FST’s ‘Pictures From Home’ creates an intriguing family portrait on stage

Since the advent of digital photography, we have all taken thousands of pictures of friends, family and ourselves. But what do we really see in each photograph? We get a memory to be savored, of friendships, special events and vacations. But how much do we learn about the subject?

In his 1992 photo book “Pictures From Home,” Larry Sultan attempted to tell a story about his parents through photos he shot over roughly 10 years and text to go with it.

Playwright Sharr White turned that book and the story behind the photographer and his pictures into an engaging and surprisingly thought-provoking play that opened Friday at Florida Studio Theatre.

On the walls of the attractive Southern California living room set designed by Isabel and Moriah Curley-Clay we occasionally see some of the actual photographs of the real Irving and Jean Sultan. You can’t help but be intrigued by the images. There’s a great one of Irving lying shirtless on a green and white couch, one arm supporting his head and his eyes closed. It seems to reveal so much. But the stage version of Irving, played with great spirit by Kraig Swartz, doesn’t like it. He prefers the more formal, posed pictures, like the ones that show how much in love the couple are at various parties, dinners and events.

In one scene Larry, played by Gil Brady, gets his father to present a little seminar in the living room, but each time the photographer raises his camera, Irving stiffens, moving his hand across his stomach almost like Napoleon because he thinks he has to pose.

That’s not what Larry is going for. “It’s my way of getting to know another version of you,” he tells his father at one point, prompting the response, “I think you know me pretty well.”

Though we hear some of the same banter repeated in different ways over the course of the evening – they probably have had the same discussions and arguments countless times over the years – each new variation allows us to see a little more about each of the characters. It can become wearying at times, but under the assured direction of Kate Alexander, every scene peels back a little more to allow us to get a better understanding of these people.

Swartz’s Irving is a proud curmudgeon with a clear view of who he is, or at least he thinks he is. A retired executive at the Shick razor company who was apparently an impressive salesman, he tries to use that charm on his son (and the audience) to sell us on his version of things. As his wife Jean, Jean Tafler provides humorous interjections, trying to lower the tension between father and son, with a touch of sarcasm.

Brady’s Larry is less clearly defined in the script, but Grady gives him personality as he juggles his role as a professional photographer with a mission and his personal relationship with his parents. Larry is easily frustrated with his parents, particularly Irving, when the shots he tries to get are ruined by a gesture. And he struggles with his folks to explain that the truth he is seeking can only be captured if he’s allowed to photograph them in the most casual, basic moments.

There is one impactful photo of the real Jean, a real estate agent, standing in the garage next to her car, about to go on a call. It reveals more about her, her self-confidence and view of herself than any of those more formal shots.

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But they’re not crazy about that one, either. Perhaps it reveals too much. While Irving is retired, Jean is still working and becoming a success, upsetting their balance and Irving’s sense of his place in the relationship.

Swartz and Tafler wear wigs to make them look older and more like the real versions we see in the photographs. The hair doesn’t get in the way of the actors’ portrayals of their characters, but it doesn’t help them establish the kind of honesty Larry Sultan is going for. And it doesn’t get in the way of how the audience looks at the characters, wanting to see and understand even more than White’s play allows.

‘Pictures From Home’

By Sharr White. Directed by Kate Alexander. Reviewed Dec. 15. Through Feb. 18. Florida Studio Theatre Keating Theatre, 1241 N. Palm Ave., Sarasota. Tickets are $25-$39. 941-366-9000; floridastudiotheatre.org

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This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: FST’s ‘Pictures From Home’ creates intriguing family portrait on stage