''Scent of Rain'' subtitled ''Scent of Rain: A Love Story Really!'' is a

gay ''Gay'' is a term that primarily refers to a homosexual person or the trait of being homosexual. The term originally meant 'carefree', 'cheerful', or 'bright and showy'. While scant usage referring to male homosexuality dates to the late 1 ...

-themed comedy play written by

Mark Dunn Mark Dunn (born July 12, 1956 in Memphis, Tennessee) is an American author and playwright. He studied film at Memphis State University (now the University of Memphis) followed by post-graduate work in screenwriting at the University of Texas at ...

, produced by Blue Suit Productions. The play starring

Ryan Idol Ryan Idol (born August 10, 1966) is an American gay pornographic film actor who performed in the 1990s and later onstage in mainstream theater. He has French, Irish, and Native American ancestry. Idol describes himself as "the creation of Marc ...

was also made available on DVD. It had a run from 1999 (Opening date the 1 of August) to 2003 at the Bailiwick Repertory Theatre in

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

and

Tiffany Theater The Tiffany Theater was the first theater on the Sunset Strip in West Hollywood, California. It stood west of La Cienega between the Playboy Club and Dino's Lodge restaurant. Before being converted from the Mary Webb Davis Modeling School office a ...

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...

. ''Scent of Rain'' is set in rural America. Danne Taylor plays the role of a dying father of an all-male family wants to know that his sons are happily married before he passes on. The two older

straight Straight may refer to: Slang * Straight, slang for heterosexual ** Straight-acting, an LGBT person who does not exhibit the appearance or mannerisms of the gay stereotype * Straight, a member of the straight edge subculture Sport and games * ...

boys are engaged to twin sisters. But their younger brother Jonathan (played by Nicholas Conlon) is "special" and his father is concerned that he'll go through life alone, unless they can find him a husband, with assistance and support from a "hired hand" named Bill Tom (played by Ryan Idol) to arrange this. Attempts include a match with an escaped convict and later, a good-hearted drag queen. But as it turns out, Jonathan has felt a lifelong affection for Bill Tom himself. Some compared the story to a gay version of ''

Seven Brides for Seven Brothers ''Seven Brides for Seven Brothers'' is a 1954 American musical film, directed by Stanley Donen, with music by Gene de Paul, lyrics by Johnny Mercer, and choreography by Michael Kidd. The screenplay, by Albert Hackett, Frances Goodrich, and Do ...

'' reduced into "one husband for one brother".

Reception

The play received critical acclaim with the ''

Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is a daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States, owned by Tribune Publishing. Founded in 1847, and formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" (a slogan for which WGN radio and television a ...

'' saying the play was an unabashed wish fulfillment fantasy and pick of the week!, and ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the U ...

'' added that it has genuine humor and genuine poetry and will bring a smile and a nice warm feeling to even the most jaded theatergoers. '' LA Weekly'' said this was fresh and original, and a wicked take on contemporary gay theatre.RyanIdol site: ''Scent of Rain'' page
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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Scent of rain LGBT-related plays Plays set in the United States 2001 plays