Theater Online - New York Theater Reviews

   A woman returns to her Pennsylvania hometown to unbury a secret that could destroy numerous lives in Merle Good’s new play called The Preacher and the Shrink, opening at the Beckett Theatre at Theatre Row.  The production is loaded with Broadway and Off-Broadway veterans but, unfortunately, none of them are able to overcome a script currently suited for a televised soap opera and not live theater.

   Dr. Michael Hamilton (Tom Galantich) is the local senior pastor.  Dr. Alexandra Bloomfield (Dee Hoty) is the local psychiatrist.  Not only do they have a history of their own, but they've both recently become engaged-- or re-engaged-- with Hamilton’s daughter Constance (Adria Vitlar) who’s left her husband in Florida to teach writing locally.  Constance confides in Dr. Bloomfield and we immediately see the extent to which this young woman is emotionally unhinged.  She’s beyond bitter towards her father for poorly handling her mother’s battle with cancer, but she’s also carrying around excess baggage from nearly a decade ago—baggage involving sexual misconduct by Michael’s junior pastor, Rev. David Wheeler (Mat Hostetler).  The stage is set for a juicy tale of power, payback and the devastating effects of bringing the past into the present.

   The stage is set but the production, like Connie, never finds its footing.  The dialogue is consistently extreme, absurd and obvious.  The performances, as a result, are over-the-top—particularly Ms. Vitlar’s, although it doesn’t help that Connie is one of the most annoying lead characters in recent memory.  She is so, so, so, so, so, so (I could go on; I won't) abrasive from the get-go that it’s virtually impossible to get on her side.  Her father describes her as bright, smart and full of life; Good would be wise to add a flashback that showed us this side of Connie. 

   The other actors are on cruise control, playing the result instead of living moment-to-moment.  We never feel for any of them, though that’s mostly because they’re so far from three-dimensional.  Attempts to add layers to the characters (“I used to be in a band” is supposed to make us understand the old Connie) are forced and contrived.  All of the characters have too much power and bite at every single moment that the piece as a whole lacks a structure; the important moments don’t pop.  A character named Steve (Nicholas Urda) can altogether be cut from the show and nothing would be lost.

   On the bright side, Act II begins on a darkly comic note that really hits home.  Here, finally, the full potential of the themes in Good’s script shines through.  “God really does work in mysterious ways, doesn’t He“” asks David.  If only David knew of the deal that Connie has struck with Michael.  We know; that’s what makes for such a delicious few moments.  Kirk Bookman’s light design is also excellent, subtly but effectively differentiating between numerous locales and times (a dark blue for night scenes is particularly lovely).

   At the end of the day, mostly all of the events, relationships and scenes in The Preacher and the Shrink are too neat, too tidy, too unrealistic to invest in and believe.  “What are the odds?” one character asks.  I’ll tell you.  Slim to none.