While the rain was the background of the production, the harmonies were the brightest star of the show. In any case, the onstage rain was beautifully realized and seemed, however positive the audience’s associations with rain may be in real life, like a legitimate threat.

In a state where tsunamis, rainforests and aquatic civilizations are rather uncommon, constructing a rainstorm-wracked planet is a deeply imaginative exercise. This background is potentially what inspired such a vivid, creative view of the rain.

This created an amusing paradox, considering that the actors and creators of the production grew up in a state where severe rain shortage has led to years of taxing drought. The rain was on everyone’s mind, and they were not afraid to share it. References to rainforests, oceans and tsunamis abounded. “Our civilization is made out of water,” the children sang. The lyrics provided another, equally powerful opportunity for world-building. There was also a feeling of confinement, of being trapped by the blues and dark shadows that framed the set. The largely empty stage felt expansive against the sound of falling rain. The cast and production team did an excellent job of creating the sobriety with which Margot experiences her new world. Their collaboration, performed last Saturday, along with the generous allowances of the Ray Bradbury Estate, gave rise to this rainy musical. The show was written by high school musical theater duo Hannah Mayer and Leela Kiyawat, who study at the Oakland School for the Arts, or OSA. The protagonist, Margot, was born on earth and is just old enough to remember what the sun was like before immigrating to the wetlands of Venus. The somber air of the set immediately established the tone of this musical adaptation of Ray Bradbury’s “All Summer in a Day.” The story follows a group of schoolchildren on the planet Venus, where it rains ceaselessly - except for one hour of sun every seven years. An audio recording of rainfall played as the theatergoers found their seats.

For the first time in a deluxe collector's boxed set, here is the ultimate Ray Bradbury edition, including three novels, three story collections, and thirty-three other stories and rarities Ray Bradbury has inspired generations of readers to dream, think, and create.The stage was set with a single red chair and a closet that opened up to the audience.

All Summer in a Day by Ray Bradbury