By Kimberly Harper
When Lillian Hellman wrote “The Children’s Hour,” a 1930s period piece about two women running an elite boarding school who find themselves in the middle of unfounded accusations of a lesbian affair, the work was scandalous for its time. Based on a true story, the play was also made into two films – one of which managed to omit the gay story line entirely. But, Hellman said, her work was never really about homosexuality. It’s a lot more about the power of the lie. And with that in mind, the Gamm has managed to make this into a stirringly relevant piece of theater.
The story centers around Mary, a girl who’s part spoiled brat, part sociopath. A troublemaker by nature, most of the school is scared of her, and her teachers are fed up. When her wealthy grandmother doesn’t seem moved by her pleas to leave the school and come back home, Mary embroiders upon her tale of persecution until she’s managed to get her way. This culminates in her whispering lurid tales of a lesbian relationship between two teachers, Karen and Martha. As her grandmother begins to spread the word, the teachers find all they’ve worked for slipping away. And even Karen’s fiancé, Joe, finds himself doubting what he knew to be true.
Maybe being gay isn’t a scandal in most of New England anymore, but in a year that’s been plagued by fake news and minor issues blown out of proportion, the story of these two friends seems all too relatable. And under the direction of Rachel Walshe, the play moves along at a good pace, interrupted by modern music to connect past to present and bold lighting changes that reflect the friends’ lives beginning to unravel.
Madeleine Lambert and Gamm resident actress Karen Carpenter play the teachers Karen and Martha, respectively. Lambert plays Karen as a quiet force, firm with the students but guarded. Her chemistry with Carpenter is fantastic, but she never really seems to click with Benjamin who plays her fiancé Joe, but Joe is perhaps one of the most unrelatable characters in the play. Everyone seems to look to him for answers, but he’s never actually able to do much of anything. In the last moments of Act 2, Lambert shows that hers is a force to be reckoned with, finally standing up to the over the top and obnoxious Lily, Martha’s aunt and former elocution teacher. Casey Seymour Kim wrings every ounce of melodrama out of Lilly’s lines, in any other role it would be too much, but it suits the character. And though we don’t see her after Act 1, Grace Vivieros previously seen in Gamm’s “Arcadia”, is the perfect Mary. She wears a constant look of disdain, only smiling when she’s sure she’s gotten her way, and her quiet, calculating approach to terrorizing the school is truly frightening. Vivieros has quite a lot of potential, and it was nice to see her in an entirely different type of role.
It’s not the strongest thing Gamm has put on this season, but “The Children’s Hour” is absolutely worth seeing, and packs a powerful punch with a relevant message.
“The Children’s Hour” runs through Feb. 12 at the Sandra Feinstein Gamm Theatre, 172 Exchange St., Pawtucket. Tickets start at $44 and may be obtained by visiting www.gammtheatre.org or by calling 401-723-4266.
