Reviewed by Judy Richter
Lillian Hellman wrote "The Little Foxes" in 1939 and set it in a small Southern town in 1900, but if she were alive today, she could just as easily set it today in Anywhere, U.S.A. Her story of greed and avarice rings just as true today as it did earlier. We see it in headlines about backdated stock options for company executives and high-ranking company officials being sent to prison for bilking their stockholders, employees and customers.
Members
of the Hubbard family probably won't go to prison, at least not right away, but
only because each one is trying to protect his own self-interests. The Hubbards
are two brothers -- shrewd, realistic Ben (Jack Willis), the elder, and brutish Oscar (Robert
Parsons) -- and
their sister, Regina Giddens (Jacqueline Antaramian), a mix of Southern charm and
unadulterated venom. Ben and Oscar run the store that they inherited from their
father, along with his money, which came in part from cheating customers like
poor blacks. Regina is married to the seriously ill Horace Giddens (Nicholas
Hormann), a
banker.
The
action takes place in the Giddens' luxurious living room, ominously red-paneled
in the set design by Robert Blackman, who also designed the handsome turn-of-the-century
costumes. Lighting is by Russell H. Champa, and sound is by Steve Schoenbeck.
The
siblings have been entertaining and negotiating with a Chicago businessman,
William Marshall (Stephen Klum), to get him to invest in their plan to build a cotton
mill in their town. After they reach an agreement, the siblings' challenge is
to secure Regina and Horace's share of the investment, but Horace refuses to go
along with them. He sees their scheme as nothing more than another opportunity
to exploit poor people by underpaying them. Joining the brothers in their scheme,
albeit somewhat inadvertently at first, is Oscar's young adult son, the
none-too-clever Leo (John Bull), who works at Horace's bank.
Standing
in contrast to Ben, Oscar, Regina and Leo are Horace plus Alexandra (Grace
Heid), Horace
and Regina's 17-year-old daughter; Birdie (Julia Gibson), Oscar's abused but
good-hearted wife; and Addie (Margarette Robinson) and Cal (Rhonnie Washington), the Giddens' black servants.
Birdie is miserable in her marriage, a business arrangement that enabled the
Hubbards to gain control of her family's fertile land; and Alexandra does a lot
of growing up as she observes her elders' behavior. She's the one hope for the
future. Addie and Cal are acutely aware of what's going on, but know their
place -- given that the Civil War and slavery had ended only 35 years earlier.
Laird
Williamson
stages the production well, allowing this solid ensemble cast to delineate
characters and relationships quite clearly. Only when Horace suffers another
heart attack and staggers up the massive stairs does the action veer into
excess.
One
reason why ACT is staging "The Little Foxes" -- aside from the fact
that it's an absorbing, still-relevant play -- is that the company is
celebrating its 40th season. "The Little Foxes" is a tribute to its long
line of distinguished productions, including a staging of "The Little
Foxes" in 1979 and a revival the next season. Among the memorable
performances in that earlier production was Joy Carlin's portrayal of Birdie. Carlin,
still a respected actor as well as a director, was in the opening night
audience for this new staging.
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