By: Sthefany Flores
Theatre goers filled Gardner Webb’s Millennium Playhouse with anticipation as they waited for “The Children’s Hour” to officially open on Friday Oct. 2.Directed by Christopher Nelson, “The Children’s Hour” is a riveting drama based on the lives of two teachers, Martha and Karen, played by Madison Wait and Rachel Sedota respectively. Their lives take a turn when Mary, played by Holly Strother, spins a vast web of lies against the two teachers.
The audience seemed immersed in the actor’s interpretations of the characters, displaying tension when Strother entered a scene and paying unwavering attention during Wait and Sedota’s dialogues. They laughed at the light humor in the opening scene, gasped as the story reached its climax and hushed as the resolution played out and the production reached its ending.
The raucous applause at the end of the show’s opening night only increased as Wait and Sedota made their final bows with the rest of the cast.
Audience members mingled in the halls of the Millennium Playhouse, staying back to greet the cast members and express their admiration for their performance. The audience themselves reviewed the play, describing it as “awesome,” shocking” and “manipulating.”
One audience member in particular, Austin Nalley, complimented the work of the director and appreciated “the twists and turns the play takes because of [the characters]” which he described as “interesting in their motivations.”
“The Children’s Hour” will continue to run in the Millennium Playhouse on Sunday, Oct. 4 at 2:30 p.m. and on Monday, Oct. 5 at 7:30 p.m.
