Yesterday I went to London to watch Rainman a theatre production currently showing in the West End and starring Josh Hartnett and Adam Godley. I wasn't sure what to expect from a play that was based on such a famous film (the one starring Tom Cruise and Dustin Hoffman about an autistic man who is left a fortune by his father) but I was pleasantly surprised. I thought that, overall, it was extremely well done and, for me, Adam Godley stole the show. His performance as Raymond Babbit was outstanding- he definitely made the part his own, creating a character who was both believable and sympathetic. The reviewer in The Independent seemed to agree.
Of course Josh Hartnett was very easy on the eyes and his performance was good but I just thought Adam Godley had interpreted the role more, rather than relying on the film's depiction of the autistic Raymond Babbitt, where Hartnett seemed to have modelled himself on Tom Cruise's depiction of Charlie Babbitt. The opening scene also left me a little cold - had a Jerry Maguire feel to it- and I wasn't entirely sure it was necessary. However, saying that, the performance as a whole was really very good indeed, and for Godley, alone, it's worth a viewing. I give it nine out of ten and I would whole heartedly recommend you go and see it.
In the meantime, I'll be getting on with my marking and preparation for a new publishing project with Collins Education- more on that later!
