Three Days of Rain
Encyclopedia
Three Days of Rain is a play by Richard Greenberg
that was commissioned and produced by South Coast Repertory
in 1997. The title comes from a line from W. S. Merwin's poem, "For the Anniversary of My Death" (1967). The play has often been called Stoppardian
but Greenberg says he wasn't aware of Stoppard's work before he wrote the play but instead claims The Forsyte Saga (1967 series)
was a much greater influence.
in 1995. Walker, having disappeared the day after his father's funeral, has taken up residence in this apartment where once his father Ned Janeway and business partner, Theo Wexler, had lived and worked designing the famous "Janeway House". Nan and Walker's childhood friend Pip (the son of Theo) meets with them after the reading of Ned's Will, where it is revealed that Ned's children did not inherit "Janeway House", it instead was left to Pip. Walker is furious over this and, after the reading, hurls accusations of Pip "working on" his father in order to get the house bequeathed to him. Pip refuses, merely stating that he did no such thing and doesn't understand why it wasn't left to the next of kin. Pip then reveals how he doesn't even like the house, which throws Walker into another tirade. Pip finally has had enough of Walker's ranting, and verbally fights back at Walker. It is confessed that Pip knows that Walker was secretly in love with him for 18 years, and that Pip and Nan were secretly sleeping with one another (behind Walker's back) when they were young. This spurs a feeling of ultimate betrayal in Walker, who runs off into the night. Pip relents that he may have gone too far and agrees with Nan to sell Walker the house to make her life easier. She is still distraught after being unable to find Walker and give him the good news, and decides to stay at the studio until he returns. After Walker returns, Nan apologizes and the two of them proceed to debate Ned's concise and mysterious journal which opens with the entry: "1960, April 3-5. Three days of rain". Walker believes he's found a confession from Ned, hidden within the pages of the book, stating that once Theo had died in 1966, that he took credit for Theo's work on the house. Nan doesn't believe this to be the case, but acquiesces to calm her brother down. She informs him that Pip agreed to sell him the house, but Walker's newfound "revelation" changes his mind about wanting it. Walker ends up burning the diary, thus committing Ned's last existing thoughts to ashes, much to the chagrin of Nan (who wanted to read the journal herself, without Walker filtering its contents through his wild, nonsensical brain).
The second act shifts to that earlier time, with the same three actors portraying members of the previous generation in the same studio apartment, during the fateful April of 1960 when Janeway House was designed. Walker becomes his father Ned, Pip his own father Theo, and Nan becomes her and Walker's mother, Lina. The assumptions made in the first half about their parents are shown to be wildly different. Ned is not the callous, silent patriarch the children think of him as. Instead he is a shy stutterer, and whereas an immensely talented architect, has trouble making eye contact or holding a conversation with anyone. Theo is revealed to be a charismatic man, more concerned with fame and the idea of art, rather than the creation of any original art itself. Lina, a bohemian southern belle, is dating Theo and their arguments are loud enough to inform the entire neighborhood as to their relationship problems. Theo and Ned attempt to design the house commissioned by Ned's parents, but runs into a roadblock when Ned finds that Theo has been plagiarizing pre-existing structures and architecture. Ned and Theo have a fight, prompting Theo to leave to work in solitude.
A few days later, Ned runs into Lina during a rainstorm, and they both decide to return to the Studio to escape the downpour. Ned invites Lina to stay for dinner, which in turn leads to each of them revealing the issues that plague their relationships and their business. Lina decides it is best to leave before she gives in to Ned's unintentional shy sweetness, only to eavesdrop on Ned practicing telling Lina that he secretly loves her. It is at that point she realizes that she is with the wrong man, and she confronts Ned about his unintentional confession, which in turn leads to them spending 3 days in bed. Theo returns early from his work retreat, not expecting to find Ned or Lina at the Studio. He is embarrassed and leaves, with Ned trailing after him. Ned attempts to apologize, but finds that Theo is more upset about the fact that he has failed as the talent part of their partnership by returning without having created any new blueprints. Ned is distraught that Theo hasn't returned with any new work, as well as that he essentially stole his girlfriend as well. Lina persuades Ned that Theo will be OK, and that he should take the emotion he's feeling an create the house she knows he sees in his imagination. He acquiesces and sits down to begin drawing. It is at this point revealed that the Janeway House was in fact designed by Ned (not Theo, like Walker previously opines), and most likely left to Pip in Ned's will, as he wants to allow his son to experience life as a "Flaneur
" and not be tied down to a permanent residence.
Walker: A quirky and unstable young man, haunted by what he sees as a destructive and unloving relationship with his parents. He has a habit of disappearing suddenly in order to avoid dealing with real life.
Ned: Walker and Nan's father, despite his son's depiction of him as cold and uncaring, in his youth he was a stuttering, shy, and talented architect.
Pip/Theo
Pip: A proudly naïve TV actor and family friend of the Janeway's. Handsome, and not as dumb as he looks, he is constantly frustrated by others taking their lives so seriously, and can't fathom why people see the need to incite drama.
Theo: Pip's father and Ned's business partner. A very charismatic man who is more interested in fame and the accolades that come with it, than creating the art that would earn it.
Nan/Lina
Nan: A practical, kind woman. Caring about her family and friends, she finds it difficult to balance her frustration at her brother Walker's craziness and Pip's naiveté.
Lina: Nan and Walker's mother. A southern belle, easily changeable and tempestuous, beginning to show some of the signposts of mental instability.
premiere in 1997 at the Manhattan Theatre Club
featuring Patricia Clarkson
, John Slattery
and Bradley Whitford
. It was nominated for the Pulitzer prize
in drama, and has enjoyed many subsequent productions in regional theatres across the United States and abroad.
premiere in 1999 at the Donmar Warehouse
with Colin Firth
, David Morrissey
and Elizabeth McGovern
.
making her stage debut. Opening in April 2006 at the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre
, she co-starred with Paul Rudd
, and Bradley Cooper
. Although it was certainly the most eagerly awaited show of the Broadway season in the popular press, it met with poor response from theatrical reviewers and closed as scheduled in June 2006.
played at the Apollo Theatre
in London
from January to May in 2009 starring James McAvoy
as Walker/Ned, Nigel Harman
as Pip/Theo and Lyndsey Marshal
as Nan/Lina.
South Coast Repertory
David Emmes is the director of the Three Days of Rain production at SCR in Orange County
(beginning in May 2011). It stars Kevin Rahm
as Walker/Ned, Brendan Hines
as Pip/Theo, and Susannah Schulman as Nan/Lina. This is the first time the play is returning to SCR after its premiere in 1997.
Richard Greenberg
Richard Greenberg is an American playwright. He is the author of over 25 plays including eight South Coast Repertory world premieres: Our Mother's Brief Affair, The Injured Party, The Violet Hour, Everett Beekin, Hurrah at Last, Three Days of Rain Richard Greenberg (1958–present) is an American...
that was commissioned and produced by South Coast Repertory
South Coast Repertory
South Coast Repertory is a professional theatre company located in Costa Mesa, California.Tony Award-winning South Coast Repertory, founded in 1964 by David Emmes and Martin Benson and now under the leadership of Artistic Director Marc Masterson and Managing Director Paula Tomei, is widely...
in 1997. The title comes from a line from W. S. Merwin's poem, "For the Anniversary of My Death" (1967). The play has often been called Stoppardian
Tom Stoppard
Sir Tom Stoppard OM, CBE, FRSL is a British playwright, knighted in 1997. He has written prolifically for TV, radio, film and stage, finding prominence with plays such as Arcadia, The Coast of Utopia, Every Good Boy Deserves Favour, Professional Foul, The Real Thing, and Rosencrantz and...
but Greenberg says he wasn't aware of Stoppard's work before he wrote the play but instead claims The Forsyte Saga (1967 series)
The Forsyte Saga (1967 series)
The Forsyte Saga is a 1967 BBC television adaptation of John Galsworthy's series of The Forsyte Saga novels, and its sequel trilogy A Modern Comedy...
was a much greater influence.
Plot
Walker and his sister Nan meet in an unoccupied studio in lower ManhattanManhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
in 1995. Walker, having disappeared the day after his father's funeral, has taken up residence in this apartment where once his father Ned Janeway and business partner, Theo Wexler, had lived and worked designing the famous "Janeway House". Nan and Walker's childhood friend Pip (the son of Theo) meets with them after the reading of Ned's Will, where it is revealed that Ned's children did not inherit "Janeway House", it instead was left to Pip. Walker is furious over this and, after the reading, hurls accusations of Pip "working on" his father in order to get the house bequeathed to him. Pip refuses, merely stating that he did no such thing and doesn't understand why it wasn't left to the next of kin. Pip then reveals how he doesn't even like the house, which throws Walker into another tirade. Pip finally has had enough of Walker's ranting, and verbally fights back at Walker. It is confessed that Pip knows that Walker was secretly in love with him for 18 years, and that Pip and Nan were secretly sleeping with one another (behind Walker's back) when they were young. This spurs a feeling of ultimate betrayal in Walker, who runs off into the night. Pip relents that he may have gone too far and agrees with Nan to sell Walker the house to make her life easier. She is still distraught after being unable to find Walker and give him the good news, and decides to stay at the studio until he returns. After Walker returns, Nan apologizes and the two of them proceed to debate Ned's concise and mysterious journal which opens with the entry: "1960, April 3-5. Three days of rain". Walker believes he's found a confession from Ned, hidden within the pages of the book, stating that once Theo had died in 1966, that he took credit for Theo's work on the house. Nan doesn't believe this to be the case, but acquiesces to calm her brother down. She informs him that Pip agreed to sell him the house, but Walker's newfound "revelation" changes his mind about wanting it. Walker ends up burning the diary, thus committing Ned's last existing thoughts to ashes, much to the chagrin of Nan (who wanted to read the journal herself, without Walker filtering its contents through his wild, nonsensical brain).
The second act shifts to that earlier time, with the same three actors portraying members of the previous generation in the same studio apartment, during the fateful April of 1960 when Janeway House was designed. Walker becomes his father Ned, Pip his own father Theo, and Nan becomes her and Walker's mother, Lina. The assumptions made in the first half about their parents are shown to be wildly different. Ned is not the callous, silent patriarch the children think of him as. Instead he is a shy stutterer, and whereas an immensely talented architect, has trouble making eye contact or holding a conversation with anyone. Theo is revealed to be a charismatic man, more concerned with fame and the idea of art, rather than the creation of any original art itself. Lina, a bohemian southern belle, is dating Theo and their arguments are loud enough to inform the entire neighborhood as to their relationship problems. Theo and Ned attempt to design the house commissioned by Ned's parents, but runs into a roadblock when Ned finds that Theo has been plagiarizing pre-existing structures and architecture. Ned and Theo have a fight, prompting Theo to leave to work in solitude.
A few days later, Ned runs into Lina during a rainstorm, and they both decide to return to the Studio to escape the downpour. Ned invites Lina to stay for dinner, which in turn leads to each of them revealing the issues that plague their relationships and their business. Lina decides it is best to leave before she gives in to Ned's unintentional shy sweetness, only to eavesdrop on Ned practicing telling Lina that he secretly loves her. It is at that point she realizes that she is with the wrong man, and she confronts Ned about his unintentional confession, which in turn leads to them spending 3 days in bed. Theo returns early from his work retreat, not expecting to find Ned or Lina at the Studio. He is embarrassed and leaves, with Ned trailing after him. Ned attempts to apologize, but finds that Theo is more upset about the fact that he has failed as the talent part of their partnership by returning without having created any new blueprints. Ned is distraught that Theo hasn't returned with any new work, as well as that he essentially stole his girlfriend as well. Lina persuades Ned that Theo will be OK, and that he should take the emotion he's feeling an create the house she knows he sees in his imagination. He acquiesces and sits down to begin drawing. It is at this point revealed that the Janeway House was in fact designed by Ned (not Theo, like Walker previously opines), and most likely left to Pip in Ned's will, as he wants to allow his son to experience life as a "Flaneur
Flâneur
The term flâneur comes from the French masculine noun flâneur—which has the basic meanings of "stroller", "lounger", "saunterer", "loafer"—which itself comes from the French verb flâner, which means "to stroll". Charles Baudelaire developed a derived meaning of flâneur—that of "a person who walks...
" and not be tied down to a permanent residence.
Characters
Walker/NedWalker: A quirky and unstable young man, haunted by what he sees as a destructive and unloving relationship with his parents. He has a habit of disappearing suddenly in order to avoid dealing with real life.
Ned: Walker and Nan's father, despite his son's depiction of him as cold and uncaring, in his youth he was a stuttering, shy, and talented architect.
Pip/Theo
Pip: A proudly naïve TV actor and family friend of the Janeway's. Handsome, and not as dumb as he looks, he is constantly frustrated by others taking their lives so seriously, and can't fathom why people see the need to incite drama.
Theo: Pip's father and Ned's business partner. A very charismatic man who is more interested in fame and the accolades that come with it, than creating the art that would earn it.
Nan/Lina
Nan: A practical, kind woman. Caring about her family and friends, she finds it difficult to balance her frustration at her brother Walker's craziness and Pip's naiveté.
Lina: Nan and Walker's mother. A southern belle, easily changeable and tempestuous, beginning to show some of the signposts of mental instability.
Premiere
The play received its New YorkNew York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
premiere in 1997 at the Manhattan Theatre Club
Manhattan Theatre Club
Manhattan Theatre Club is a theater company located in New York City. Under the leadership of Artistic Director Lynne Meadow and Executive Producer Barry Grove, Manhattan Theatre Club has grown since its founding in 1970 from an Off-Off Broadway showcase into one of the country’s most acclaimed...
featuring Patricia Clarkson
Patricia Clarkson
Patricia Davies Clarkson is an American actress. After studying drama on the East Coast, Clarkson launched her acting career in 1985, and has worked steadily in both film and television. She twice won the Emmy for Outstanding Guest Actress in Six Feet Under...
, John Slattery
John Slattery
John M. Slattery, Jr. is an American actor and director, best known for his role as Roger Sterling on AMC's series Mad Men. He has been nominated for many awards, and has won two SAG Awards with the Mad Men ensemble....
and Bradley Whitford
Bradley Whitford
Bradley Whitford is an American film and television actor. He is best known for his roles as Deputy White House Chief of Staff Josh Lyman on the NBC television drama The West Wing, as Danny Tripp on Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, as Dan Stark in the Fox police buddy-comedy The Good Guys, as...
. It was nominated for the Pulitzer prize
Pulitzer Prize
The Pulitzer Prize is a U.S. award for achievements in newspaper and online journalism, literature and musical composition. It was established by American publisher Joseph Pulitzer and is administered by Columbia University in New York City...
in drama, and has enjoyed many subsequent productions in regional theatres across the United States and abroad.
UK Premiere
It received its BritishUnited Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
premiere in 1999 at the Donmar Warehouse
Donmar Warehouse
Donmar Warehouse is a small not-for-profit theatre in the Covent Garden area of London, with a capacity of 251.-About:Under the artistic leadership of Michael Grandage, the theatre has presented some of London’s most memorable award-winning theatrical experiences, as well as garnered critical...
with Colin Firth
Colin Firth
SirColin Andrew Firth, CBE is a British film, television, and theatre actor. Firth gained wide public attention in the 1990s for his portrayal of Mr. Darcy in the 1995 television adaptation of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice...
, David Morrissey
David Morrissey
David Mark Morrissey is an English actor and director. Morrissey grew up in the Kensington and Knotty Ash areas of Liverpool, and learned to act at the city's Everyman Youth Theatre. At the age of 18, he was cast in the television series One Summer , which won him recognition throughout the country...
and Elizabeth McGovern
Elizabeth McGovern
-Early life:McGovern was born in Evanston, Illinois, the daughter of Katharine Wolcott , a high school teacher, and William Montgomery McGovern, Jr., a university professor. Her paternal grandfather was adventurer William Montgomery McGovern and her maternal great-grandfather was U.S. diplomat...
.
Broadway
The most famous production to date was on Broadway, with Julia RobertsJulia Roberts
Julia Fiona Roberts is an American actress. She became a Hollywood star after headlining the romantic comedy Pretty Woman , which grossed $464 million worldwide...
making her stage debut. Opening in April 2006 at the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre
Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre
The Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre is a legitimate Broadway theatre located at 242 West 45th Street in midtown-Manhattan.Designed by architect Herbert J. Krapp, it opened as the Royale Theatre on January 11, 1927 with a musical entitled Piggy...
, she co-starred with Paul Rudd
Paul Rudd
Paul Stephen Rudd is an American actor and screenwriter. He has primarily appeared in comedies, and is known for his roles in the films Clueless, Wet Hot American Summer, Anchorman, Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers, The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Knocked Up, Dinner for Schmucks, The Object of My...
, and Bradley Cooper
Bradley Cooper
Bradley Cooper is an American film, theater, and television actor. He is known for his roles in the films The Hangover, The A-Team, and Limitless. In 2011, People magazine named Cooper "Sexiest Man Alive".-Early life:...
. Although it was certainly the most eagerly awaited show of the Broadway season in the popular press, it met with poor response from theatrical reviewers and closed as scheduled in June 2006.
Seattle Public Theater Production
The Seattle Public Theater (at Green Lake) produced Three Days of Rain in February 2008. The dual role of Walker/Ned was played by Evan Whitfield,Peter Dylan O'Connor as Theo/Pip and Nan/Lina, played by Sheila Daniels, the recently-named Associate Director of the Intiman Theater in Seattle. The production was directed by Aimée Bruneau.West End
A production of Three Days Of Rain directed by Jamie LloydJamie Lloyd (director)
Jamie Lloyd is a British theatre director, and currently an Associate Director of the Donmar Warehouse, where he recently directed The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Passion, which won the Evening Standard Award for Best Musical and Piaf starring Elena Roger...
played at the Apollo Theatre
Apollo Theatre
The Apollo Theatre is a Grade II listed West End theatre, on Shaftesbury Avenue in the City of Westminster. Designed by architect Lewin Sharp for owner Henry Lowenfield, and the fourth legitimate theatre to be constructed on the street, its doors opened on 21 February 1901 with the American...
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
from January to May in 2009 starring James McAvoy
James McAvoy
James McAvoy is a Scottish stage and screen actor. He made his acting debut as a teen in 1995's The Near Room and continued to make mostly television appearances until the early 2000s. His notable television work includes State of Play, Shameless, and Frank Herbert's Children of Dune...
as Walker/Ned, Nigel Harman
Nigel Harman
Nigel Derek Harman is an English actor, most famous for his role as Dennis Rickman in the UK soap opera EastEnders. He has worked extensively in theatre, with the stage being described as his "first love"...
as Pip/Theo and Lyndsey Marshal
Lyndsey Marshal
Lyndsey Marshal is an English actress best known for her performance in The Hours as the recurring character Cleopatra on HBO's Rome, and as Lady Sarah Hill in BBC period drama Garrow's Law.-Biography:...
as Nan/Lina.
South Coast RepertorySouth Coast RepertorySouth Coast Repertory is a professional theatre company located in Costa Mesa, California.Tony Award-winning South Coast Repertory, founded in 1964 by David Emmes and Martin Benson and now under the leadership of Artistic Director Marc Masterson and Managing Director Paula Tomei, is widely...
David Emmes is the director of the Three Days of Rain production at SCR in Orange CountyOrange County, California
Orange County is a county in the U.S. state of California. Its county seat is Santa Ana. As of the 2010 census, its population was 3,010,232, up from 2,846,293 at the 2000 census, making it the third most populous county in California, behind Los Angeles County and San Diego County...
(beginning in May 2011). It stars Kevin Rahm
Kevin Rahm
Kevin Rahm is an American actor known for his role as Kyle McCarty on the CBS series Judging Amy. He portrayed Lee McDermott on Desperate Housewives from 2007 to 2012.-Early life:Rahm was born in Mineral Wells, Texas...
as Walker/Ned, Brendan Hines
Brendan Hines
Brendan Hines is an American actor and singer-songwriter. He has had a number of small television roles and leading roles in a handful of independent films.-Biography:...
as Pip/Theo, and Susannah Schulman as Nan/Lina. This is the first time the play is returning to SCR after its premiere in 1997.