05:44:31 am 
Beasley's Christmas Party - Small Town Intrigue and Yuletide Warmth
Categories: UncategorizedThe simple charms of life in a small town in a bygone era prove almost irresistible in CW Munger's adaptation of Booth Tarkington's story Beasley's Christmas Party, which recently opened off-Broadway in a Keen Company production staged with gentleness by the company's artistic director Carl Forsman.
"Party" centers on what happens late one fall and early winter just after Booth (Tony Ward), a newspaperman, has moved to Wainwright, the capital of an unnamed state. Even before his arrival in Wainwright, Booth has been fascinated by what he believes to be the most handsome home in the city, and he's naturally delighted that the boardinghouse in which he's living is situated right next door to the building that has so captured his imagination. What Booth can't foresee, though, is that he will be drawn into the house, and the world of its owner, a reclusive senator who says little, but is much beloved by his constituents. When Booth observes some unusual behavior from this politician, Mr. Beasley, he begins to do what all reporters do: he looks for the story.
What Booth uncovers is that Beasley was once jilted by Anne, the daughter of the woman who runs the boardinghouse where Booth is living. Anne, it would seem, felt that Beasley's inability to communicate showed that he lacked imagination (more specifically, he didn't measure up to the sorts of men that she has come to know through her voracious appetite for romantic novels).
Beyond the curious détente that exists between Anne and Beasley now many years after their engagement was called off, there's politicking among some local malcontents who do not want to see Beasley become the state's next governor. When one of these men gets wind of the behavior that Booth's investigating – on Christmas Eve no less – well, it looks as if Beasley's career might be over. Instead, the explanation for what Booth had initially observed proves heartwarming, so much so that even thaws the imperiously romantic Anne.
In this vest-pocket production (which unfolds against an almost sculptural scenic design from Beowulf Borrit: four towers of old suitcases and trunks) two performers – Joseph Collins and Christa Scott-Reed – play all of the characters whom Booth meets in Wainwright. Although Scott-Reed imbues Anne with a little too much iciness, she's wonderful as a talkative widow who does not approve of Anne's behavior and plays several male roles with terrific specificity. Collins' work as Beasley charms from beginning to end, and he's equally adept with several other characters, including an attorney who helps Booth sort through the mystery around Beasley.
Although Ward has difficulty balancing Booth's curious combination of childlike innocence, hardnosed curiosity, and romantic ideals during the play's early moments, settling for a sort of earnest warmth and breathless enthusiasm, he ultimately modulates his characterization, particularly after the play has developed its dramatic momentum. And once this has occurred, and "Party" has begun its leisurely roll toward explicating the mystery of Beasley and his home, there is enough in the production to make theatergoers themselves long for the warmth of a fireside in a small town where scandals are never much more than a tempest in a teapot.
---- Andy Propst
Beasley's Christmas Party continues through January 3 at the Clurman Theatre / Theatre Row (410 West 42nd Street). Performances are Tuesday at 7pm; Wednesday through Saturday at 8pm; and Sunday at 3pm. No performances 12/24, 12/25, 12/31/or 1/1. Additional performances are 12/21 & 12/28 at 7pm; 12/27 & 1/3 at at 2pm. Tickets are $41.25 and can be purchased by calling 212-279-4200 or by visiting www.TicketCentral.com Further information is available online at www.KeenCompany.org
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