POWERFUL PERFORMANCE BRINGS MCCARTHY ERA-POLITICS INTO THE PRESENT

BY JEROLD CHINN
Editor

Damita Batiste plays Martha (left), a school teacher in love with her best friend Karen (right). FELIPE JUNQUEIRA / GUARDSMAN

The most shocking and exciting part of the City College Theatre Arts Department’s performance of “The Children’s Hour” happened in the last act.

Martha Dobie, played by Damita Batise, professes her love to her best friend Karen Wright — a marvelous Meaghan M. Mitchell — against the backdrop of the conservative 1930s, an era of stricter social mores that looked down upon homosexuality.

The play, written by Lillian Hellman, premiered before the McCarthy era began and, with it’s examination of the effects of hearsay and accusations, was a prelude of what was to come in the United States.

The protagonists, Martha and Karen, are two friends and teachers at a school in the small town of Lancet. When Karen punishes the angelic-faced but devil-hearted student Mary for truancy, an explosion of rumors, circumstance and confession lead to tragedy.

Gloria Weinstock, the theatre arts department chair, directed the City College production of “The Children’s Hour,” which started its run Nov. 11. Weinstock’s interpretation is accurate and suspenseful.

The supple movements of the actors and actresses across the stage made each of the character’s personalities come to life, particularly Natalie Logan as Mary.

In each scene, Logan conveyed Mary’s myriad personalities as the character shifted from her self at school to her self at home. Logan’s movements and facial expressions ably ranged from the innocent look of a child to the brat Mary really is. It was amusing to compare her obnoxious behavior towards her grandma’s housekeeper to the sweet temper she exuded when the matriarch appeared.

The costumes and set were simple. The set consisted of a staircase and 1930s-era desks and couches. The costumes consisted of long skirts, buttoned sweater-vests and school uniforms.

Overall, the production was suspenseful. The show made the audience want more as the plot unfolded on the stage, culminating in Martha’s fateful confession.

But, as Hellman once said, the point of the work is not homosexuality, but how one lie can spread like wildfire and ruin a person’s career and life. This happened to many people in the United States who were rumored to be communists during the 1940s. And it’s happening today when dramatic hyperbole labels dissidents as supporters of terrorism.

This performance of “The Children’s Hour” captured how powerful one lie can be — how one lie can drastically alter a person’s life. The show also made it clear that anyone can spread deceit and not realize the severity of their actions. And that one untruth can serve as the first step into darkness.

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