A Hatful of Rain


Yesterday evening, we drove to Hopkinton MA to see a performance of “A Hatful of Rain.” The play is set in 1950s New York and is about the trauma of war and the impact of opioid addiction on a broken family. As you might expect, the characters are passionate: angry, resentful, accusatory, menacing. The depictions were realistic. While there was much shouting and characters talking over each other, I had no problem following the dialog. 

Some of the language was a bit dated, but that was easy to overlook in this performance. The character of the pusher* was appropriately menacing, although his two enforcers were mostly played for laughs. Celia and Johnny Pope struggle with each other and the consequences of Johnny’s addiction. Johnny’s brother Polo is simultaneously compassionate and cynical. Their father is mostly in denial and looking for someone (besides himself) to blame for Johnny’s failure.

Ever since we were in college, Linda and I have enjoyed theater. Since we moved East, we’ve been able to indulge that pleasure both in Rhode Island and Massachusetts.


*full disclosure: the role of the pusher was played by Bill Novakowski, Rebecca’s father-in-law. Bill is a veteran of local community theater and played this role with his usual panache.

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