BWW Reviews: THE PRIME OF MISS JEAN BRODIE Offers Cautionary Tale About the Power of Educators

THE PRIME OF MISS JEAN BRODIE is a 1961 novel by Muriel Spark and a 1966 stage play, based on the novel, by Jay Presson Allen that was turned into a film in 1968. Miss Brodie, a teacher at the Marcia Blaine School for Girls in Edinburgh, states her motto: 'I am in the business of putting old heads on young shoulders, and all my pupils are the creme de la creme. Give me a girl at an impressionable age, and she is mine for life.' Jean Brodie stands as one of theater's most charismatic warpers of young minds; a self-deluded Scottish schoolteacher and a passionate advocate of questionable causes (like Fascism) deemed by most to be subjects unsuitable for children in the 1930's. The story is part of a long line of books and movies about forward-thinking and eccentric teachers who have a great deal of influence on their students. Set against the backdrop of fascism and the Spanish Civil War, the story is told through a series of flashbacks.

The title character is sadly deluded and misguided. Although she is a larger than life character, she is not a character one should look up to and admire. (As much as she would like to think she was, she's no "Auntie Mame.") In this case, you root for the establishment to remove her from the tutelage of young impressionable minds. Miss Brodie is so intensely interesting and charismatic that the girls admire her above all else. But the character is not honest. She tells the girls to do as she tells them, not as she does herself. She has had more than one affair with fellow teachers, which is not the most exemplary of conduct. One girl, Sandy, eventually grows too wise and turns on Miss Brodie.

The story is told as a flashback as the result of the line of questioning by a reporter, Mr. Perry (Larry Oliver) with Sister Helena, a nun who admits she has no sense of humor, played to perfection by Katherine Schroeder. Unfortunately, most of their scenes together were blocked far down stage and face to face on the same plane. Most of their scenes, my view was of Mr. Oliver's back.

Rose Kentspeth, as Jean Brodie, does a good job with such a basically unlikeable character, although I would have liked to have seen her be a bit more grandiose... a bit more, well, crazy.

Ms. Brodie's pupils, the "creme de la creme," (Emily Villarreal, Sara Snyder and Frances Bello) are all excellent. Taylor Flanagan, as the precocious Sandy, who will eventually become Miss Brodie's "assassin", turns in a lovely, nuanced performance that shows Sandy's growth.

The other adults are uniformly good, including the always delightful Karen Jambon as the straitlaced head of the school, and Steven Fay and Beau Paul as the men in Miss Brodie's life. I did have some problems understanding Mr. Fay. His accent was solid, but it made the character unintelligible at times.

Beau Paul, in particular, is excellent as Teddy Lloyd, the dashing, seedy, second-rate art instructor who makes clear that while he is no match for Miss Brodie when it comes to self-mythologizing, he is absolutely her superior in self-awareness. The contrast captures the tragedy of both characters.

THE PRIME OF MISS JEAN BRODIE is a solidly entertaining evening of theatre that may remind you of the educators who stand out in your memory... and make you give them a second going over.

THE PRIME OF MISS JEAN BRODIE by Jay Presson Allen.

Running time: Approximately Two and a half hours, with two intermissions.

THE PRIME OF MISS JEAN BRODIE, produced by Different Stages, at the Vortex, (3823 Manor Rd, AUSTIN, TEXAS 78722) November 21, 2014 - December 13, 2014. Performances are Thursdays through Saturdays at 8pm. and Sundays at 7pm. There is an added performance Wednesday, December 10. Tickets are Pick your Price: $15, $20, $25, and $30. Reservations: http://www.main.org/diffstages/tickets.html

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