Decent acting and bad writing are the main components of the play “A Nice Family Gathering.”
Nov. 4 marked the opening date of Whittier Community Theater’s version of the play. I am still puzzled as to why they chose this particular work but my best guess is someone was attempting to make the theme applicable with Thanksgiving.
Middle son Carl (played by Justin P. Murphy) is being haunted by his dead father (Jerry Marble). Dad only wants to tell his wife he loves her, and Carl just wants Dad to leave him alone. Things get tangled when Mom (Andrea Townsend) brings home a “friend” for dinner. It seems the perfect recipe for a fun, snarky holiday mishap. What unfolds is unresolved and surprisingly dark family conflict—competition between brothers, lesbian daughter is pregnant, daughter-in-law can’t get pregnant, the oldest son is deeply in debt and Mom has Alzheimer’s. Most of the first act is spent discussing the issues of each family member while the second act drags out painfully slow resolutions.
The set design was impressive. There was plenty of detail on the stage, from the family portraits to stockings over the fireplace, making the painted wood and décor appear to be the living room of Carl’s family. Unfortunately, this is the most impressive aspect of the entire show.
Meghan Duran, who played Stacy, stood out for her believability as the sulky little sister of the family. Townsend too, deserves accolades for her believability as Mom. Unfortunately, not all of the actors met this standard. Laura MacDowell (Jill) had trouble making both dialogue and blocking seem natural. Playing a woman supposedly running on an overdose of hormones, she did very little in making her character the comical mess she was supposed to be.
No matter how talented the cast might be, even the best of actors would have a difficult time with the script. There is no getting around the cheesy, poorly written lines. The actors did their best to make the script interesting and tried to bring it to life but most of the show focused on each self-absorbed character wallowing in their own problems. Although the directing, blocking and acting weren’t horrible, there isn’t any way to get around the dull storyline or the badly written dialogue.
Whittier Community Theater has the ability to produce high-quality shows. Great set design, relatively talented actors and a great venue. There is no need to settle for mediocre, poorly written plays. It is a play with no point, a story with no plot. As the house lights go up and the curtain closes, the only question to ask is, “why?”
“A Nice Family Gathering” continues through Nov 19 at The Center Theater, 7630 Washington Ave. Whittier. More information available at (562) 696-0600 or www.whittiercommunitytheatre.org
Photograph taken from Frances Baum Nicholson, Stage Struck Review
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