By Richard Schultz, February 2016 Issue.
Lillian Hellman’s shattering drama, The Children’s Hour, was shocking for its time when it premiered on Broadway in 1934.
From Feb. 19 to 28, Desert Foothills Theater is revisiting this play, which is worthy of attention by local audiences for its significance in LGBTQ history.
Set in 19th century Scotland, The Children’s Hour is based on an actual incident that in which a pupil accused her schoolteachers of lesbianism. The word itself is never spoken in the production, but the mere hint of the innuendo that there is something “unnatural” going on between two female characters was enough to damn them in the eyes of their community.
Mary, the student who levels the charge against her teachers, Karen Wright and Martha Dobie, has been spoiled by her grandmother and has learned early how to manipulate adults. Her doting grandmother is shocked by Mary’s allegations and takes it upon herself to withdraw Mary from the school and to advise other parents to do the same.
According to Janis Webb, the show’s director, playwright Hellman stated in her memoirs that, “The Children’s Hour is not really a play about lesbianism, but about a lie. And the bigger the lie, the better.”
Hellman works her audience’s emotions into a fine sense of outrage at how a big lie is capable of gripping a society’s imagination – exposing the way mass psychology can be manipulated to serve falsehood.
Webb also notes that this lie turns out to be one woman’s truth, which brings about the most tragic of endings.
“The Children’s Hour is commonly accepted as the original ‘gay play’ and was banned in Chicago when it opened in the 1930s,” Webb said. “Fast forward to today: People may say the play is about homophobia and on one level it is. Yet, along with homophobia and prejudice, the play is about how lies, rumors and gossip can destroy lives. Looking at the power of social media and the issue of cyber bullying today, how much damage can still be done by a rumor with immediate and often tragic consequences? LGBTQ suicides are consistently being traced back to cyber bullies spreading lies, gossip and hate.”
“The actresses I chose are both amazingly talented women who I have seen on stage and film and been very impressed with their work,” she said. “I was looking for women who were comfortable making a connection on stage that was honest and real. I also wanted to cast very lovely, physically attractive women which is the complete opposite of what Hellman did when it was reopened on Broadway in the 1950s.”
The cast features leads Jennifer Rio as Karen Wright and Kellie Dunlap as Martha Dobie, two lifelong friends who run the all-girls boarding school.
“This show is brilliantly written, but I’ve never seen it done in the Valley,” Rio said. “It’s challenging, rich, dark and dramatic, giving the cast meaty details to work with. This is a dream role for me!”
Dunlap agreed, and adding that the chemistry between the characters appealed to her.
“It’s always exciting to read plays that feature multidimensional female protagonists,” Dunlap said. “Martha’s strength, passion, humor and candor were all very attractive to me. Despite the obstacles she faces in the play, she doesn’t come across as a victim, and the love she has for Karen is sincere, palpable and uncompromising.”
In casting the play, Webb said she made very deliberate choices to avoid stereotypes.
“It was important to me that they make the impression to the audience of being intelligent, capable, strong women and not ‘broken’ or weak, or portray any simplistic or degrading visuals of how a lesbian ‘should’ appear,” Webb said.
Ultimately, the message of the show is to overcome hate and prejudice.
“This show presents an honest portrayal of two women caught in a web of lies and how it changes and even destroys their lives,” Webb said. “It is a warning to us [to] not to go back, not to listen to hate and prejudice and not to accept it in any form.”
