That atmospheric blend also characterized “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee,’’ the book for which was written by Rachel Sheinkin. Sheinkin collaborated on “Striking 12’’ with the husband-and-wife team of Brendan Milburn and Valerie Vigoda, members of the indie trio GrooveLily.
The SpeakEasy production is performed in a cabaret-style setting by an able and engaging cast handling multiple duties as musicians, singers, and actors: José Delgado on keyboard, Erikka Walsh on violin, and Zachary Hardy on drums. “Striking 12’’ represents a solid directorial debut for Scott Sinclair, 22, who graduated from Emerson College earlier this year (and works as a marketing associate at SpeakEasy).
The main characters in the show are unnamed. Delgado plays the office worker, who, having broken up with his fiancee, is now rebuffing the pleas of a friend (Hardy) that he come to the friend’s New Year’s Eve party. No way: He might see his ex there, for one thing, and for another, he’s tired of everyone trying to inundate him with incessant uplift. “What’s there to celebrate about?’’ Delgado sings. “I’d rather stay at home and grout my shower stall.’’
Hans Christian Andersen’s 1845 fable “The Little Match Girl’’ frames the events of “Striking 12’’ and establishes the mood of the piece, which features songs titled “Green & Red (and I’m Feeling Blue),’’ “Matches for Sale,’’ and “Last Day of the Year.’’
Delgado’s office worker has only the dimmest memory of Andersen’s tale, but he is reminded of it when a young woman (Walsh) shows up at his door on New Year’s Eve, selling customized lights that help combat Seasonal Affective Disorder.
He finds this door-to-door saleswoman a perplexing and touching figure — working on New Year’s Eve? — and after she leaves, he finds a copy of “The Little Match Girl’’ and begins to read it. He is haunted by Andersen’s tale of an impoverished, neglected, barefoot child who froze to death “on the last evening of the old year.’’
