Tina Howe once said that her aim is "to present a lovely exterior, then seduce the audience into the dark and mysterious places inside." Her four major plays to date are noted for their unusual and elegant an art museum, a French restaurant, a Beacon Hill townhouse, a New England beach. These worlds overflow with hilarious, outlandish, vivid life -- wittily imagined, eloquently rendered, fearlessly explored. Their inhabitants are absurd, anguished, gallant. A delight to experience in the theatre, the tragicomedies of this acclaimed American artist are just as engaging to read.   Coastal Disturbances, Painting Churches. The Art of Dining  and  Museum.