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| James Cahill, Madeleine Le Roux, Beeson Carrol. |
RAIN [Dramatic Revival] A: John Colton [and Clemence Randolph, uncredited in this revival]; D: Michael Flanagan; S: Stuart Wurtzel; C: Raoul Pene du Bois; L: Barry Arnold; P: Bruce Mailman b/s/a/w Sheldon Abend; T: Astor Place Theatre (OB); 3/23/72-3/28/72 (7)
Madeleine Le Roux was an actress whose popularity stemmed from
such Off-Broadway camp productions as The
Dirtiest Show in Town, where she
could flaunt her physical charms. In this revival of Rain, she played the once-sensational role of the
repentant, heart-of-gold prostitute, Sadie Thompson. This lady with a past is
stuck in a steaming South Seas hotel-store where she’s confronted by the
righteous, but lustful, missionary Rev. Davidson (James Cahill), who wants her thrown off the island.You know the drill.
Sadie originated in Somerset Maugham’s story, “Miss
Thompson,” was immortalized by Jeanne Eagles in the 1922 Broadway adaptation, and was later brought to the screen by Gloria Swanson (in a 1928 silent movie) and Rita
Hayworth (1953, in flaming color), not to mention countless revivals in theatres everywhere. This
particular attempt flopped but wasn't a total loss. Le Roux, however, lacked the acting chops, and failed to get much support from the cast (among them a young John Travolta as
Pvt. Griggs) or an uninspired director. The company included Antonia Rey as
Mrs. Horn, Beeson Carroll (remember him from "Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman"?) as Sgt. O’Hara, Patricia O’Connell as Mrs. Davidson,
Bernie Passeltiner as Quartermaster Bates, among others.
Dated as it all seemed, however, it had a
certain fascination. Clive Barnes observed, “It is an unusually awful play that
time has overtaken and made not just funny—it is a sad practice just to laugh
at the past— but also still strangely convincing. It has become a period piece
like Tarzan or Rudolf Valentino.”
This was a straightforward production, not hoked up for
laughs, and provided with such zealously realistic
rain effects that the seats near the stage were practically inundated.