The Rain That Washes at the Riverside Studios

Following huge success at the 2013 Edinburgh Fringe, The Rain that Washes comes to the Riverside Studios in Hammersmith as part of a national tour. The result of a series of conversations between a Zimbabwean freedom fighter, Christopher Mamphosa, upon whose life the play is based, and the scriptwriter David Carey.

The Rain that Washes opens with the protagonist, Mathew, fleeing Zimbabwe (thenRhodesia) while only fourteen to join Joshua Nkomo in his fight against white minority rule and ends in the turmoil of his near assassination by Robert Mugabe’s militia. The play shows a journey from youthful idealism to an adulthood that heralds the complete collapse of his world.

Even the name has special resonance, coming from the Shona (Zimbabwe’s most commonly spoken language) word ‘Gukurahundi’ which was used to refer Mugabe’s earliest acts of suppression, of which Mamphosa was almost a victim.

As a one-man show, great weight rests on the Ashley Maynard. Yet reviews of his performances – he fulfils many roles from schoolboy to dictator - suggest that he rises to this challenge - even when playing Mugabe.

Rarely does a production tell a story as poignant and personal and Mamphosa’s heavy involvement in the creative process provides its great urgency. The Rain that Washes is a truly gripping portrayal of the human face of conflict.