One of the things that I was the most excited about moving to London is the absolutely buzzing West End theatre scene, which is even more accessible than Broadway in New York. In NYC, the shows that get the most attention are the over the top musicals like Promises, Promises, In the Heights and Million Dollar Quartet. London has splashy musicals in big theatres too, however, it seems (and this may be my own perception) that many more large name dramatic stars perform in dramas here in London.
One of the first ones that I noticed that was advertised all over London, in the tube stations, at the airport and just about town was The Children’s Hour by Lillian Hellman. For those of you that do not know much about the play, it was a pretty controversial drama about two teachers who owned a New England bo who were accused of being lovers by an emotionally unsettled girl and the impact from the gossip and classism that came from the lie. It still amazes me that Lillian Hellman was 29 years old when this was published as the writing and vitriol is so sophisticated, though she was mentored by her on and off lover, Dashiell Hammett.
The play is currently at the Comedy Theatre here in London with a star studded cast: Kiera Knightley, Elisabeth Moss, Ellen Burstyn and Carol Kane. If that was not enough, I stopped by the theatre to see if I could get same day tickets for 15GBP. They had a second row balcony seat, with an unobstructed view in a theatre that seats maybe 400.
The performances were absolutely sublime. Though I would watch Elisabeth Moss and Ellen Burstyn read the phonebook, the dialogue that Hellman wrote is absolutely riveting. Ellen Burstyn gives me goosebumps in every role she plays; and, seeing her live puts her Academy Award and five other nominations into complete perspective. She is absolutely compelling in this play, in an unapologetically grim role. She commands the attention and brings the classism subplot to the fore through her portrayal of a wealthy New England matriarch.
Elisabeth Moss was type cast a bit as Martha, though her nuanced performance of a woman completely unaware of the feelings that she carried nails the impact of the series of events that wrecked three lives. When she delivers the line about the lie being the only one with a “little ounce of truth”, you realize the pure depths of the psychological trauma that the events caused. While her character has a complete enlightenment by the end of the play, she cannot cope. And Ms. Moss shows the vulnerability and inevitability of her actions and reactions, even down to the last minutes of the play.
The overwhelming surprise to me was Kiera Knightley. Though I loved her in Bend it Like Beckham and Atonement, I never really saw the depth of her talent until this performance. She completely channelled Katherine Hepburn in this role, as she is about the same size and her Connecticut accent was impeccable. She reminded me of KH’s performance in Stage Door, critically acclaimed, but not very popular. Her character loses everything in this play, and Ms. Knightley nails the death of her spirit and the tragedy of the ending brilliantly.
I’m absolutely thrilled that on a random Thursday that I could spend the evening doing this as opposed to watching Tool Academy UK.
Grade – A
American Expat in London 