The Little Foxes

Review by Sam

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Lyndsey Turner directs a pulsating new revival of Lillian Hellman’s scheming South American classic.

After a wealthy businessman offers the Hubbard family untold wealth and power, a sequence of events turn the Hubbard’s against one another in an attempt to gather as much financial gain as possible. Turner’s revival relies heavily on its strong ensemble and intimate setting to tell this bleak narrative of suppressed ambition and family. Lizzie Clachan’s set design is both gorgeously inviting and highly intimate, allowing audiences to feel that they are overhearing private conversations within this blistering family as power dynamics slowly unfold.

Anne-Marie Duff gives a sensational performance as Regina Hubbard, the matriarch of the drama. She fleetingly switches from sheer panic to rich emotional depth with such finesse and excellence. However the stand out performances for me were Stanley Morgan (Leo) and Mark Bonnar (Ben). Morgan and Bonner are captivating, leaning heavily into the emotional baggage of their characters to convey struggles in a raw and often painful way. Bonner in particular leads the family and play with intensity, as his presence is felt both on and off the stage. His aggressive outbursts leave a lasting impact as he weaves tension through the narrative. Despite the phenomenal performances, I sadly had some issues with the story itself.

The text begins slowly and takes its time to reach momentum, however once the pace quickens the brakes are ripped clean off as the plot unfolds. My main issue with the narrative was the predictability of the second act, in particular the conclusion. I often would know outcomes to scenes before they had begun, which whilst not detracting from the show itself, did detract from the shock factor which the story was striving for.

Overall the show has been intensely reimagined through its phenomenal performances and intimate staging. Despite some narrative elements not impacting me in the way intended, the play did leave me unsettled as a result of the dark undertones and intense family exploration.