Review: Fatherhood is tested in ‘Foreclosure’ at Greenway Court

Playwright Raymond J. Barry straddles the naturalistic and the mannered in “Foreclosure or Yelling at Women Walking Their Dogs,” a new play closing this week at the Greenway Court Theatre in Los Angeles. Despite the tonal irregularities of the play, the cast’s excellent performances largely compensate for the dramaturgical shortcomings.

The action opens with a somewhat reiterative monologue delivered by Hubert (Barry), an aging bricklayer who complains about his inability to find work. A proud breadwinner who measures success in dollars and cents, Hubert is contemptuous of his son, Herman (Joseph Culp), an aspiring artist who has never sold a painting. Conversely, Hubert’s wife, Mildred (Judy Jean Berns), dotes on their “genius” son, rallying to his defense against Hubert’s scathing attacks.

When Mildred informs her husband that the bank is foreclosing on their property, Hubert takes a job as a dishwasher to make ends meet, much to his wife and son’s shame. To Hubert’s dismay and Mildred’s delight, Herman suddenly becomes the hot new artist on the scene — success that salvages his parents’ fortunes but fatally upends Hubert’s patriarchal power.

Barry’s emphasis on the devaluation of physical labor in a changing economy is certainly timely, and his boldly experimental spirit is evident throughout this offbeat offering. However, certain twists — such as Mildred’s sudden segue from cuddliness to cruelty — can seem arbitrary, as can David Robinson’s direction. Robinson’s pacing is crisp, to be sure, but the performer’s interactions — from staccato interchanges to Pinteresque pauses to Mametesque stridency — smack of the acting class.

Fortunately, as far as that acting is concerned, it’s strong work, featuring a trio of veterans whose focused, fully fleshed performances keep us riveted throughout this imperfect but often engrossing evening.

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“Foreclosure or Yelling at Women Walking Their Dogs,” Greenway Court Theatre, 544 N. Fairfax Ave., Los Angeles. 8 p.m. Thursday-Saturday. $20. (323) 673-0544. www.greenwaycourttheatre.org. Running time: 1 hour, 10 minutes.

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