Keith Nobbs and Emily Donahoe will participate in special reading of THE HASTY HEART for Keen Company benefit celebration (photo © Josh Bradford)
The Acorn Theatre at Theatre Row
410 West 42nd St. between Ninth & Tenth Aves.
Monday, December 8, $75-$100, 8:00
www.keencompany.org
In the fall of 2004, Keen Company presented a well-received revival of John Patrick’s 1945 play, The Hasty Heart, about soldiers in a temporary British hospital in South Asia near the end of WWII. In celebration of that production’s tenth anniversary and the troupe’s fifteenth — Keen was founded in 1999 with a mission to “create theater that provokes identification, reflection, and emotional connection . . . telling stories in which people strive to live with integrity” — they will be presenting a special reading of the play on December 8, reuniting most of the cast. Helmed by artistic director Jonathan Silverstein, the reading will take place at the Acorn Theatre at Theatre Row and will be performed by original cast members Stephen Bradbury, Emily Donahoe, Lucas Hall, Anthony Manna, Keith Nobbs, Brian Sgambati, and Paul Swinnerton along with newcomers Jimonn Cole and Bill Heck. Patrick went on to win a Pulitzer for his 1953 play, Teahouse of the August Moon, and wrote such screenplays as High Society, The World of Suzie Wong, and Some Came Running; The Hasty Heart was also made into a 1949 film starring Ronald Reagan, Patricia Neal, and Richard Todd.