Scan barcode
A review by jessferg
The Little Foxes by Lillian Hellman
3.0
While this is a great play, it's hard to see how this created such a fuss given our current tell-all/reality-tv society. I would love to see a modern-day casting (and then she does a quick search to see that not only has there a been an award-winning Broadway production but that it closed TODAY - c'est la vie, right folks?*) to see how some of the finer points are treated.
The story involves back-stabbing family members who dig themselves in too deep and ignore matters of life and death, while women struggle to elevate their standing. There is minor commentary on the lives of the two black servant characters (and the "n" word flies around a shocking number of times - did they do that in the modern production?) but Hellman's focus is really the issue of the role of white wives in the early 20th century.
Her two main female characters are polar opposites; a nervous, shrinking violet, and a power-hungry schemer. While both are obvious stereotypes Hellman manages to give them enough personality that they don't feel that way in the course of their dialogue. The same is true of the male characters who maintain enough personality differences to not only keep them clearly separate as you read along but to also force a sense of allegiance or hatred.
Probably the most accessible of Hellman's work so I have to recommend it to anyone wanting to read something in her oeuvre.
*in the Manhattan Theatre Club's production, the two wives' roles are swapped even during the same show by the actresses playing them. Gimmick to keep an out-of-date play interesting and showcase talent, or something more?
The story involves back-stabbing family members who dig themselves in too deep and ignore matters of life and death, while women struggle to elevate their standing. There is minor commentary on the lives of the two black servant characters (and the "n" word flies around a shocking number of times - did they do that in the modern production?) but Hellman's focus is really the issue of the role of white wives in the early 20th century.
Her two main female characters are polar opposites; a nervous, shrinking violet, and a power-hungry schemer. While both are obvious stereotypes Hellman manages to give them enough personality that they don't feel that way in the course of their dialogue. The same is true of the male characters who maintain enough personality differences to not only keep them clearly separate as you read along but to also force a sense of allegiance or hatred.
Probably the most accessible of Hellman's work so I have to recommend it to anyone wanting to read something in her oeuvre.
*in the Manhattan Theatre Club's production, the two wives' roles are swapped even during the same show by the actresses playing them. Gimmick to keep an out-of-date play interesting and showcase talent, or something more?