Little Foxes was definitely worth seeing.  It was worth the time in the theater, the time spent traveling, and having to sit in a cool theater with a soaked shirt. It is among the best plays I’ve ever seen.  That may not mean much, considering my extremely limited experience, but it is still true.  It is a great story and was well presented by the actors, director, designers, and everyone else involved.

I was impressed from the beginning because I loved the stage design.  I don’t feel that a large number of props and fancy furniture is necessary.  The purple walls and lack of furniture left me with no idea what to expect.  I had to really pay attention to what was going on.  I thought having the servants bring in the chairs and other props was a good way to slightly change the setting without having to actually stop the scene.  The only exception to the simplicity was the infamous screen.  I found it very interesting.  Though there were very few times that it made a difference, I liked having it there.  It was helpful to see Horace and Regina fighting, and I thought the slaughter of the lamb, though disturbing, was an effective symbol for the way the family exploited the poor townspeople.

The script was well written.  It was compelling and interesting, without a boring moment.  From the beginning of the play I was curious.  Curious to find out what kind of man Horace was, to find out why there was so much tension, and to find out if the plan to buy the mill would work out.  I wondered if Horace would be like the siblings or if, being from a different family, he would be kinder and less greedy.  Horace’s gentler nature, combined with his illness made him much easier to sympathize with.  I wanted him to win, and  my attention was held as his plan to punish his wife unfolded.  His death and failure to execute his plan was crushing.  Though Horace’s failure was upsetting, I enjoyed Regina’s turn around from being powerless due to her gender to being in total control at the end.  The family dynamic was well done.  The playwright did a great job of making it obvious that there had been tension among the family without providing much background information.  All we knew was that the family had money, and it was all given to the sons.  However, the numerous cases of violence and deceit gave us a clear idea of what the relationships between the siblings were like.

The actors did a great job throughout the play, especially in the scenes of explosive anger and violence.  The screaming and hitting did not feel staged, they felt real.  They showed impressive commitment to the play with their willingness to be hit and thrown around.  Their skill was not limited to fight scenes, however.  The actor’s playing the siblings and Leo were convincingly frantic at times when trying to ensure the purchase of the mill would happen.  In the opening scene, the brothers concern that Mr. Marshal would not make a deal with them was clear, and later Leo’s reaction to Cal’s message from Horace felt authentic.  Even the few calm scenes, such as the one featuring just Horace, Bertie, and Alexandra, were convincing.  I could feel the characters’ happiness and relief that they could have time without the rest of the family.

Though the modern clothing made it difficult to determine the time period of the play (all i could figure out was sometime between 1870 and 1965), I felt it helped the play as a whole.  Putting the characters in modern clothing made it easy to use costume to separate the siblings from the rest of the characters.  The siblings dark, business like dress gave them a serious, money-concerned appearance.  The contrast with Bertie’s red clothing, Horace’s disheveled appearance, and Alexandra’s simple clothing made it obvious that the characters were divided.