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Eleven Exeter -- or The Christmas Beast
By Deborah Hand-Cutler
Published by Black Horse Press
In this quirky comedy-drama, twenty-six-year-old Katherine McKee has been left alone at Chrismas by her husband, Charlie. He dislikes Boston and has decided to return home to Iowa after law school -- with or without her. He was the official building manager of Eleven Exeter, a Victorian house turned into apartments in the elegant Back Bay. Not wanting to lose her own unit in the building, Katherine quietly takes over the manager duties. When the landlord discovers the building is suddenly running smoothly, he knows Katherine is now in charge.
The story follows Katherine over three Christmas seasons as she and "The Beast" of an old boiler (an actual character in the play) become best friends. Along the way, she learns that, like the lovers in O. Henry's story, "The Gift of the Magi," true love means being willing to sacrifice what you most love for each other. In the end, she finds her peace and is ready to embrace her new life as a single woman in Boston -- just as the story takes a sudden twist.
The play is a paean to Boston and the city's grand Back Bay architecture. The year is 2012, a time when many of the nineteenth-century buildings were being renovated and stripped of their magnificent mahogany features.
Although there is no Santa Claus in Eleven Exeter -- no homage to Ebenezer Scrooge, no pageant gone awry, nor a movie turned into a play -- it has plenty of Christmas in it. Christmas Eve features a Christmas birth, while climate refugee children sing carols and recite the Christmas story.
Incidental music is available from songwriters Tracy Newman and Kevin Kelso that adds a touch of irony and whimsy for walk-in and scene changes. The set can be simple line-drawing backdrops depicting the three different locations -- the lobby, Katherine's apartment, and the landlord's restaurant. The boiler room is a small set off to the side. Furnishings include a few chairs, a table and a Christmas tree that is turned around to show different decorations for the three locations. Costuming is modern-day winter. The Islanders could be any ethnicity, distinguished by dress, such as Hawaiian shirts and flip-flops.
The story follows Katherine over three Christmas seasons as she and "The Beast" of an old boiler (an actual character in the play) become best friends. Along the way, she learns that, like the lovers in O. Henry's story, "The Gift of the Magi," true love means being willing to sacrifice what you most love for each other. In the end, she finds her peace and is ready to embrace her new life as a single woman in Boston -- just as the story takes a sudden twist.
The play is a paean to Boston and the city's grand Back Bay architecture. The year is 2012, a time when many of the nineteenth-century buildings were being renovated and stripped of their magnificent mahogany features.
Although there is no Santa Claus in Eleven Exeter -- no homage to Ebenezer Scrooge, no pageant gone awry, nor a movie turned into a play -- it has plenty of Christmas in it. Christmas Eve features a Christmas birth, while climate refugee children sing carols and recite the Christmas story.
Incidental music is available from songwriters Tracy Newman and Kevin Kelso that adds a touch of irony and whimsy for walk-in and scene changes. The set can be simple line-drawing backdrops depicting the three different locations -- the lobby, Katherine's apartment, and the landlord's restaurant. The boiler room is a small set off to the side. Furnishings include a few chairs, a table and a Christmas tree that is turned around to show different decorations for the three locations. Costuming is modern-day winter. The Islanders could be any ethnicity, distinguished by dress, such as Hawaiian shirts and flip-flops.