March 24, 2009 - 7:00pm

In this theater publicity still released by Boneau/Bryan-Brown, Joan Allen, left, and Jeremy Irons are shown in a scene from "Impressionism," a play by Michael Jacobs, running at Broadway's Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre in New York. (AP Photo/Boneau/Bryan-Brown, Joan Marcus)

NEW YORK (AP) - "Impressionism" is an elaborate if awkward romance -- positively brimming with self-importance -- and showcased in a setting that includes a parade of gorgeous photographic reproductions of famous paintings.

As a play, it never reaches the lofty level of its ambition despite a starry cast that includes Jeremy Irons and Joan Allen as a pair of wounded artistic types who are attracted to each other. Eventually.

The talky, lifeless production, which opened Tuesday at Broadway's Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre, has been directed by Jack O'Brien, who apparently has worked with playwright Michael Jacobs to winnow down its two-act length to 100 intermissionless minutes.

Their condensation and clarifying result in some bald, easily identifiable statement of themes, the most obvious of which involves the two leads. Allen portrays Katharine, an unhappy art gallery owner, given to such ponderous statements as, "I've lived long enough now to understand that I have been issued one standard life. I am trapped in a place where I thought something was going to happen and nothing did."

Don't worry. Into her life has come Thomas, a photographer whose specialty seems to be studies for National Geographic, including one in Africa, which becomes the setting for one of the play's more bewildering scenes. The photog, played by Irons, chucks it all to work in the gallery, and the two lost souls forge an uneasy relationship.

As the playwright tells it, their different approach to life experiences can be seen in artistic terms. Katharine favors the impressionistic journey. "You don't get it when it's right in front of you. You have to step back," she says. "If you give what's in front of you a little distance, you might understand what you're looking at." Which is what happens in this "Impressionism." Bits and pieces of her past float by in flashbacks that are identified with titles to make sure the audience is not confused. From them, we are to piece together what makes this woman tick.

The photographer, of course, is more of a realist. But will people respond the same way he does to a certain picture, particularly the gallery owner?

Several fine actors seem to have been stranded by the play's shrinkage. The most prominent victims are Marsha Mason and Michael T. Weiss, who are largely wasted in roles that have a minimal impact.

That's not the case with scene-stealing Andre De Shields, who does delightful double duty in "Impressionism," first as an African tribesman and then as the elderly owner of a bakery where the two would-be lovers purchase their morning pastries. Even there, the two can't agree. A big deal is made over the fact she loves cranberry muffins, he favors coffee cake. It's that kind of play.

Still, there are those lovely projection designs, courtesy of Elaine J. McCarthy, at which to look. There's a grace and style to their vividness that makes "Impressionism" seem even more washed out than it actually is.

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