My husband, 7½-year-old daughter and I sat in the balcony for our first play experience at Taproot Theatre last Friday. It's a curious rectangular balcony, perched above the stage, and I was initially afraid that we would feel too set apart from the action and not be swept away by the play – but I needn't have worried. The clear glass balcony half wall provided a great view of the characters' movements, and the acoustics were perfect.
Beasley's Christmas Party begins mid-year 1909, when journalist Booth moves to a small, Midwestern town and becomes captivated by the unusual behavior of town celebrity and gubernatorial candidate, David Beasley. Based on the short story by American novelist Booth Tarkington, the play contains twelve unique characters played by just four actors. The character changes happen onstage with the simple shift of a chair or the swap of a hat, resulting in several hilarious moments for the audience when a familiar actor instantly becomes a new character in posture, voice and mannerisms. The minimal, multipurpose set follows a similar pattern, as a steamer trunk becomes an indoor tea table and then a garden bench with only a gentle shove across the stage.
My daughter has been a theatergoer for years. I've often pushed the age limit with her because of her ability to sit still and appear to listen. Eight is the recommended age for Beasley's Christmas Party, which runs approximately 90 minutes without an intermission. We easily had the youngest audience member in the small theater, and I'm pretty sure she was the only one to take a bathroom break (twice). Fortunately, the bathrooms were on the balcony level. She did laugh out loud at several of the character changes, and she understood the mystery in the play, but there was plenty that she missed. I would suggest 9 or 10 as a better minimum age, to assure your child's comprehension of the dialogue and ability to stay seated for that long.
It's a play with a lot of dialogue and not a lot of flash. Yet the details are beautiful. The scenes are set with sound instead of props. A typewriter clicks out a steady rhythm and a phone remotely rings in Booth's editor's office, while birds chirp in the boarding house garden. The actors are expressive, and the storyline carries enough of a mystery to keep the audience enthralled. It's a story of true kindness, which culminates in a heartwarming Christmas scene guaranteed to rouse even the most stubborn holiday spirit.
IF YOU GO
Where: Taproot Theatre Company, 204 N. 85th St., Seattle.
When: Tuesday through Saturday, through Dec. 30.
Cost: $27-$35; $57 for dinner and theater shows.
Contact: 206-781-9707; www.taproottheatre.org.
Erika Lee Bigelow is the “Going Places” editor for Seattle’s Child.
