Images by Johan Persson of ‘The Little Foxes’ at the Young Vic Theatre.
“There are people who eat the earth and eat all the people on it. Then there are people who stand around and watch them eat it.”
A classic 20th century family fortune feud drama, Lillian Hellman’s ‘The Little Foxes’ presents a tug-of-war of greed, familial relationships, power and societal structures at the turn of the 20th century. The play, directed by Lyndsey Turner, is a tribute to the Song of Solomon fable of ‘the little foxes that spoil and ruin the vineyards’. the fable cleverly compares the ruin of morals from greed to the ruin of vineyards by trampling foxes. Though the plot line is largely predictable, Young Vic’s fittingly modern interpretation of ‘The Little Foxes’ is ultimately an intriguing and resonant production that questions ambition, loyalty and the cost of success.
According to Hellman, ‘The Little Foxes’ is a commentary on her own family’s disputes over wealth and status. Written in 1939 during the Great Depression, the American play is a censorious examination of capitalism through the eyes of the ambitious Regina, played by Anne-Marie Duff.
In her ambitious quest for wealth and power, Regina, the anti-hero of the play, fights tooth-and-nail to subvert early 20-century societal expectations of femininity. She expertly navigates the chauvinistic playing field of the early 1900s, weaving through the constant barrage of distasteful comments and prejudices. By the end of the play, Regina unshackles herself from the cuffs of a patriarchal landscape. She completely flips the power dynamic in her favour, leaving her husband to die and blackmailing her brothers. This enables her to eventually land her hands on majority ownership of the family’s assets.
Anne-Marie Duff (Regina) communicates the weight of her decisions through this sombre scene. Photo by Johan Persson.
This is far from a feel-good underdog story. The cost of Regina’s success is far from insignificant. Her morality is heavily compromised as she sacrifices family and loses her daughter. The extent of this is felt as Regina (played by Duff) and her daughter Alexandra (played by Eleanor Worthington-Cox) leave the audience with a gripping and heavy final scene, punctuated by their masterful outpouring of respective anguish and disgust.
Upon learning of her mother’s evil deeds, Alexandra delivers a final gut punch to Regina. She declares that she will not see her be “one who eats the earth”, before abandoning her mother out of repugnance. Following this, Anne-Marie Duff’s shuddering woeful outburst of regret, after internalising the full costs of her actions (the loss of her husband and severing of relationships with her brothers and only child) in the final scene, prompts the audience to ponder about her ultimate cost of success. Was the destruction of familial ties and her moral compromises worth the mouth-watering fortune and sweet taste of egotistical victory?
Turner, known for her work as a director of National Theatre productions such as ‘The Crucible‘ and ‘Coriolanus‘, foregrounded these dilemmas through her clever adaptation of Hellman’s storyline. Interpreting the play, rooted in the zeitgeist of early 1900s America, the 2014 Oliver-Award winning director preserved the integrity of the plot while ensuring its relevance to modern-day viewers. The result of this is a play that offers a refreshing perspective of 20th century greed, and lessons that hold true today.
Modern and elegant furniture that reminds the audience of a typical well-off 21st century family home. Photo by Johan Persson.
The set in particular was minimalist yet intentional. The deliberate sprinkling of familiar modern-day furniture alongside a dining room set up is reminiscent of an elegant modern family house. This ensured the production’s relevancy to the audience. Further, the stage configuration was indicative of a carefully considered arrangement that supplemented its brilliant blocking, as characters seamlessly entered and exited scenes.
A face-off between Eleanor Worthington-Cox (Alexandra) and Anne-Marie Duff (Regina) that is masterfully accentuated by the use of height. Photo by Johan Persson.
For example, the dining room, positioned behind the main living room and separated by a door provides depth to the set that Turner uses to accent the power dynamic of the moments. It allows characters to interact in the background or leave the stage without disrupting the main developments on the stage. Turner masterfully incorporates a staircase in her set design, demonstrating the shifting power dynamics through the visual representation of elevation.
That said, this is not the play for those interested in storylines that meander and open up different paths. It is an indomitable chug towards eventual destruction, as Regina chooses to push everything aside in search of her goal. Ultimately, the play is a cacophony of conflicts between wealth, morality and exploitation, leaving the audience with far more questions than answers.
