Painting Churches
Painting Churches
By Tina Howe
Directed by Tony Simotes
With Amy Livingston, Scott Stoney, Kate Young
Mad Cow Theatre, Orlando FL</strong>
With age comes wisdom, but sometimes it comes with dementia as well. The Church family holds some status in the Brahman culture of Boston; patriarch Gardner (Scott Stoney) earned a few Pulitzers, some sort of Presidential Medal, and wrote a stack of best-selling books of poetry. But now he’s fading, and his loving and also slightly nutty wife Fanny (Kate Young) is moving them off to a cottage on The Cape. It’s a question of both cash and space; their income is drying up and Fanny was wisely taught: “never dip into capital.” This is the mantra of the trust fund set. She’s also pretty good at hitting the thrift shops; her extra-ugly designer hat only cost a well-deserved 85 cents. When’s the last time you bought anything for under a buck? Into this domestic crises arrives daughter Margaret (Ame Livingstone). She’s a soon-to-be famous artist working in the no-longer-fashionable oeuvre of portraiture. She’s got a big show in a big gallery coming up and want to show off her parents to the Artsy-fartsy punters and Nouveau Riche Russian collectors. Will Mom let her have her dream? Or will she beat her daughter’s dreams down like any good overbearing mom should?
The dementia question strikes close to the heart of all us baby boomers; dealing with the confused and helpless is a major industry these days. The relation between Gardner and Fanny is special; she’s learned how to deflect his rants and restrain his wanderings by being the brightest, shiniest object in his field of view. Margaret doesn’t grasp this immediately; Gardner’s failings have not reached the drooling and peeing stage although his sudden interest in poet criticism might be a subtle tell. The flight and fancy of Fanny’s tactics are a wonder to watch; I hope I get that much indulgence when I start yelling at clouds to get off my lawn. Livingston’s daughter stays focused; she pull of a painting in record time and I’m assuming she went with acrylic rather than the noxiously slow drying oils. While an artist make take their time capturing a scene, a pro works with the constraints given them and still produces a quality product. Director Simotes plays with these counterpoints and brings them to an emotionally charged ending; and when we are done the depth of Gardner’s fallings are all too painful for both those around him and the technically invisible audience. The set is simple and straight forward; scenic and lighting design work hand in hand thanks to the well-oiled team of Lisa Bick and Eric Haugen. This is a cautionary tale for all of those getting old and all of those doomed the soon to be old. If you’re going to fall off the proverbial cliff, best you do it in one spectacular swan dive and not just bounce off all the rocks on the way down.
For more information on Mad Cow, please visit http://www.madcowtheatre.com
