The Children's Hour at Comedy Theatre

Eyebrows and righteousness

We sat down in our stall seats (purchased on the day for £15 – well worth turning up to the box office at 10am that morning)* with high expectations. The Children’s Hour is one of my favourite plays, but I wasn’t sure anyone could beat Shirley MacLaine’s performance as the turmoiled Miss Dolby from the 1961 film of the play. I was not disappointed. 

I had tried to avoid any reviews of the play as I wanted to watch it with fresh eyes and be entertained and moved, and that I was. The performances from the leads and supports were all stellar - well polished, smooth, and for me Ellen Burstyn stood out, hitting the nail right on the head with her portrayal of Amelia Tilford – devoted grandmother, powerful family figure head, embodiment of American Middle Class righteousness. 

Keira Knightley’s eyebrows deserve an Olivier all by themselves, as they arched in surprise so beautifully, even if her accent did wobble a little. 

A lot has been made of the performance of the Lynch-pin character, Mary, outshining Knightley and Moss. Easy to do when the character allows for a show stealing turn, but what was most important was the juxtaposition of a poisonous, selfish child to two hard working good women. The subtlety of the under played teachers was what impressed me.  

Two scenes really stood out. First, the start of the second Act, where the 5 leads play out the confrontation. It contained the right amount of tension, vindication and heartbreak to set up a dramatic second Act. The final scene stood out for me, and Knightley’s outpour to a now broken Amelia Tilford (victim of her own blindness and sheer stubbornness) was incredibly powerful and haunting. 

My only criticism of the production is some questionable direction. I think given the theatre and visibility, the director, Ian Rickson tried to ensure action took place across the stage, however it meant a lot of the scenes were blocked by having the actors walk from one side to the other. The scenes that worked best were those with little movement, where the actors just did their thing.

*To ensure you get tickets, arrive around 9am and expect to queue. The box office does open at 10 on the dot, and all the remaining seats for that night’s performance are sold for £15 each, which is a real bargain as top priced seats for this play go for £85. These tickets are limited to 2 per person, so if you are planning to watch the play in a group make sure enough people turn up at 10am!

Review by Katie Hall