Little Foxes

When I finally got into my seat looking like a drowned rat after getting lost in the Village, I hoped the play would be short so I could go home, change into comfortable pajamas and get under the covers, warm and dry.  I was surprised to find that I loved the play so much that I didn’t even mind sitting there in my uncomfortably wet clothes.

I’m a big fan of the set design- I loved the purple walls, not only because purple is my favorite color, but also because the rich, royal color was an appropriate substitute for grandiose props and set pieces.  If the walls had been white or any other color, the space would have looked plain and overwhelmingly bare. It was smart that they put the staircase centerstage because it divided the stage so it wasn’t just a huge empty room.  If the staircase had been on the side, there would have been a big chunk on the other side.  Also, the actors had to stand in front of the staircase, closer to the audience, which made it easier to see the action and was more engaging.

Usually I like lots of props and spectacle onstage so you can be fully transported and involved in the scene, but I found that the actors in Little Foxes did a superb job creating the sense of space without using props so I still felt like they were in a rich palace even though there was barely anything there.

The LED screen was confusing because if they were going for a minimalist set design then there was no need to use the LED screen.  It took me a while to even figure out what it was- at first I thought it was a portrait until Horace started to move.  It was pretty distracting because sometimes I wasn’t sure where to look- the screen or the stage?  And when they showed the clip of the sacrificial lamb- it was awful.  I don’t know what the purpose for that clip was, or what it was trying to say, but it was very disturbing and I couldn’t even watch.

It was a smart choice to choose to have modern costumes because if they had worn historically accurate clothes with fancy evening gowns and corsets, etc., the play would have had a much different feel.  Seeing the characters wearing modern clothes made it easier to understand their status and be able to relate to what was going on.  Also, the play would have been pretty comical had they been wearing historical pieces- could you imagine the women in their fancy dresses and corsets rolling around on the floor, hitting and fighting?  I don’t think I would have been able to take any of it seriously.

I especially liked the father-daughter relationship between Zan and Horace because all the other characters (aside from Bertie) were full of hatred, spite and selfishness.  But Zan and Horace really cared about each other and didn’t have any manipulative thoughts or ulterior motives.  When it was just Zan, Horace and Bertie onstage, I could see the three of them as a family.  Bertie leaned against the wall telling her Oscar story, and Horace stood over Zan, absentmindedly playing with her hair, such a simple and honest gesture of affection between father and daughter.  The three of them were able to be happy and enjoy a few peaceful moments before Regina came in screaming and ruined the fantasy.

When Bertie came running across the town square in her little red robe to see Horace foreshadowed the moment where you can picture her with Horace and Zan as a family.  She was so genuinely happy that Horace was back that she didn’t even bother to get dressed or worry about her appearance, she just ran to him.  And if that weren’t inappropriate enough, she proceeded to sit on his lap, straddling him in her little red nightie in front of all the Hubbards, including her husband and his wife!  This scene, like Bertie’s bright-red clothes, separated her from the Hubbards because she was a genuinely good person, full of life, love and happiness (wow that was corny).  She acted on impulse, which isn’t always a good thing, but her honesty was a refreshing change from the Hubbards’ calculated manipulation.

Oscar really bothered me.  He was pretty timid compared to the other Hubbards- he allowed himself to get pushed around by Ben and Regina during their power struggle.  He was too scared to stand up for himself when they decided to cut his share of the business, but he had no problem turning around and beating Bertie, who was happy, naïve and innocent.  She hadn’t done anything to him, but he hit her anyway even though he couldn’t stand up to his family.

Leo’s hair drove me crazy, and not in a good way- it kept flopping in his face!  Anyway, I felt really bad for him because he was just a product of the family he grew up in.  All he wanted was to please his father and gain his approval, but Oscar wouldn’t even give him that.

I also felt really bad for Cal-Horace left Addy 1700$, but what did Cal get?  Nothing.

Ben Hubbard kept repeating to Regina, “A woman gets more with a smile and soft words than with yelling and anger.” There was a double standard- Ben and Oscar could yell and scream, but since Regina was a woman, she shouldn’t.  At this time, the woman’s role was as her husband’s property- she couldn’t own her own property or money, which is why Regina needed to marry Horace in the first place.

Since women couldn’t have their own money, Regina relied on Horace.  It was pretty mean of him to tie her hands so she couldn’t profit from the deal.  If he truly didn’t want to participate because he was morally opposed, then he should insist they give him back his money so he plays no part in it.  Once they have his money, whether it was a loan or not, he still facilitated the deal and should have allowed Regina to profit from it, or just not told her at all. He deliberately told her about the bonds in order to break her spirit and get back at her for manipulating him his whole life.