The Children's Hour

In "Julius Caesar," Shakespeare calls attention to "the evil that men do," however he neglected to mention the capability and culpability of cruelty by women.

Gamm Theatre's piercing, polished production of Lillian Hellman's classic, "The Children's Hour," introduces two well-intentioned women whose lives are destroyed, both personally and professionally, by the false account of a vengeful, adolescent young girl.

Under the pristine direction of Rachel Walshe, "The Children's Hour" takes place at an all-girls boarding school run by longtime friends, Karen Wright (Madeleine Lambert) and Martha Dobie (Karen Carpenter). Mary Tilford (Grace Viveiros), the class bully and spoiled brat, is the granddaughter of Amelia Tilford (Wendy Overly), an instrumental figure in helping to bring the school to fruition.

Mary is also a cousin to Amelia's nephew, Joe Cardin (Benjamin Grills), a doctor who happens to be engaged to Karen. Joe is called upon after a vexed Mary has a fake fainting spell, only to recover quickly and run off to Amelia's home nearby. Rather than return to school, Mary tells her grandmother that she's afraid of Karen and Martha and shares details (via a whisper in her grandmother's ear) indicating that the headmistresses are lovers.

While there is no truth to Mary's accusations, which are based on embellished bits of an overheard conversation between Martha and her eccentric Aunt Lily (Casey Seymour Kim), their lives are effectively ruined in the court of public opinion. Furthermore, the mere mention of the possibility of such a relationship between two females causes Martha, who was seemingly jealous of Joe, to question whether her feelings for Karen go beyond friendship.

"The Children's Hour" premiered on Broadway in 1934 and was extremely successful yet understandably controversial. Because it had the audacity to explore "the love that dare not speak its name," the play was banned in several major cities and unfairly categorized as ineligible for a Pulitzer.

Although the themes of repressed sexuality and the community's condemnation of homosexuality (and especially the play's ending) may seem dated now, it is important to remember the era during which this work was written and acknowledge Hellman's strength and significance as both a writer and commentator. More importantly, the irreparable effects of rumor and false testimony are still very much relevant today, more than eighty years later.

Subject matter aside, Hellman's words are exquisite, and the performances are, in turn, exemplary. Carpenter and Lambert are equally radiant as victims Martha and Karen. Carpenter is particularly compelling during her final scene when Martha risks alienating the only person she has left, and Lambert's exchange when Karen confronts Joe is as powerful as it is painful.

Making his Gamm debut, Grills' performance is a winning combination of tenacity and tenderness as Karen's fiercely loyal yet inarguably conflicted fianc�, and the always awesome Gamm vets Overly and Seymour Kim shine once again as Amelia and Lily.

I didn't think it was possible Viveiros could match her masterful performance from "Arcadia" earlier this season, but her ferocious portrayal of Mary is just as impressive and impressionable. And let me not forget to mention Kate Fitzgerald, superb as Rosalie, Mary's classmate who also falls victim to her wrath.

Gamm's stylishly directed, dutifully acted production of "The Children's Hour" does impeccable justice to this haunting classic.

"The Children's Hour" runs thru February 12 at Gamm Theatre, 172 Exchange Street in Pawtucket. For information and tickets, call 401-723-4266 or visit www.gammtheatre.org