Glory Road: A Televangelist Tartuffe

I'm not going to write much about Glory Road, the musical updating of Moliere's Tartuffe that just finished a run at the Midtown International Theatre Festival. Judging from the company bios and the quality of the writing, direction and performances, there is too much of this production that is on an amateur level and I feel most of those involved are not ready to be seriously reviewed.

I mean no disrespect when I say "amateur". Simply that that the writing appeared to be on a beginner's level, the direction was minimal, and much of the acting and singing seemed untrained. Many of those working on Glory Road are New York City school teachers and associates who work to bring theatre and other cultural arts to students in underprivileged areas and for that I offer a sincere "thank you" and a personal standing ovation.

Tartuffe, of course, is Moliere's comic masterpiece of a religious fake who takes advantage of a rich man's overzealous generosity meant to secure himself a higher place in Heaven. Bookwriter and lyricist Greg Senf and composer Gregory Max set their adaptation in contemporary times, when "The Gil and Glenna Show", a modest weekly revival TV program, gets taken over by a slick, new commercially-minded young preacher. There are also a pair of romantic subplots.

The main problem with the book is stilted and cliche dialogue with characters that tend to speak in awkward exposition. There are many ballads that carry no weight because the scenes that preceded then were so thin. As you might expect there are several gospel numbers, but the repetitive sing-a-long nature of these songs, fine for church, tend to stop book musicals cold.

The three leading actors did put in some good work. Michael Finkelstein, as the phony-roller, dived into his evangelical role with bursts of charisma. Chet Carlin, who played the older preacher, is one of those lovable rubber-faced character men with a child-like pathos. And Beth Chiarella, who put in a memorable leading performance in last year's festival in another Senf musical, A Shining Love, once again showed herself as fine dramatic singing actress.