THE STORY: The scene is a hallway in a swank Sutton Place apartment building. Beth, a thirteen-year-old striving to look much older and more worldly than her tender years would suggest, waylays Barney, a young man in his early twenties who makes a living putting on a clown act at children’s parties. Some years earlier Barney had entertained at Beth’s birthday party and, sensing her loneliness and parental neglect, had kissed her twice—stirring emotions which Beth can no longer repress. Now Barney, mindful of her feelings but also aware of the gap of years between them (and his own arrested adolescence), must deal with the problem which he has inadvertently created—and this he does with compassion, humor and a warm sense of humanity which are a tribute to the playwright’s sharp perception of the delicate sensibilities of the youthfully vulnerable.
Presented by New York’s Ensemble Studio as part of its Marathon Festival of One-Act Plays, this cleverly understated yet warmly amusing work details the not-at-all-by-chance meeting of a love-smitten young girl and the young man who had performed his clown act at her birthday party several years earlier.
Especially recommended for school and contest use.
“…A loving vignette about childhood dreams and adult fantasies.” —The New York Times.
Included in the collection
Many Happy Returns and Fast Women.
