The two men are about as opposite as a pair could get.

Sunday, July 09, 2000

The two men are about as opposite as a pair could get. One is older, calmer, comfortable. The other young, overzealous, passionate, awkward.

"Mass Appeal," Summerset Theatre’s second production of the season, is the story of their relationship, and how friendship can come from the most unexpected places.

The two-man show starts Wednesday and runs through Saturday, with shows at 7:30 p.m. in the Frank W. Bridges Theatre at Riverland Community College.

"It’s a comic drama," director James Douglass said. "It has some very funny moments, but it is also a very heartwarming story."

Summerset Executive Director Jerry Girton – who has directed the play twice before – steps onto the stage for this show to play Father Tim Farley, who takes young seminarian Mark Dolson, played by Riverland graduate Joshua Larson, under his wing. It’s a meeting of old-school and new-school, and, as in any meeting of old and new ideals, the feathers fly on more than one occasion.

"It’s perfect summer fare," Douglass said, "because it has a great message and it’s fun and kind of uplifting … No, it’s not at all preachy. The preaching stays between the characters – the question that gets out to the audience is more about spirituality."

Girton said much the same about the play, one of his favorite small shows and one that was critically acclaimed on Broadway.

"I think it talks to people about their honesty, their spirituality, what they do to get by with things," Girton said. "The line that, ‘it was only a little lie,’ comes up in there. Things like that."

Girton and Larson are convincing in their roles: Girton, an older priest with maybe too much appreciation for fine wines, and Larson, who wants to inspire and berate the congregation.

"In the end, they come to appreciate each other’s strengths and weaknesses," Girton said. "The process of getting them to that stage is the story."

All three men – the two actors and the director – have varying histories in Austin theater. Douglass, whose credentials include being the artistic director at the Rochester Repertory Theatre, played Pat Gilbert in last summer’s "State Fair." Larson, a recent theater major at Southwest State University, was in five productions during his time at Riverland and played the narrator in "Blood Brothers" last summer. Girton has been a major figure in Austin’s theater for years, in both his roles as the director at Riverland and for Summerset.

Tickets for the show are $8 and are available in advance at Nemitz’s in downtown Austin and by calling the theater box office at 433-0595. Tickets will also be sold at the door immediately before the show. Showtime is 7:30 p.m. each night, from Wednesday through Saturday. "Mass Appeal" is sponsored by Target.