Charlie Babbitt is a self-centred Los Angeles-based automobile dealer and hustler, who is at war with his own life. Relationships are not Charlie’s strong suit and love is quite outside his experience. Raymond is the elder brother Charlie never knew he had - an autistic savant who has been hidden away in an institution for most of his adult life. Raymond is dysfunctional in many senses, but as Charlie is soon to discover also touched with a kind of stellar genius which Charlie harnesses to save his business. The two brothers embark on a rollercoaster journey together which shows Raymond a world beyond the hospital gates and Charlie the meaning of unconditional love
Based on Barry Levinson's 1988 film, there’s no doubting Rain Man’s cinematic pedigree. Barry Morrow’s screenplay won one of four Oscars, while Tom Cruise and Dustin Hoffman gave highly memorable performances as two brothers embarking on life-changing journeys – Cruise delivering an incendiary portrayal of self-centered, money obsessed Charlie Babbitt; Hoffman scene-stealing as Raymond, the autistic savant brother Charlie never knew he had until their father dies, leaving Charlie a nothing but a rose bush and a vintage Buick and Raymond the family fortune.
Dan Gordon’s stage adaptation, skillfully directed by Terry Johnson on a series of sliding, sparsely furnished sets, teams Hollywood stage virgin Josh Harnett with vastly experienced British actor Adam Godley as the Babbitt boys and wisely steers clear of replicating the central road movie structure of the movie, in which Charlie kidnaps his institutionalised Raymond and whisks him off to Los Angeles to grab a share of the inheritance, focusing instead on the almost impossible relationship between long-lost blood brothers who share the same gene pool but inevitably communicate as if they are from different planets.
Hartnett acquits himself surprisingly well in his stage debut, but it’s a pity that he tends to shy away from depicting the stormy side of Charlie. This amoral character’s internal tensions surely ought to mirror Raymond’s compacted emotions and his journey of self-discovery from cynical money-grabbing chancer to reaching a level of adult maturity through the reconciliation with his disconnected brother just isn’t given enough mileage.
Even so, as Raymond, Godley creates an extraordinary sense of heart-wrenching empathy in his pitch-perfect evocation of a socially disabled man capable of astonishing feats of memory – like learning the entire A to J section of the phone book at a glance – but who lives in a routine-obsessed world of unfathomable loneliness where Judge Judy and TV quiz shows are his best friends. There’s a surprising amount of laughter in Godley’s enthralling performance too – Raymond’s monotone mantra “I don’t know” turns into a kind of running gag and there’s some terrifically funny dialogue which sees fuming Charlie and straight-faced Raymond almost turn into a smart guy-dumb guy comedy double act.
It’s not long before both actors wipe away memories of Cruise and Hoffman. But it’s Godley’s unforgettable pin-drop scenes which stands out and may well leave you reaching for the Kleenex, especially during the final moments when it begins to sink in that Raymond has managed to survive outside his care home, togged himself up in a smart suit, learned to dance with a hooker and even kissed a girl (Mary Stockley making the most of the thankless role of Charlie’s girlfriend, Susan), but will never be capable of a ‘normal’ relationship with his brother or anyone else. Odd tears running down cheeks and audible “Aaahs” from the audience when Raymond tentatively reaches out to touch his brother for the first time in decades suggest that Rain Man on stage hits all the right emotional buttons and is more than just another West End screen-to-stage hybrid.
The production felt drained of energy. The two lead performances are okay but everyone else had nothingy roles and couldn't do much with them. It seemed badly paced. I agree with the previous remark that the sense of redemption didn't come across very well. A few twittering girlies in the audience but then, West End audiences in general are rapidly becoming so ignorant and annoying it doesn't make much difference. - Sycamore Flint
02 Dec 08
It transfers to the stage surprisingly well. The relationship between the brothers becomes more moving close up live. The real reason for seeing the show is another terrific performance from Adam Godley. - Gareth James
22 Nov 08
Amazing cast and performance, a really unique take on the story - Helen
18 Nov 08
Very good play, Adam Godley and Josh Hartnett are excellent in the leads and Mary Stockley, a dead ringer for Naomi Watts, is charming as Hartnett's girlfriend. Touching and funny, only an abrupt, if poignant, ending jarred slightly. - houndtang
15 Nov 08
I shared the same concerns, that Hartnett would not live up to the high expectations of this play, as it was his first West End role however, I disagree with some of the comments, as I thought he did a wonderful job. Yes, I agree that it was not up to the standard as Adam Godley; who I must say deserves some sort of theatre oscar equivalent for his part, but give the guy a break when it is only his first role on stage like that. I thought the relationship between Godley and Hartnett was moving and also believable and Godley's comedy timing was perfect.Godley must have put hours of research and training in to getting his character spot on, which is why I believe he is such a marvellous actor. Hartnett had some moments where I tohught his "pauses for effect" were him thinking about what he was meant to be saying, but as for the brief stumbling over lines at the beginning; I wasn't expecting a spot on performance from such a novice West End actor. The transition between scenes was done in a slick and clever way and made this play flow very well.
Overall, this was a wonderful play and if nothing else enlightened me on the sheer emotions people must go through when someone they love suffers from autism. Well done to the whole cast!
- Charlotte
27 Oct 08
This play, based on the film, does have the potential to be a powerful piece of theatre in the right hands, but unfortunately not in this case. Mr Hartnett is undobtedly a strikingly handsome young man and was clearly the draw for many young woman at the performance I atttended. Apparently, this is not untypical of most performances. Good looks though are not enough to replace good acting. He may well be a competent actor on screen, but stage acting is of course in a different league and unless an actor is especially gifted it takes years of hard graft treading the boards to perfect their art. His performance was not only monotonous, but at times he even stumbled over some of his lines - unforgivable! Even his good looks couldn't stop the look of self-conciousness he manifested on stage. He garbled his lines in the opening scene to such an extent that instead of coming across as the ruthless and amoral car dealer he was meant to be playing he appeared to be racing onto the next scene - was that nerves? I hate to say this too, but Adam Godley is in very serious danger of becoming type cast. Remember him in Pillowman? His was, undoubtedly, a bravura performance, but so contrived that I found it jarred. An autistic savant doesn't necessarilly have to display the charateristics Mr Godley manages to conjure up so effortlessly. Maybe I'm missing something there? Anyway, the rest of the cast did their best to support. The staging was neat and impressively fluid making scene changes effortless, as when a bar in a Las Vegas hotel transformed into a penthouse suite with a stunning view over the night time Strip, it deserved a round of applause. It is all very well for producers to lure glamourous Hollywood stars to Shaftesbury Avenue, it must make the box office tills ring like crazy, but in future make sure the stars can cut it on stage and not just look good. - rds
19 Oct 08
Another week another film adaptation, but Rain Man is more successful than some of the many predecessors. A cinematic road movie has been distilled down to the key room-based scenes, helped by simple but clever designs. Therefore it is essential that the play is well acted and there is a strong cast to support the two Babbitt brothers, including a sympathetic and very pretty Mary Stockley. Josh Hartnett fares quite well, particularly during his more vulnerable moments, but clearly wants to be liked by the audience and must remember that you don't get two takes on stage if you miss a line. Adam Godley deserves all his rave reviews in the type of role which guarantees an Oscar and should feature in the London theatre equivalents. He is so convincing as the autistic and damaged Raymond that it is easy to forget he is acting at all. Unfortunately some of the more touching moments between the two brothers were almost ruined by a giggly, noisy and restless party of schoolkids. Part of a theatre visit should include instructions on how to behave and consideration for others. - David Baxter
08 Oct 08
This must raise again why try to stage a film. Does it improve on the film ? That is the question that should be asked before venturing into these projects. Good performances perhaps but why bother. - Stuart
23 Sep 08
Adam Godley almost made it all worthwhile. Almost, but not quite, because this should have been a play not just about two contrasting but equally emotionally blocked characters, but also about Charlie gaining what Raymond never can - insight into the human condition and relationships. Unfortunately Josh Hartnett's Charlie is pretty much one-note throughout and the 'insight' he demonstrates in the final few minutes is both abrupt and unremarkable. - tadpole
18 Sep 08
Very funny and poignant. Adam Godley and Josh Hartnett were both fantastic with a really good supporting cast. A great night out. - Julie
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