4 _RTS Wednesday, February 3, 1988 The Michigan Daily Actin Page 8 g helps 'Churches' I overcome ordinary script By Lynn Gettleman We've seen this story before, but it still hits home. So goes the plot of Tina Howe's 1983 drama, Painting Churches, currently being performed at the Ann Arbor Civic Theatre. A family re- solves life-long disharmony after the daughter returns home with the sur- face motive of helping her aging parents move from Boston to the country, and with the inner motive of finally winning her parents' ac- 'ceptance and approval. The play is directed by Carolyn Caldwell, a recent recepient of a Ph.D. from the University's theatre department. It is the story of a suc- cessful New York artist - Margaret Church (University Alumnae Susan Morseth) - who returns home to find her famous author father (Robin Barlow) deteriorating with age, and her socialite mother (Susan H. Mor- ris) still bombarding her with criti- cism and guilt. As tired as Margaret is of her mother's constant criticism of her dress, her work, and her lifestyle, she finds that she is still desperately in need of her parents' approval. By getting her parents to finally agree to allow her to paint their portrait, Margaret makes her last effort to win their acceptance. The intimate setting of the Ann Arbor Civic Theatre immediately involves the audience in this light- hearted drama, which is as moving as it is funny. Together the three characters of the play work through the unresolved issues of Margaret's childhood and the contemporary is- sues of her father's deterioration in order to reach a final understanding and acceptance of each another. College students can certainly re- late to Margaret's struggle to win her parents' approval and understand how important it is to Margaret to have her parents accept her as an adult. Students are also likely to discover that, like Margaret, they too have a fear of returning home to dis- cover that their parents are actually growing old. However, while students can em- pathize with the main themes of the play, they will have trouble believ- ing that it was written as recently as 1983. Painting Churches is ex- tremely reminiscent of On Golden Pond (you expect at any given mo- ment for Fanny Church to call her husband an "old poop") or a typical Arthur Miller drama. One would think that audiences would have grown tired by now of seeing ver- sion after version of confrontations between the members of the typical "screwed-up American family." Ap- parently they have not. Luckily for this particular production, performances by Barlow and Morris add a unique flair to this common theme. These two actors work particularly well together, cre- ating between them some hilarious scenes. One such moment occurs when the duo, after deciding to pose for their daughter, begin to imitate 4 100 A , .. , t, r ^'. - ?. ' .'.mot Y L i-A yp y4* .1 M S 4 Robin Barlow, an Economics professor at the University, makes the most of the sometimes clichkd lines of 'Painting Churches.' E A00 f 0,1 e dye 4 NVO famous works like Michelangelo's Pieta and scenes from the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. Barlow's per- '4- ,,- formance alone is well worth seeing. He is convincing as the aging au- thor, making up for some of the trite dialogue forced on him by the script. Painting Churches is at times a bit exaggerated, with statements that tend to slap you in the face instead of allowing subtle recognition. This is more the fault of the playwright than the actors. Great performances by Barlow and Morris overcome these small problems, making this particular production -of Painting Churches very enjoyable and well worth seeing. PAINTING CHURCHES will be performed at The Ann Arbor Civic Theatre, February 4-6, and 11-13, at 8 p.m. Tickets are $S. Let Them Know How You Feel I I DAILY PERSONALS 764-0557 I oI i : " A : fuP'a 15p Onlyone pregnancy test says yes or no in 10 minutes. FIRST RESPONSE. 4 v-tjw . FRESH OVEN BAKED PIZZA IN SECONDS! ANN ARBOR 1220 SOUTH UNIVERSITY (CORNER S. UNIVERSITY & FOREST) 665-2034 Hours Monday-Thursday 10:30 AM-Midnight Friday-Saturday 10:30 AM-2:00 AM Sunday 10:30 AM-Midnight *- - - PIZZA BY THE SLICE - SALADS - SPAGHETTI - LASAGNA " VEAL PARMESAN - CAESARS SANDWICHES®*- CRAZY CRUSTS® & SAUCE- DINE-IN or CARRY-OUT Y rMW VALUABLE COUPON 01 - -1 VALUABLE COUPON 10 -W0M VALUABLE COUPON -10 0 * Buny SMALL Double. * Caesars "ONEOING"SPECI. I. I .r.:@ . piza !Gourmet Slice.' I just did it! The FIRST RESPONSE, Pregnancy Test. Well, what's the news? Only FIRST RESPONSE can tell you in 10 minutes! Turns blue for pregnant. Stays clear for not pregnant. And it's so easy to see.. You knew, in just 10 minutes! Yup, and when FIRST RESPONSE says yes or no, it's for sure. With other tests, you may have to wait longer for complete results. So whiCh is it, yes or no? Now, why do you think I'm smiling? You can always trust your FIRST RFSPONSF 'AVE ion, FIRST - D fEnfl n rE, ' L.... -- A