Play a bit rough, but enjoyable

Bill Starbuck, the title character of “The Rainmaker,” is not entirely believable and not entirely admirable, yet in the end we like him because he has a good heart.

That’s exactly the way I felt about the Interplayers production itself. It’s not always credible and not always up to the highest standards. Yet in the end, I liked it for its good heart.

And, on top of that, I liked it for a heartfelt, well-crafted, nuanced performance by Kelly Eviston Quinnett as Lizzie.

This 1954 N. Richard Nash comedy plays a little bit like an old “Andy Griffith Show” episode, although even more out of date. The plot’s central dilemma is one that evokes eye-rolling these days more than chuckles: Is Lizzie ever gonna catch herself a man, despite being, well, plain? Does (gasp) spinsterhood loom?

Quinnett, to her immense credit, plays Lizzie at face value – as a ‘30s farm woman to whom these questions are dead serious. Even more to her credit, she has the acting skills to convey, vividly and with great intelligence, the anguish taking place inside her head.

In frumpy dress and with frizzled hair, Quinnett delivers her lines bravely, like a woman putting up a cheerful façade. Yet to get the full impact of her performance, you need to watch her face, not listen to her words.

Quinnett’s face – especially her mouth – betrays all of the pain, the hurt and the conflict that comes when an intelligent, educated, well-read woman is told that all of those qualities are for naught if she can’t act the flirt. Her lips turn down, bunch up, tighten and otherwise expose her feelings in dozens of ways.

Jonathan Rau is effective as well as the exuberant, smooth-talking Starbuck, a con man who charges the family $100 to end the summer drought. Rau has a way of swaggering across the stage and owning it with a confident grin. Those qualities match this role well.

The scene between Rau and Quinnett out in the tack room, when they become soul mates (at least for a while), is the most powerful and emotionally honest scene of the evening.

Director Todd Jasmin does a nice job of framing this scene, and many others as well. Still, the production lacked a spark, a bit of fire, possibly because a lot of lines were fumbled. I went on opening night, which is billed as a preview night by Interplayers, so I hope that this will smooth out as the run goes on.

The entire production, including this cast and William Rosevear’s minimalist set, will be moved over to the Lake City Playhouse next month as part of a collaboration between these two theaters. I might have been more forgiving if I had seen it in a community (mostly volunteer) theater like the Lake City Playhouse. I expect more from a professional theater such as Interplayers.

Still, my lack of enthusiasm stems more from the choice of material than from the production. “The Rainmaker” is routine community theater fare, a little too familiar and too pat to make for thought-provoking professional theater.

I felt the same way when I last saw it at Interplayers 10 years ago. This is the third time Interplayers has staged it. Can we stop now?

Yet, like Starbuck, the play itself has a good heart. Its moral becomes clear when Lizzie is pretending, in desperation, to be a flirty little coquette.

“Lizzie, just be … yourself!” spits out File, the man she is trying to impress.

That’s the message of this play. Lizzie needs to (1) gain some self-esteem and (2) just be herself.

Come to think of it, that sounds downright modern.

“The Rainmaker” continues through Sept. 29. Call (509) 455-PLAY for tickets.