre want to believe.

Paul Frellick adds to his reputation as one of the Triangle's leading directors with his superb staging of Rainshark. The splendid set by scenic designer R. Brown Stromberg recreates the patio of a once-grand, but now decaying farmhouse. Lighting designer Carmen I. Abrazado skillfully lights the nighttime scenes, costume designer Lisa Bastt dresses the cast in nicely contrasting outfits, and dialect coach Christine Morris coaches credible South African accents that the cast members sustain throughout the drama.

John Murphy and Sharlene Thomas each give one of the best performances of their careers as Mike and Pinkie. Murphy's Mike is a rugged individualist, tough but open-minded and sympathetic to the needs of his native workers. Thomas' Pinkie is much more conventional, with all the prejudices of her generation eventually surfacing in moments of stress.

Beverly Bryant's Deirdre is a beautiful rebel, and Michael Rhyne's Boy is a hard-core racist whose venomous outbursts appall Deirdre.

In his mesmerizing performance as Dr. Ellington, Dante Walker, who demonstrated a fine flair for comedy and an equal aptitude for drama in the Open Door Theater's recent productions of The Complete History of America (Abridged) and Tracers, respectively, again proves why he is one of the Triangle's finest young actors.

Although the plot and characters of Rainshark are not quite as compelling as those of The Rainmaker, much of the spirit of N. Richard Nash's 1954 Broadway and the 1956 movie, starring Burt Lancaster and Katharine Hepburn, remains. It is a pity that Rainshark, the second production of the ISSP's new GlobalArts Initiative, had only one public performance.