The Children's Hour

Rating:
Summary: "The Children's Hour"¿Ahead of its time
Review: (this review refers to the movie made from the play)

The 1960s wasn't a time one would equate with progressive lesbian movies. Yet the 1961 release of "The Children's Hour" brought subject matter previously considered verboten to the forefront. Starring Audrey Hepburn, Shirley Maclaine and James Garner, this ground-breaking film, based on the screenplay by Lillian Hellman, confronts the rumors and accusations of lesbianism between schoolmarms Karen Wright (Hepburn), and Martha Dobie (Maclaine), the effects it has on their school, their relationships, and their lives.

A whispered lie by a troublemaking and spoiled student leads to the turmoil that weaves its way throughout the community. Accusations and denials, students pulled from the school, gawking passersby, and an eventual lawsuit-machinations based on a child's lone statement-play into the storyline. Wright's fiancée, Dr. Joe (Garner), stands ever faithful at her side, and Dobie's as well, ridiculing the accusations, eventually losing his job due to his association with the two scorned women. It is only at Wright's insistence that things could never be the same between them, does Dr. Joe finally leave.

The intense interaction between all key players, especially Wright and Dobie, is what makes this movie so outstanding. When confronted with the rumors, neither woman expresses disgust at the thought, simply disappointment with the accuser. Wright and Dobie stand above the fray, becoming support for one another as their lives crumble around them.

Although a little overdramatic, "The Children's Hour" is definitely a movie ahead of its time. A dramatic entreaty at the movie's close, brilliantly done by Maclaine, reflects thoughts and feelings many lesbians have felt at one time or another, and the unexpected, heartbreaking ending will have you in tears. A must-see movie!

-OutLook Press

Rating:
Summary: you won't walk away unchanged
Review: i attend a high school for performing arts where i am a theatre arts major and the confession scene from act III was assigned to myself and a partner to perform for the acting class to be directed and coached by the teacher. all that i can say is that the work that i've done digging into this play and my character (Karen) has been more fufilling than i would've ever imagined. if you are considering reading, studying, or acting this play be warned that it is not for the faint of heart, however, also know i have found it to be some of the most cathartic work i have ever done, in the performing sense. this is a timeless play that will move you if you take the time to appreciate all that it is.

Rating:
Summary: Delightfully infuriating.
Review: I recently saw a production of this at a local high school. It is one of the most dramatic, engaging, and infuriating plays I have ever seen. If you cant stand to watch supreme injustice, this play is not for you. The accuser of Wright and Dobie has to be the one of the most despichable characters ever devised. all of the characters, from Wright and Dobie down to the Delivery Boy, are engaging and realistic. this is a play that shows perfectly the serious harm that can be caused by "little white lies", and how prejudice effects everyone, even if they arent a member of the victim group. An enlightening, depressing, beautiful play.

Rating:
Summary: Delightfully infuriating.
Review: I recently saw a production of this at a local high school. It is one of the most dramatic, engaging, and infuriating plays I have ever seen. If you cant stand to watch supreme injustice, this play is not for you. The accuser of Wright and Dobie has to be the one of the most despichable characters ever devised. all of the characters, from Wright and Dobie down to the Delivery Boy, are engaging and realistic. this is a play that shows perfectly the serious harm that can be caused by "little white lies", and how prejudice effects everyone, even if they arent a member of the victim group. An enlightening, depressing, beautiful play.

Rating:
Summary: The Children's Hour, a Great Play, is not for Cowards
Review: Lillian Hellman's 1930's play of two boarding school teachers accused of being lesbians is not for the faint of heart or closed of mind. The play is very difficult to act, demanding of the two female leads absolute concentration, wide emotional range, and utter professionalism. It is also difficult to direct, as the script is very centered on dialogue with most of the central events occuring in the Greek style, outside of the scene. However, a skilled and dedicated cast and director can certainly create a beautiful and terrible prodution capable of seizing everyone in the house with the sheer force of its words. It is certainly just as fresh now, and perhaps even more so, than it was when it was written, sixty years ago. If you're looking to be challenged by a play, you could do little better than The Children's Hour.

Rating:
Summary: "Thou Shalt Not Bear False Witness Against Thy Neighbor"
Review: Lillian Hellman's magnificent, heart-wrenching, ground breaking and beautiful 1934 play takes the aforementioned commandment and creates a stunning cautionary tale that is not for the weak of heart. The perniciousness of lying and the often tragic consequences therein form the spine of this, Hellman's first major success on the Broadway stage.

Concerning a scandal at a private girl's school, Hellman bravely dramatizes the scars and cycles of abuse which result not only from lying but also from ignorance and cowardice. As I prepare this script for production in the fall of 2004, I find its themes timeless and as hard hitting as any contemporary work.

In Mary Tilford, Hellman has created one of the American Theatre's great villians. She serves as the literary model for "Rhoda" in THE BAD SEED as well as "Abigail" in THE CRUCIBLE. She is the embodiment of souless evil, intent on destroying all around her in order to advance her own status. She is the type of character that can truly, to quote RICHARD III, "Smile and murder whilst I smile". As my cast staged a rough read through, the hisses and rage she inspires is frightening.

Poetic without being obscure or pretentious, the dialouge is crisp and direct. Hellman's characters are three-dimensional and her pacing and story-telling is impeccable. I hope our production will do this great play justice.

As for any potential readers of this play: don't hestitate. Add this to you theatre library immediately.

Rating:
Summary: What can i say?
Review: this is the best play i have had the chance to act out! i agree that it is not for those who hate people different from them! but it is a perfect synopisis of how people viewed that type of life in that time period. i am martha in the play and i think that everyone should see or read the play. i think is is great!!