The Painter

By: Darryl Reilly

You won’t need that knife.
The last man who said that tried to rape me…
My name is Michelangelo Merisi, but I am called Caravaggio…

The Painter is playwright Richard Vetere’s robust, scintillating, and tantalizing brief imagined take on an episode from the renowned artist’s eventful short life.

We are in Rome in 1600; Caravaggio (1571-1610) has brought a young woman to his studio to be the model for his painting Death of the Virgin. Maddalena Antognetti is a prostitute from the Tavern of the Hawk who has rehristened herself as Lena. She fled her plague-ravaged farm with her mother after the death of her father for a better life in the big city.

Caravaggio raises his already magnanimous offer from one gold coin to two, after Lena begs off the assignment upon learning the requirements. The sitting involves a week’s stay as he will only paint when the sunlight is ideal to achieve his desired chiaroscuro effect and that she must go to bed with him when the work is completed.

Mr. Vetere’s 15-minute humane scenario’s dialogue smoothly conveys exposition, facts, and the senses of time and place through his sculpted sentences which are passionate and witty. The articulate characters are immaculately delineated. Caravaggio is the hotheaded sensualist from history and Lena is the archetypical girl from the provinces hardened by life’s harshness. They are a combative, playful, and earthy pair. The Painter is so appealing and well-presented that one wishes it was longer.

Director Maja Wampuszyc’s physical staging is jolting from the very start. The actors merrily race down the auditorium’s aisle stairs in dimness and then energetically burst onto to the spacious stage which is bare except for three dark cubes.

They then engage in an enchanting movement sequence combining modern dance and ballet where joy reigns supreme. The spoken portions crackle with verve and momentum due to Ms. Wampuszyc’s directorial prowess.

The production is enhanced by the simple yet textured lighting design and composer Rick Baitz’s eclectic original score which ranges from stately to modern. Clad in evocative clothing the cast is instantly striking.

The tall, lean, and scruffy Evan Dominguez is visually the youthful, soulful, and hellraising Caravaggio we expect. That imagery is complemented by Mr. Dominguez’s soaring voice, swaggering physicality, and alluring stage presence.

The captivating Carly Cooper offers a ravishing portrayal of Lena. Projecting coarsened girlishness, Ms. Cooper effortlessly veers from sunny, to salty, and to wise. Cooper is particularly moving when musing about Lena’s impending immortality for having her likeness preserved in the painting. Dominguez and Cooper’s rapport is palpable and integral.

The Painter is the opener of the triple bill “Program 20” at the Chain Theatre’s Winter One-Act Festival ’26. The other works are Kamau Nosakhere’s intriguing absurdist art-themed Art and I’ll Remember for You. That is a wild solo show about a standup comedian who becomes a house husband, it is written and exuberantly performed by Matthew Daley.

The Painter (February 14, 18, and 19, 2026)
Winter One-Act Festival ’26
Chain Theatre, 312 West 36th Street, in Manhattan
For tickets, visit www.chaintheatre.org
Running time: 15 minutes