| re: Lillian Hellman's the children's hour | |
| Posted by: JereNYC (JereNYC@aol.com) 04:04 pm EST 02/10/25 | |
| In reply to: re: Lillian Hellman's the children's hour - champagnesalesman 02:14 pm EST 02/10/25 | |
|
|
|
| I did an online reading of THE CHILDREN'S HOUR during the pandemic. I think the reason it's not done much, if at all anymore, is that it's a pretty creaky melodrama that doesn't really hold up all that well. It was an interesting artifact of a play dealing with LGBT issues in a particular time, but mounting it now, it would be more like a museum piece than a play. I couldn't imagine the theatre that sponsored the reading I did actually producing it, and, in fact, it hasn't. The film adaptation with Audrey Hepburn and Shirley MacLaine endures because of their performances at the center. They make this material something other than it is on the page. Aside from those issues, I couldn't figure out the logistics of the premise. These two women start a boarding school together and they are the only two full time staff members? So they two themselves are teaching, being housemothers/chaperones to the students, shopping for and preparing all meals and cleaning the place and taking care of the grounds. I know these are smart capable women, but there's only so many hours in a day. But, then again, if there's a full staff, then Hellman's premise kind of falls apart and the stakes are not as high for the characters. It just seemed like one of those plays that requires the audience really not think too hard about any of it. This would be a terrific play for a contemporary playwright to respond to with a new piece. For example...what might happen now in 2025 in a conservation community if a child started a rumor about two teachers in a boarding school? Would it be all that different? Especially now in the second Trump era. |
|
| reply | |
|
|
|
| Previous: | re: Lillian Hellman's the children's hour - champagnesalesman 02:14 pm EST 02/10/25 |
| Next: | re: Lillian Hellman's the children's hour - Chromolume 11:17 pm EST 02/10/25 |
| Thread: |
|
Time to render: 0.013064 seconds.