The Rainmaker: Bill Starbuck, A Peddler of Dreams

Bill Starbuck is a liar and a con man.

…Right?

For me, the biggest challenge with this show has been trying to understand this Rainmaker, this peddler of dreams. He arrives in a whirlwind of fast-talk and misdirection, telling people what they want and need to hear. He offers hope to the hopeless… for a nominal fee. How can anything be trusted that comes out of the mouth of such a man? How do you trust a man who tells you he can do the impossible? A man who believes he can do the impossible?

Everything we know about Starbuck comes from Starbuck himself. The man and the myth are so intertwined can they really be separated from each other? How would you even try? Most of this process for me has centered on trying to discern the lies from the truth, and the why behind each; because to a man who deals in dreams, there is nothing more dangerous than the raw, unadorned truth.

At the end of the day, it’s simply a matter of figuring out how the card trick works. Because no one can make rain.

…Right?

 -- Matthew Keffer will be playing the role of Starbuck in BoHo Theatre's production of the Rainmaker.