[NEohioPAL]Berko review: THE CHILDREN'S HOUR (Beck)

[Roy Berko]

‘THE CHILDREN’S HOUR’ RECEIVES FINE PRODUCTION AT BECK

Roy Berko
(Member, American Theatre Critics Association)

--THE TIMES NEWSPAPERS--

	
Lorain County Times--Westlaker Times--Lakewood News
Times--Olmsted-Fairview Times	


Some might claim that Lillian Helman’s ‘THE CHILDREN’S
HOUR,’ now on stage at the Beck Center, is outdated,
at least regarding its sexual identity content.  The
argument goes that this is an age of enlightenment and
such a subject as lesbianism is not that shocking. 
There is a cable series dedicated to the “L” word. 
Two women can get married in Massachusetts, most of
Canada and much of Europe.  What’s the big deal?  

Well, only the naive believe that times have really
changed.  There is still a major movement against
same-sex relationships as was witnessed just last
November when 11 states passed anti-gay marriage acts
and elected a president who is proposing a
Constitutional amendment against same-sex marriage. 
The right wing religionists are still pushing their
agenda to make the rest of the US culture follow their
beliefs.  Add to this the other major topics of the
play:  gossip, lying, blackmail, the power of the
rich, and you’ve got even a broader basis for saying
that in spite of its stilted melodramatic mold and
language, the play is present-day relevant.

The plot concerns two female friends who run a school
for girls.  Enter the sociopathic student Mary Tilford
whose purpose in life is to get what she wants, when
she wants it, and damn the costs.  Mary has a strong
weapon...her influential grandmother..who is in the
social position to control the community and the fate
of the school.  Mary makes up a lie, expands on the
truth, blackmails a fellow student to back up her
tale, and grandma spreads the rumor to the other
parents, who then remove their children from the
school.  The end result is the closing of the school,
the disintegration of one of the women’s engagements
and eventual total tragedy.  As in all good melodramas
the truth comes out at the end, but it is too late.

When ‘THE CHILDREN'S HOUR’ opened on Broadway in 1934,
it was well-received by critics.  However, it was
banned in Chicago, Boston, and London.  The Pulitzer
Prize committee refused to consider the play for its
reward due to the “shocking” subject matter.

An early movie of the play changed the relationship
into an implied ménage-a-trois between the teachers
and one of their fiances.  Though many were upset with
the forced changes in the story, Hellman, in her
autobiographical work, said  she was happy with the
film because the subject of false accusation and
gossip were the central issue of the story rather than
the nature of the gossip.

In 1952, Lillian Hellman was called before the House
Un-American Activities Committee.  She was so upset by
the McCarthy witch-hunting that the same year she
personally financed a revival of  ‘THE CHILDREN’S
HOUR.’  The themes of secrets and lies and malice and
persecution struck a high chord and led to additional
praise for the work.

1962 saw the release of a more faithful film version
of  ‘THE CHILDREN'S HOUR’  starring Audrey Hepburn and
Shirley MacLaine.  Due to the controversial subject
matter, the film was a direct challenge to the Hays
Code, and, eventually, brought about a revision of the
code to permit "tasteful treatments of homosexual
themes."

The Beck production, under the able direction of Sarah
May is good.  The adults in the cast are extremely
proficient.  Kristie Lang and Jennifer Clifford are
outstanding in their portrayal of the teachers.   They
weave their roles with the right amounts of spirit and
frustration.  Nicholas Koesters, as the fiancé,
perfectly walks the difficult tight rope between
emotional control and compassion.   Mary Jane Nottage
gives a wonderful portrayal of the air-headed, needy,
self-involved aunt.  Rhoda Rosen is marvelous as
Mary’s manipulated grandmother.

The roles of the young girls are difficult to portray.
 The character of Mary Tilford, the manipulator, is
extremely challenging.  15-year old Mary Tilford does
a very creditable job as Helen, though she sometimes
fails to add the necessary texturing to the role. 
This results in a rather one-key characterization. 
Several of the other girls lose concentration when
they are not speaking lines, but, as a whole, the
young actresses are more than acceptable.

Don McBride’s creatively designed set works well, in
spite of some shoddy workmanship.  May has included
some cleverly choreographed set changes to add to the
production qualities.  Jeff Smart’s costumes are
period and aesthetically correct.

CAPSULE JUDGEMENT:   ‘THE CHILDREN’S HOUR’ is a
historically important play.  Though somewhat dated in
language, it is a play that conveys strong messages.  
The Beck production deserves to be seen.

‘THE CHILDREN’S HOUR’ runs through February 13 at The
Beck Center for the Arts in Lakewood.  For ticket
information call 216-521-2540.


=====
Roy Berko's web page can be found at www.royberko.info.  His theatre and dance reviews appear on NeOHIOpal, an on-line source.   To subscribe to this free service via the World Wide Web, visit http://lists.fredsternfeld.com/mailman/listinfo/neohiopal.


		
__________________________________ 
Do you Yahoo!? 
Yahoo! Mail - 250MB free storage. Do more. Manage less. 
http://info.mail.yahoo.com/mail_250