After getting over the initial shock of realising that the lead role of Raymond was not being played by Paul Nicholls (as advertised) but his understudy (no announcement ever being made), I settled in to enjoy this stage adaptation of one of the iconic films of the late 1980s, released around the time I was celebrating my 21st birthday!
The story centres around brothers Charlie and Raymond Babbitt. Charlie is a used-car dealer and in debt. His smooth-talking and wheeler-dealing have brought him zilch in the luck department and he now is trying to lie low of his debtors and those employed to retrieve such a debt. It is at this time that he receives another phone call - only this time telling him that his father has died. Charlie takes this news with a pinch of salt as he has not seen his father since he walked out on him at the age of 16 and has nothing but sour memories of an uncaring parent. However, arriving back home after the funeral, a surprise awaits him. He meets the brother he never knew he had, Raymond. Raymond is a little older than him, but has been living in a care facility for many years due to him being 'an autistic savant'. A person who has great mental difficulties with adjusting to the 'normal' conventions of behaviour, but has extraordinary powers in other areas. With Raymond, he has a knack for numbers and has an incredible memory.
There is also another surprise in store for Charlie too. The reading of the will makes it very clear that the vast majority of his father's 3 million dollar fortune will be held in trust for Raymond, whilst Charlie can take the old car and his prize-winning rose bushes!
This is a story of how two brothers, lost when very young; seperated when their mother died, find each other again. A beautiful and touching story of how their very different lives, perspectives and abilities can fuse together and bring both of them closer to each other and share a greater understanding of love and friendship. I suppose, for those who know and love the film, comparisons are undoubtedly going to be made between whoever tries to fill the shoes of Tom Cruise and Dustin Hoffman; but if there ever were any two actors worthy to do so, then I witnessed them doing just that this evening. They were Chris Fountain (Charlie) and Adam Lilley (Raymond).
The play, as indeed the film, is a shocking expose of how good intentions, and 'doing what is for the best' is not necessarily so. When doctors and lawyers become involved in a case with which they have little or no physical, emotional or familial connection, they rarely make the right decisions. It was true in 1980s USA, and it is just as true in present day UK. Some things have really not changed at all, and that's such a crying shame.
Produced by Bill Kenwright for The Classic Screen To Stage Theatre Company, Dan Gordon's adaptation was pacey, keeping in all the pertinent moments and allowing the development of the two protagonists to flourish at a fair but acceptable rate. The one thing which did hinder the production in my opinion however was the set. Although everything was very peiod and correct, the multi-purpose and omnipresent backdrop of quadrilateral shapes was a little annoying and frankly boring after a while, especially since we could read the words in the shapes the whole time, even when not lit as part of the scene. Further I am no fan of asking the cast to move set on and off stage. They have enough to do in my opinion, and this should be the job of the stage crew. However, that notwithstanding, changing the scenes - of which there were many - took too long and lost the impetus and forcefulness of the narrative build-up.
Despite a cast of 8, it really is a play for two people only. The others, no matter how good they are, and this evening they were all good, pale into insignificance. Fountain's Charlie was excellent, but even that has to take a back seat for the stunning performance of understudy Lilley in the hugely challenging role of Raymond (Charlie's little 'Rain Man' - a mispronunciation from his childhood).
Reviewer - Matthew Dougall
on - 11/3/19
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