Lillian Hellman’s The Children’s Hour is a timely reminder of the ingrained homophobia and fear that still lurks within society and just how quickly the masses can turn on the innocent when they are faced with a series of “unspeakable acts”
Karen and Martha have worked tirelessly to see their dreams of a boarding school come to fruition – sacrificing their own personal lives for the good of their students education. They are firm but fair teachers, committed to nurturing the next generation of young women.
However when a young girl disagrees with her punishment, a series of events disturbs the fragile balance of the two friends lives and sees them both confront long held secret feelings and desires.
Hellman’s work was deemed controversial for a great many years but was also seen as a great success, albeit one that saw her banned from many theatrical circles. The execution of the themes may seem tame by todays standards but very quickly, the core message is shown for the ways in which the truth is bent to attack the vulnerable and allow the stairs quo to continue to bully and exert their power.
Kim Hardwick’s direction however, reduces the uncomfortable aspects of the work and waters down the subtle and clever dramaturgical through lines that Hellman has placed within the story. Hardwick sadly directs by the numbers, with each character following a regimented routine of move, say the line, move again, and say the next line, without allowing nuances or naturalism so excite the characters and story.
Sarah Ballantyne, Jess Bell, Amy Bloink, Mike Booth, Annie Byron, Kim Clifton, Romney Hamilton, Martelle Hammer, Miranda Huttley, Deborah Jones, Lara Kocsis, Madeline Kunstler, and Kira McLennan all deliver fine performances, but again, they are performances that seem to lack a depth and warmth to make anything that the day and do on stage believable.
This is a talented ensemble, that much is true, with a passion to tell the story and commitment of character, it is just that the surface level performances create nothing for audiences to connect with nor a rich or fleshed out built world for them to play in.
The production’s design elements are detailed and wonderfully sumptuous. Emelia Simcox’s set design, Jimi Rawlings’ lighting and Hannah Yardley’s costumes do the heavy lifting to give the work a time, place and add small surprises to keep the audiences engaged.
This is a fine production of a work that is crying out for recognition and it is admirable that the creatives brought the story to the stage, it is however a missed opportunity to truly direct the playwright’s intent and delivery a work that pulses with a fury that is all too relevant today.
The Children’s Hour
The Old Fitz Theatre, 129 Dowling Street, Woolloomooloo (Sydney)
Performance: Tuesday 25 February 2025
Season continues to 1 March 2025
Information and Bookings: www.oldfitztheatre.com.au
Image: The Children’s Hour – photo by Phil Erbacher
Review: Gavin Roach