Rain Man

Synopsis

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

Our Review:

Anne Morley-Priestman - 20 October 2009

By now you probably all know that the character of Raymond, in the film and now play called Rain Man, is based on a real person with an extraordinary ability to memorise facts – a so-called autistic savant. Robin Herford’s production of Dan Gordon’s adaptation of the original film script is an interesting blend of short scenes with in-depth characterisation.

At least, it would be if Oliver Chris, playing Charlie was not so determined to set a record for rapid line delivery. I appreciate that the opening scene – in which he’s juggling irate calls from people to whom his business owes money, customers who haven’t received their promised goods on time, the rapidly fraying temper of his secretary and the persistence of his girl friend – needs to be frantic, but it would have been good to hear more than mere snippets of the dialogue.

Charlie’s owes are compounded when he discovers that his estranged father has left his fortune in trust. Charlie remembers that ...

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