People: Now we can all share his ‘Payne’
Tyler Perry speaks of his following, his “core audience,” with great respect.
No wonder. Those fans – mostly Christian, black and female – made each of Perry’s play a hot ticket.
They made his films (“Diary of a Mad Black Woman,” “Madea’s Family Reunion”) into hits, and his book, “Don’t Make a Black Woman Take Off Her Earrings,” a best-seller.
Now “Tyler Perry’s House of Payne” on TBS is giving its 37-year-old creator a mainstream venue like none he’s had before. (A 10-episode marathon airs today beginning at 5 p.m., cable channel 55 in Spokane, 44 in Coeur d’Alene).
Perry isn’t even seen on “House of Payne,” apart from an occasional cameo by his signature character, the sharp-tongued grandmother he performs in drag – all strapping 6-feet-6 of him.
“House of Payne” is a domestic comedy that squeezes three generations of middle-class Atlantans under one roof. The roof belongs to cranky Curtis “Pops” Payne, a fire chief, and his churchgoing wife, Ella.
Their firefighter nephew, CJ, is forced to take refuge with them, along with wife Janine and their two kids, when their house burns down. Adding to the chaos is Calvin, the college-age slacker son of Pops and Ella.
Already, Janine has been exposed as a crack addict; it was she who burned down the house.
“We deal with everything from the rising cases of HIV in the African-American community to Internet child predators,” says Perry, who grew up poor in New Orleans.
Compared to his films, he adds, “The comedy’s not as broad, it’s toned down a little bit. I’ve made some changes because I know that I’m speaking to more than one race of people, more than one group of people. Anybody who gives the show a chance, no matter who you are, can relate to it.”
Except the critics, of course. The Washington Post’s Tom Shales wrote, “Everything about (“House of Payne”) needs a little improvement – except for the things that need a lot of it.”
“That’s been my entire journey: They’ve hated everything I’ve done,” Perry says.
Not that critics hold sway with him. He’s famously immune to their influence, or that of anyone other than the audience he serves.
“Nobody’s looking over my shoulder, nobody’s breathing down my neck,” is how he describes his relationship with TBS, which, in a deal surely unique for a new TV series, turned him loose with an order for 100 episodes.
Besides “House of Payne,” Perry has another series (“Meet the Browns,” based on one of his plays) plus three more films in the pipeline.
And beyond that?
“I see myself owning an entire network,” he says, “where the shows are all inspirational, all positive and empowering.”
But there’s yet another itch that, for now, Perry won’t be scratching: a role as a bad guy.
“I’d like to play a bank robber or a serial killer,” he confides. “That would be intriguing and fun. But I know my audience wouldn’t appreciate it.”
The birthday bunch
Actress Gloria Stuart is 97. Conductor Mitch Miller is 96. Actress Eva Marie Saint is 83. Actress Gina Lollobrigida is 80. Playwright Neil Simon is 80. Actress Karolyn Grimes (Zuzu in “It’s A Wonderful Life”) is 67. Talk host Geraldo Rivera is 64.