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by dick kerekes
dickkerekes@yahoo.com
Players by the Sea opened its second show of the season last weekend, with Tina Howe’s Painting Churches on the main stage until November 11th.
This play debuted in l983 and was extremely popular in the late 80s and early 90s. It is not done very much now, even though the subject matter is timeless. The last performance here in Jacksonville was at the Alhambra Dinner Theatre several years ago.
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The plot of this comedy-drama concerns the relationship between aging parents and their artist daughter. Margaret Church, an upwardly mobile painter, is about to have a big show in New York. She comes to her parents Boston-Beacon Hill home to help them pack up and move to a small Cape Cod cottage. One of her motives for coming is to paint their portrait to use in her show, hence the title Painting Churches.
Her father, Garner, is a Pulitzer Prize-winning poet and is slipping mentally into an unnamed disease that is probably Alzheimer’s. Her mother, Fanny, was once in the social whirl of this city. She is strong willed and at times abrasive as she becomes her husband’s caregiver.
When I received my brochure of Player’s season and spotted this show on the schedule, I thought that I could probably skip Painting Churches since I had seen it a number of times and knew the plot well. When I read whom Director Robyn Neal had cast in the three parts, I knew I had to see it. You just don’t pass up the opportunity to see Holly Gutshall, Mark Wright and CeeCee Hayes on the same stage.
I was right; this combination of three award-winning performers is superb and they bring this play to life with their rich portrayals.
I though at first CeeCee Hayes was too attractive to be considered an old maid but as I listened to the lines I realized that Margaret was not married by choice and not through lack of opportunity. Ms. Hayes is striking, as she looks back at her life and relationship to her mother in a moving emotional scene with her parents.
The role of Gardner is a difficult one. He is child like at moments and reciting brilliant poetry at others. Mr. Wright covers all the bases, the full range of emotions. We laugh at him but nervously when he seems to act like a fool, but in our hearts we are crying for him.
In past productions, I have not liked the mother character Fanny very much. Perhaps I remembered her being played too caustic, too biting. In the hands of an incredible actress like Ms. Gutshall, Fanny became much more human to me.
Sure she dominates her husband and her daughter, but I felt that much of her current posturing was a defense mechanism and a way to cope with the enormous task of caring and loving a husband who is wasting away.
There is an interesting similarity between Painting Churches and the recent hit Proof. Both are about brilliant men, geniuses who wind up spending their time writing gibberish in books because of their mental deterioration.
The set by Designer Anthony Hodge is a lovely living room in a large Boston home and is exquisite and was lovingly constructed by the team of Anne Roberts, Ryan Maloney, Tom Ming, Bonnie Hall, and Joe Schwarz.
Director Robyn Neal has principally been known in theatre circles for the many leading ladies roles she has played to rave notices. Neal’s direction is crisp and she mixed the humor and pathos with great skill. Selecting such an outstanding cast on her part was a giant first step.
My only suggestion is to shorten the musical selection prior to the opening curtain. This is not a musical and we did not need to hear something the length of an overture in the dark with an actress already standing on stage waiting for the lights to come on.
Kudos as well to the Costume Designer Holly Gutshell, especially for her own costumes, which were delightful to the eye and funny as well.
Though the plot seems simple, there is a lot in this play about mother/daughter conflicts, old age, health and social change. It is a wonderful and moving evening of theater and certainly sheer pleasure to see such talent in action. Call 249-2022 to make reservations. I highly recommend you not miss this one.
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