Review: Powerful THE CHILDREN'S HOUR at The Gamm

Lillian Hellman's THE CHILDREN'S HOUR is a classic play, which premiered in 1934 and is just as timely and relevant today. The Gamm's production is a near-flawless retelling of this disturbing story about how much words matter and how the power of a lie can have repercussions far greater than expected. The intricate and methodical script comes to life under the talents of Madeleine Lambert and Gamm resident actor Karen Carpenter and as two women who run an all-girls boarding school and find themselves with a pupil who seeks to destroy anything that gets in the way of her agenda.

Set in a New England boarding school, The Children's Hour is the story of Karen Wright (Lambert) and Martha Dobie (Carpenter), two lifelong friends who have saved for years and finally opened their own school for girls. Life is relatively staid--they both love teaching, but have difficulty with Martha's flakey aunt Lily who is serving as their drama teacher, and with one of their students Mary Tilford. Mary at first seems like a troubled and spoiled girl who just wants attention and to get away with bad behavior, but she ultimately sets into motion a series of events that have tragic results for the two teachers.

This is one of the best written plays out there, and it's brought to life by the cast and production team. Like a good mystery, it builds and twists in ways that are wholly believable and maddening. Even though the premise is fairly simple--a teenage girl tells a lie, Hellman manages to ratchet up the tension to the near breaking point without ever getting clumsy. Every character is a perfect link in the chain of events, and every bit of dialogue serves the plot, even if the audience doesn't realize it in the moment.

The always excellent Karen Carpenter is perfectly cast as Martha. She comes off as the most well-rounded character in the production as some of the supporting characters can be a bit cliche. Carpenter is compelling and relatable--someone that you would want to have as your best friend. She and Lambert have an excellent rapport and seem like they have known each other forever.

Lambert comes off as a bit guarded. While there is nothing wrong with her performance, she seems one remove away, and less easy to connect with. Even with her fiance Joe, played by Benjamin Grills there's an aloofness, which adds an interesting element to the events as they unfold. Grills is every inch the protector as he looms in height over most of his co-stars and bellows his opinions. Also, as the only male role in the production, aside from a grocery boy, his maleness can be jolting and almost other, which is unexpected.

Grace Vivieros, previously seen in this fall's Arcadia, is every inch the spoiled monster as Mary Tilford. She's smart and reckless and doesn't have any qualms about blackmailing her classmates, lying to her teachers and ultimately setting into motion a series of events her teachers will never recover from. Vivieros manages to pull off this most evil performance while still seeming like a kid. She's not a devil incarnate, she's just an ignorant brat who lies enough that she's almost surprised when people believe her. Considering all the havoc she wreaks, it's amazing to come away from this play not completely despising her.

Rachel Dulude as Agatha deserves a special mention as she steals every scene she's in. With her perfect Irish accent and ability to see directly through Mary's lies and machinations, she injects the perfect amount of levity.

Overall, this is just an exceptionally well done production. Director Rachel Walshe has perfectly paced everything so that despite being a dialogue heavy play, there is no drag in the action. The sets also create the world of both a boarding school and a stately home with minimal amount fuss. The use of chalkboards as walls no doubt will take many viewers back to their school days, and the use of Fiona Apple songs during scene changes pairs incredibly well with both the plot of the play and lyrically with the intentions of Mary Tilford. Despite this play being nearly 100 years old, it feels as timely and fresh as if it was written last year. While it feels odd to rave about a tragedy, seeing this production is an opportunity one should not pass up.

The Children's Hour runs January 12-February 12 at The Sandra Feinstein-Gamm Theatre, 172 Exchange St., Pawtucket, RI

L to R Karen Carpenter and Madeleine Lambert. Photo by Peter Goldberg