hpuphd's review against another edition
5.0
Revived on Broadway in 2017, this 1939 play starts slowly but becomes enormously powerful in Acts Two and Three as the scheming and evil of the Hubbard family leads to some memorable confrontations. I listened to the L.A. Theatreworks performance on audio (good but maybe not one of their best) while I followed with the text. Exposing the lifelong contempt some family members hold for others, the cruelty it can lead to, and the suggestion that the Hubbards are no different from anyone else is horrible and fascinating. It is haunting to hear Birdie’s Act Three speech to her niece imploring her not even to love her because twenty years later she’ll be like her (“In twenty-two years I’ve never had a whole day of happiness”).
insanebookperson's review
dark
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Physical abuse, Alcoholism, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Racism, Slavery, and Terminal illness
blazenaat's review
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
voodoomary's review
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
heatherdanskin's review
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
jezziebelle's review
3.0
For context, I read this play as part of a collection of various Lillian Hellman plays. 'The Children's Hour' is the reason I picked it up, but this is the play that has made me happy I did. Once again, I curse Goodreads due to lack of half-stars; this is a 3.5 star play. It exceeded my expectations, especially since it came after 'Days to Come', a completely lackluster piece. After I'd finished 'Foxes', I caught myself wishing it was longer because I really would have loved to find out how Alexandra, Birdie, and Leo turned out. Being stuck in a family like the Hubbard family must surely be hell to escape from. Even poor Leo, who grew so desperate to gain his family's approval so much so that he'd steal from his own boss and uncle deserved something better in my opinion. What struck me about this the most is this is how I expected an Oscar Wilde piece to play out. Yes his work is all very witty, but every play I've read of his is based around the exact same joke, over and over, while 'Foxes' manages to be both witty and poignant. With Wilde, the wit was more or less used for comedic purposes only. It was witty for the sake of being witty so every snarky, sarcastic, clever word fell flat for me because there was no substance to it in regards to the plot of the play. In fact, half the time I found Wilde would have characters go on and on without them really saying anything at all. In 'Foxes', wit served a purpose and drove the plot forward while also being entertaining, so this play delivered for me what I had hoped other, more notable, playwrights could not. I'd never even heard of Lillian Hellman until I read the synopsis for 'The Children's Hour' randomly on Goodreads. I could only get ahold of that play by borrowing a book of collected plays from my library. Now I'm happy I kept reading after I'd finished the play I picked it up for. This isn't the best play I've ever read, but it's the best play I've ever read that I've picked randomly. I could see the ending coming, but the characters were so well written I didn't care that I saw the 'twist' coming a mile away. Hellman writes her characters superbly, even if the story she places them in can't hold up. I hope the collection doesn't go downhill from here, because I'm finally starting to enjoy this!
tefiiestigarribia's review
3.0
"I´m not going to stand around and watch you do it. Tell him I´ll be fighting as hard as he´ll be fighting some place where people dont just stand around and watch."
lukas_sotola's review
4.0
This was excellent! It seems to me almost like an anti-comedy. Very powerful.
jessferg's review
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?