BY JOHN KEENAN
WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER

You need at least two very good actors to pull off N. Richard Nash's drama "The Rainmaker."

Brian Poole and Nora Vetter

The more the better, of course, but two - for the roles of Lizzie, a lonely spinster, and Starbuck, a smooth-talking miracle man - are absolutely essential.

Talented director Don Nguyen bets his Bellevue Little Theatre production on the talents of Nora Vetter and Brian Poole, and the results are as refreshing as the first drops of rain after a long drought.

"The Rainmaker" is concerned with arid lives in an arid land, and the jolt of vitality they receive when a man shows up with unbelievable promises. The Curry family - H.C., Noah, Jim and Lizzie - are of two minds on the value of Bill Starbuck's word when he promises to make it rain in exchange for $100. But all of them - even the cruelly pragmatic Noah (J. Todd Reagan) - realize that a change of some kind is imperative.

Vetter's Lizzie is, quite simply, luminous. Vetter lends a touch of wry humor to the role of a woman smart enough to realize that her intelligence is working against her in a Depression-era Nebraska town.

As the play opens, Lizzie already has been farmed out briefly to relatives on a humiliating and unsuccessful husband hunt. From her first appearance, Vetter captures the character's sly humor, her unspoken hopes and the fears beneath them. It is a tour de force performance.

Poole makes a charismatic Starbuck, a liar who falls in love with his own lies. Starbuck senses the tensions in the Curry family immediately, and exploits then effortlessly. But at the same time, Poole makes you believe that Starbuck is hoping for a miracle himself, praying that this time he can deliver on his promises.

Poole and Vetter aren't working unsupported, however. The other Curry men - Reagan, Fred Goodhew as H.C. and Jay Huse as Jimmy - are a talented ensemble, although Goodhew stumbled over a few lines on preview night. Huse is especially endearing as Lizzie's loyal, lunkheaded younger brother, while Reagan makes the thankless role of Noah as sympathetic as it can possibly be.

Michael Van Meter plays File, the laconic deputy whose determination not to again be a victim of heartbreak gets in the way of his own happiness.

Since Nash's script sets File and Starbuck up as rivals for Lizzie's heart - substance vs. flash, as it were - it's worth noting here that Poole plays his part with the practiced, pretty cadence of a seasoned grifter, while Van Meter's delivery is stolid, but with occasional flashes of passion.

Nguyen, who heads to New York to explore acting and directing opportunities before this show ends, has made his Midlands swan song a memorable one.

Vetter's performance alone is reason enough to see this touching, funny "Rainmaker," but with Nguyen at the helm and the strength of the rest of the cast, this becomes a must-see show.