American playwright Lillian Hellman has a much higher profile than you’d expect for someone who only produced eight original plays and three adaptations. This is partly because of her other work – screenplays, memoirs, a novel and the original book for Bernstein’s Candide – but also because of her politics; she appeared before the Committee on Un-American Activities and was subsequently blacklisted by Hollywood.
I can only recall revivals of two of her other plays in my 40 years of theatre-going in London – Little Foxes in 2001, also at the Donmar, directed by Marianne Elliott with acting royalty Penelope Wilton, and The Children’s Hour ten years later in the West End, directed by Ian Rickson, with Keira Knightly and Elizabeth Moss.
The play is set in 1941 in the home of a wealthy family near Washington DC, widow Fanny Farrelly and her single son David, a lawyer. The US has yet to enter the 2nd World War. Fanny’s daughter Sara has been in Germany for 20 years, married to Bavarian Kurt, with three children. Kurt has been active as an anti-fascist in both Germany and Spain. As war approaches, the family make their way to Sara’s homeland, which her children have never visited, to see the grandmother they’ve never met.
Fanny has long-term guests, down at heel Romanian Count Brancovis and his American wife Marthe, whose marriage is on the rocks and who seems to be carrying a torch for David. Despite being European, Brancovis’ politics and sympathies seem very much at odds with Kurt’s and they clash, before the Count sees a way of making money quickly from the situation, through blackmail.
It’s an interesting piece, though it feels its age and creaks more than a little. The first part contains a lot of background and scene setting, but it does evolve into more of a thriller after the interval. Ellen McDougall’s production serves the play well. It’s framed by a giant period TV set (designer Basia Binkowska) and starts and ends with brief projections, as if we’re watching an old black & white TV programme.
I was looking forward to seeing Patricia Hodge on stage again, but her understudy Jane Lambert provided excellent word perfect cover. It was good to see favourite Kate Duchene again though, as Fanny’s French housekeeper. Both Mark Waschke and Caitlin Fitzgerald give passionate performances as Kurt and Sara, and the three children are outstanding.
It isn’t a great play, but its a welcome revival given an excellent production.
Gareth's Culture and Travel Blog 