Rain Man - premiere delayed
Preview by Lizzie Guilfoyle
A DISRUPTED rehearsal period following the departure of director David Grindley has delayed the opening of Rain Man by ten days – until Friday, September 19, 2008.
Speaking about the decision, Rain Man producer Nica Burns said: “We are delighted that the first two previews went well to audiences from as far a field as Australia and Los Angeles. However we lost a week of rehearsal at the beginning of the process. As it is a new play we are continuing to refine it as is usual. Therefore the press night date has changed to the only night available in the very full autumn schedule, which is Friday 19th.”
Previously Posted: David Grindley has stepped down as director of Rain Man, the stage adaptation of the 1988 Oscar-winning film, in which Hollywood actor Josh Hartnett will make his West End debut playing Charlie Babbitt.
The production which opens at the Apollo Theatre on September 9 (previews from August 28) as scheduled will now be directed by director/playwright Terry Johnson.
In a statement released today, Nica Burns, the producer of Rain Man, said: “At the beginning of the rehearsal process for Rain Man, director David Grindley sadly had to withdraw for family reasons. Following discussions with David and members of the cast, all roads led to one director. We are lucky that Terry Johnson was able to step in.”
Johnson has previously worked with Burns on a number of productions, among them One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest which starred Christian Slater; as well as British actor Adam Godley who plays Raymond – in his own play Cleo, Camping, Emmanuel And Dick at the National Theatre in 1998.
Reimagined for stage and set in the present day, Rain Man is the story of Charlie Babbitt, a self-centred Los Angeles-based car dealer and hustler, and his relationship with his elder brother Raymond, an autistic savant who has been hidden away in an institution for most of his life.
Joining Harnett and Godley in the production will be Colin Stinton (The Graduate, Man and Boy, The Goat or Who Is Sylvia? on stage) as Dr Breuner; Mary Stockley (The Common Pursuit, Anything Goes, Merrily We Roll Along) as Susan; Charles Daish and Tilly Blackwood.
Rain Man is booking until December 20, 2008.
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