Indy Theatre Habit

On Friday night I went to see “Praise the Lord and Pass the Peanut Butter,” written and directed by local playwright Marsha L. Grant, as presented by the Epilogue Players on the near north side of Indy.   Norris Wright was the producer, Terry Downey the stage manager, and Ron Rose the lighting and sound designer.

This was the show’s third weekend; it closed on Saturday night.  I know that my review will not help anyone decide whether or not to go see it, but I wanted to record some thoughts about it anyway.

In her curtain talk, Grant said, “Will this play give you a religious experience?  No.”  

She was right.  The show did not make me “see God.”  Not even close.  But it did give me some good food for thought about three things:  play structure, audience fit, and the purpose of art.  More about these in a moment.

The set, which was designed by the director, constructed by Jeff Roby, Norris Wright, and Ralph Grant, and decorated by the cast and crew, reminded me of what I imagine to be Father Tim’s office in the Mitford books by Jan Karon.  It is cozy, with book-lined shelves, a waiting bench, and a small wooden sign that says, “Angel collector.”

(Actually, from where I sat during the first act, I thought the sign said, “Angst collector.”  That made sense to me, too.  Isn’t that what a minister is doing when he (or she) hears confessions?  Collecting people’s angst and dispersing it to God to be transformed back into the neutral energy of the universe?  Something like that.)

And what minister’s office would be complete without a crotchety yet loving secretary?  Gladys (Jackie Cramer) is just the right mix of practicality and prayer.

The main character, though, as it turns out, is not an Episcopalian minister, but rather a Methodist pastor (Steve Skelton.)  The denomination isn’t that important, however.  Ministers, pastors, church-goers…and writers, directors, and actors, for that matter…we are all just trying to do our best according to what we understand our callings to be.

The choir ladies, for example, just want to sing the songs they have always sung, not some new-fangled “Bartok” that the new choir director wants them to sing.  Priscilla Ruddell gives a funny, ear-piercing demonstration of the time-honored favorites, while Wilma (Patricia Wood) shouts, “What?!” and the others (Judy Murphy and Heather Renick) shout back, “Never mind, Wilma!”

A hillbilly-esque husband, Ed Booker, (Rod Everhart) and wife, Flora, (Susan Townsend), who have just lost their home to a flood, offer the pastor some possum stew even as they and their huge dog, Sam (Cayenne), take over his parsonage.  They would also offer him their box full of cash savings, but the river took it.

Meanwhile, the roof is leaking.  Sol, the professional roofer (Richard Steinberg), is called in, but two goofball parishioners, Vernon (George Dokes) and Dale (Rick Clark) say that all he really has to do is teach them how to place shingles and then they will do the work for free.  When they hear about the money box, they decide to gear up and go look for it.

Also, the local rich woman, Vanessa Cartwright, is trying to fix up the pastor with some of her widowed friends, or maybe even marry him herself.  The pastor, however, is looking forward to a date with someone else.

And then someone discovers some papers that say the church building had been condemned years ago.  Oh, and by the way, the bishop is on the phone.

I think that pastors in real life probably have to deal with being overwhelmed by all of these kinds of characters and situations, too.  They have to answer to everyone in one way or another because/but their real boss is God.  Anyone who has ever been involved in a church could probably find something recognizable, something relatable, in this play.

However, even with all of these authentic relationships and challenges, the play’s first act felt sort of static to me, i.e. - without focus and therefore without dramatic tension.  There was a lot going on, but nothing was happening, if that makes sense.   I decided to just enjoy it as a sort of collage, a “day in the life.”

The second act opens with a conversation between the youngest of the choir ladies and the woman who escaped the flood.  They share comforting thoughts on marriage.  A little later, those ladies have left and the local rich woman, Vanessa (Pepper LaPaglia) appears.  The audience gasps because she has such a glamorous presence - something beyond even her elegant clothes and red hair.  She and the pastor compare childhood memories and reach a sort of understanding.

There are some strong acting moments in both of these scenes, but the scenes’ effect in terms of the play overall is…more collage.

Finally, when Sam the dog digs up some human bones from under the rose bush just outside the door, the piece begins to feel more alive, more like a story.  Whose bones are they?

I enjoyed this show, but I wasn’t “wowed” by it.  However, I overheard lots of people around me in the audience, both during intermission and afterwards, say to one another, “They sure got the church right, didn’t they?!” 

I guess it all comes down to the fact that art - both making it and taking it in - is ultimately a very personal thing.  I admire everyone involved with this show for putting it on because I could tell that it spoke to many of the people in the audience.

At intermission, I saw that my friend and fellow theatre commentator, Joe Boling, was in the audience, too, seated in his favorite location: the front row.  There was an empty seat next to him, so I joined him for the second act.  

Sometimes the best part of art is the connections it allows between people.

“Praise the Lord and Pass the Peanut Butter” closed at the Epilogue Players on Saturday, March 22, 2008.  Epilogue’s next show is “Three Belles of Eden,” directed by Norris Wright and opening May 2.  For more information about this particular show, please call 317-895-6734. 

One of the Epilogue Players’ objectives is “To offer persons age 50 and over an opportunity to express their artistic and creative talents.”   The venue itself is intimate and quirky.  I always enjoy going there to see what “the seniors and middle-agers” have cooked up this time.   For more information about Epilogue in general or to make a reservation, please call 317-926-3139.

Hope Baugh - www.IndyTheatreHabit.com