WHEN THE RAIN STOPS FALLING

“Powerful, gripping and human,” is how actor Christine Falsone describes Andrew Bovell’s award-winning play. It not only won both the 2008 Victorian and Queensland Premier’s Literary Awards, but also nabbed a Green Room Award, Sydney Theatre Award and an AWGIE.

Set across two continents and spanning four generations, the play follows Henry Law, a man who predicts that a fish will one day fall from the sky causing a catastrophic flood and the end of the world. Fifty years later, a fish falls at his grandson’s feet.

Falsone is playing Henry’s wife and has stepped back in time to the world of 1950s London. “She is a very vibrant and intelligent woman who is forced to deal with a traumatic situation that has a tragic impact on future generations,” she explains.

The prolific Bovell has captivated Australian audiences for decades with his sharp and clever storytelling including Speaking in Tongues and the film Strictly Ballroom.

“The language Bovell uses is not naturalistic but poetic,” Falsone continues. “The way the stories are interwoven is really unique. It manages to tell a personal story while also making a comment on the environment. It weaves together big ideas but tells them in a relatable way.”

Oct 31-Nov 17, Sydney Independent Theatre Company, 8A/32-60 Alice St, Newtown, $20-32, sitco.net.au