"The Picture Box" by Cate Ryan at Beckett Theater Maybe Cate Ryan means "The Picture Box" to be the anti-"Help." Instead of the black women of the film "The Help," who raise white children and are mostly treated like dirt by their employers, "The Picture Box," the Negro Ensemble Company's new production at the Beckett Theater, is about a black man who helped raise a white child and was truly considered one of the family (seriously, with respect and dignity) by everyone involved. Trouble is, there isn't much conflict or drama in that. So Ms. Ryan introduces a virulently racist white couple who want to buy the family home in Florida, now that the child's mother has died. The couple (Malachy Cleary and Marisa Redanty) are a little unbelievable in the present day. There may well be white Americans out there who still strongly fear and disdain black Americans, but surely they make some effort to tone down their opinions when speaking to strangers. Given no conflict among the remaining three characters - the grown daughter, Carrie (Jennifer Van Dyck); the longtime caretaker, Mackie (Arthur French, a founding member of the Negro Ensemble); and Mackie's wife, Josephine (Elain Graham) - Charles Weldon has directed them to exude loving warmth as they exchange sentimental and affectionate comments about the present and the past, and to laugh almost constantly about one of the other's adorable comments. They end up appearing to be amused by one another considerably more than the audience is. The action is set on Election Day 2008, and there is much talk about voting and not voting for Barack Obama. The performances in "The Picture Box" are warm and more than competent, but the actors are working with very thin if well-meaning material.