REVIEW: The Late Christopher Bean: Is He Dead?

  In The Late Christopher Bean, a farce written in 1932 by Pulitzer Prize-winner Sidney Howard, a solid New England family is thrown into turmoil when a painter who stayed with them briefly in his career dies and his works become immensely valuable.  Art dealers and conmen descend from New York to acquire as much of the late Bean's work as they can, but the family never valued his paintings (aside from their housekeeper Abby), so some of them are blocking leaks in the roof or painted over or have simply been destroyed.  The humor comes from the greedy machinations of the family as they struggle to make a profit from their completely unexpected and potentially worthless windfall.

It is a delightful farce, and though set in the 1930s, doesn't feel old-fashioned: it's quite contemporary and accessible.  Kudos to TACT for unearthing this gem of a play.

The entire cast is superb, especially Jim Murtaugh as the harried patriarch Dr. Haggett, Cynthia Darlow as his snobbish wife, and Mary Bacon as the long-suffering Abby.

As always with TACT Productions, the technical elements are sublime.  Special mention to the outrageously detailed and lovely set design by Charlie Corcoran, and the impressively comprehensive sound design by Steve Kunken.  Director Jenn Thompson keeps the show light and perfect.

As I was walking out, one of a couple in front of me turned to the other and said, "Well, that was a great way to spend two hours".  I couldn't agree more.

The Late Christopher Bean

By Sidney Howard

The Actors Company Theatre (TACT)

The Beckett Theatre
Theatre Row
410 West 42nd Street
New York, NY 10036

November 1st through December 12th, 2009
Mon, Wed, Thurs, Fri at 7:30 PM
Sat. at 2:00 & 8:00 PM
Sun. at 3:00 PM

http://tactnyc.org/

 Photo Credit : Stephen Kunken 

1. Pictured L to R:  Cynthia Darlow, James Murtaugh (seated), Kate Middleton, Greg McFadden, James Prendergast, Bob Ari 
2. Pictured L to R:  Kate Middleton, Hunter Canning, Jessiee Datino, Mary Bacon