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Review: The Children’s Hour

March 11, 2008


Venue: The Royal Exchange
Date Reviewed: 11th March 2008

star

Lillian Hellman’s The Children’s Hour was a huge success on Broadway in 1934. Despite being slightly creaky in tone, Sarah Frankcom’s production does justice to the author’s exploration of the darker side of human nature.

Karen Wright (Maxine Peake) and Martha Dobie (Charlotte Emmerson) have worked solidly, running an all girls boarding school. Wright is on the verge of getting married, whilst Dobie stands on the side-lines, waiting.

All is going well until a trouble-some student Mary Tilford (Kate O’Flynn) tells the most wicked lie. The gossip escalates and soon the women find their careers and reputations in tatters. Once the deed has been done and the seeds have been sewn, Frankcom’s excellent revival slowly grips and does not let go.

The play is more about how quickly a lie can escalate, if people blindly accept it as a fact, rather than the subject of the false truth itself. So, although the accusation that Karen and Martha are lovers would receive an indifferent response today, it is viewed as an illness in 1930’s America, which will spread to the young charges. This claustrophobic atmosphere is perfectly captured throughout by Frankcom and her brilliant team.

Liz Ashcroft’s stunning, yet simple set-design places the girls all around the theatre space, like spectators in a circus, watching in awe, as lives and dreams are shattered. Jamie Norton’s evocative music has the feel of a Philip Glass soundtrack, as it is incredibly filmic and powerful.

The leads deliver intense turns; Emmerson’s is understated yet full of depth, whereas Peake imbues Karen with a strong sense of injustice. These are wronged women and O’Flynn chews the scenery as the minx with the torrid tale, intent on destruction. Jan Ravens is also delightful as the actress/teacher who sits on the fence until judgement day.

The costumes are perfectly preppy, masking the nasty streak within the school, instilled by terrible Tilford. The play is also well served by an excellent supporting cast, playing a group of young girls controlled by the bully’s demands.

The only flaw within this excellent piece is that it does feel a tad under-rehearsed, with some of the cast fluffling their lines on the night I attended. But, the slow-burning nature of Hellman’s poignant and poetic narrative ensures that you are in for a classy night at the theatre.

-Glenn Meads

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