Review Preview: "Painting Churches"

OK, here's a draft of my review of "Painting Churches" by the Womens Theatre Company in Parsippany.

Abstract: Interesting play that takes some time before it gets to its point, but pays off in the end. Cast need some more rehersal, but there's an enjoyable night of theater here.

If you want to go:
What: “Painting Churches”
When: through June 3
Where: Parsippany Community Center, 1130 Knoll Road, Lake Hiawatha section
How much: $15
Info: (973) 316-3033


Stay with it, and “Painting Churches” pays off.
The Womens Theater Company production of Tina Howe’s off-Broadway hit wobbles in the first act before finally hitting the mark. The result is that Howe’s powerful message resonates now more than it did when she wrote it 25 years ago.
The Churches in question are not steepled houses of worship, but they are pillars of the community. But poet laureate Gardner Church (Rich Maloy) and his wife, Fanny (Judy Stone), are about to leave their cushy Boston home for a small cottage on the Cape. It is a move of necessity—Gardner has lost his talent to senility, so the income stream has slowed to a trickle.
“Daddy’s last Pulitzer didn’t even cover the real-estate taxes,” Fanny tells their daughter, Meg, who’s come to paint their portrait before they move.
Meg is looking forward to seeing her parents through a new set of eyes. As a child, she suffered the eccentricities and intimidating demands of her parents, particularly Fanny, who has refined the art of passive-aggressive behavior. Meg is a now successful portrait artist, about to be shown at a famous gallery that once displayed the likes of Warhol and Rauschenberg.
She loves her job, because “it’s the subject that’s exposed, not me,” she tells her mother. “That’s why I wanted to do you.”
Tart-tongued Fanny counterpunches with digs at Meg’s hair, dress and talent, honed at Pratt Institute, which Fanny dismisses as “that wretched little art school.”
Meanwhile, Gardner wanders through his day, further disoriented by the move. He stares at the bare walls, bumps into the moving cartons scattered about the apartment and drops sheets of an incoherent manuscript like he’s spreading grass seed. But when Fanny notes the time of day, he cheerfully pours Dubonet for everyone (there’s an ’80s reference for you) and munches on Saltines like he’s discovered a new food group.
“You don’t know the half of it,” Fanny tells Meg, who’s shaken with the reality of her father’s situation.
Maloy brilliantly captures the tragic decline of a powerful mind. You can see genuine confusion in his mind as he stops because he’s forgotten where he’s going. You can see a brief spark of clarity as he recalls a poem and recites it with eloquence, comprehending the nuance of every syllable, then suddenly—in an instant—it’s gone.
Many of growing ranks of sandwich-generation caregivers will recognize every look on Malloy’s face, because they’ve seen it in the eyes of their own aging parents. Another side of the sandwich generation—those who distance themselves from these situations, will connect with Meg, who’s shocked at how callously her mother treats, and copes, with her infirmed father.
“At least I’m involved,” Fanny snaps at her daughter, who visits roughly once a year. “Which is a hell of a lot more than you do.”
Stone has the proper Boston Brahmin attitude, and manages to build some sympathy for a frequently unsympathetic character. But her timing was off on opening night, rushing lines and missing several tailor-made opportunities for humor. Curious, since her background includes a lot of comedy.
Merrigan also lacks the timing to deliver Howe’s tricky lines, which can be hilarious or horrifying depending on how they are delivered.
Coincidentally, Merrigan has a bachelor’s degree in portraiture painting. A professional scenic designer as well as an actress, she also designed the set.
Hopefully, Artistic Director Barbara Krajkowski can help the actors better connect with the material, and each other. Perhaps it was just opening-night jitters, which seemed to be clearing as the show reached its powerful climax. Should they accomplish the mission, this worthy production may even be worth a second look.