The Catholic Church has weathered a lot of criticism in recent years regarding its policies about homosexuals, birth control, ordaining women, and sexual abuse. Sometimes it’s easy to think that this is just a recent thing, but Mass Appeal reminds us that it’s been a concern for years. Written in the late 1970′s, Mass Appeal is about a charismatic, popular priest, Father Tim Farley, who is confronted by the idealism of a young seminarian, Mark Dolson. When the younger man tries to defend two other seminarians, he gets marked as a trouble-maker and soon realizes he will be dismissed from the seminary. However, when he turns to his new mentor for help, Father Tim doesn’t know how to defend him without rocking the boat and upsetting his own parish. It’s the classic dilemma: Do what is right, or do what is easy?
First I must apologize again for the tardiness of this review. Labor Day weekend blended into a new school week and somehow I completely forgot that I hadn’t done this one yet! I had every intention of having this up early last week, but clearly it wasn’t in the cards. My apologies to the Riverfront Playhouse.
Mass Appeal has a huge cast of only two. Nothing is hidden when working with such a small cast; no one can blend into the background and every nuance needs to be pretty spot on for the script to work. I will say that this is an interesting script, still not sure I like it, but definitely interesting and thought provoking. I think part of my problem with it, though, is that director Tim Curtis didn’t quite get all of the comedy that was possible with it. It’s a tough balance with this play. The possibility is there to have the audience laughing the entire time, but to do so would take away the earnestness of the message it is trying to send. Unfortunately, I don’t think the Riverfront Playhouse manage to hit enough of the laughs to balance it the other way.
Mark Dolson (Frank Warpeha) is the firebrand seminarian who challenges Father Tim to be more aggressive in saving his flock. Warpeha played the role more angry than passionate, and for me it didn’t quite hit the mark. I wanted to see more build towards the final outburst, but because he was so angry throughout the play I didn’t really feel the emotional effect in that final scene. I also wanted Warpeha to connect with the audience more. He was utterly focused on Father Tim the entire time, which meant you felt a little like you were intruding on the conversations rather than being a part of them. Warpeha doesn’t look directly at the audience, doesn’t show us what he is contemplating, doesn’t give us a chance to react to his emotions, and therefore we feel a slight disconnect to him and his character.
Father Tim Farley (Gary Puckett) on the other hand was exactly what I imagine the complacent, charismatic priest to be like. His sermons were delivered with an ease and conviviality that spoke to just what a crowd-pleaser Father Tim is. I loved Puckett’s sense of humor and the general good-natured attitude. I felt as though I were genuinely a part of his congregation while he was preaching and believed him as he broke down towards the end and shared his difficulties of his youth. For me, Puckett gave a fantastic performance.
There were a few minor issues that could have been done differently. For example, director Tim Curtis and I discussed the length of the scene changes. They were a little on the long side, but it was due to the authenticity of the priests’ vestments. They looked great and I agree with keeping them authentic, but it did mean the costume changes were quite involved. In general, though, the tech side of things looked good. I loved the pulpit with the flower arrangements on either side. Lighting worked well, the sound effects were not jarring but believable, and the set was minimal but effective.
It’s been a while since I’ve said this, but it’s very true in this instance: The biggest change that needed to happen was that they needed a larger audience to react to the punchlines and feel the emotions of the more poignant scenes. It’s a good show with a lot laughs. I recommend getting out to Aurora to see it.
Mass Appeal is presented by The Riverfront Playhouse in downtown Aurora and runs through October 1, 2011. For tickets and information, visit their website here.
