The Story

The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie

Oct. 7, 2009 | By Carrie Crow, DSJ Staff Reporter

Poised with chalk in hand , Miss Jean Brodie squared her shoulders and proclaimed, �"Here I am, and here I will stay. I would not leave you girls! I shall remain in this education factory where my duty lies. If they want to get rid of me, they’ll have to assassinate me!”

So goes bold words from the beginning of Act I of the college’s production of �"The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie,” performed October 1-4. Throughout the show there was laughter at the antics of girls and their idolized teacher’s exploits, as well as anger and bitterness as the girls grew into women, one unable to put the scars of the past behind.

Rooted in a novel by Muriel Spark, �"The Prime of Miss. Jean Brodie” has seen film adaptations starring Dame Maggie Smith and ran on Broadway for nearly a year, winning a Tony for the starring actress.

The play begins with a nun, Sister Helena (Francesca Chilcote ’11), recounting the history behind a passionate and unusual book to a curious West Virginia Reporter (Andrew Gardner ’12). As her woeful eyes are engrossed in the past, Miss Jean Brodie is introduced before her class in Edinburgh, Scotland, telling them sweet stories and showing them high art. As the play progresses, however, along with the relationships between the girls, Miss Brodie, and other teachers deepening, the darker side of the play is revealed.

Zoe Speas (’12) was the woman to love and to hate: Miss Jean Brodie. Inspiring with her romantic longing and revolutionary fervor, yet frustrating with her stubborn hubris, Speas took that headstrong figure and made the audience both love and resent her as the girls under her tutelage did. Boldly claiming that given �"a girl at an impressionable age, she is mine for life,” Speas managed to capture the character of a poetic, bold fascist with grace and force.

The love triangle with Miss Brodie included conservative and unassuming music teacher Gordon Lowther (CJ Bergin ’11) and the bold and married Teddy Lloyd (Greg Benson ’11). Though the two rarely appeared on stage simultaneously, both Bergin and Benson differed in dynamics with Speas.

Bergin was subject to her wiles, but still insistent on his moral life in his own unassuming way. Benson on the other hand was more aggressive, performing well as a witless artist. However, both of them fell victim to their lady’s insistence that her girls, the �"crème de la crème,” came first.

Among the crème de la crème under Brodie consisted of insightful Sandy (Mary Myers ’10), instinctive Jenny (Maggie Seegers ’10), sarcastic Monica (Kacey Canfield ’10) and the stuttering, subversive Mary MacGregor (Lauren Cheniae ’11). The girls alone interacted with hilarious chemistry, inventing stories about their teacher and giggling about sex; watching the chemistry of the group shifting as they grew older was subtle and powerful, while Sandy gradually fell out of the circle with growing bitterness.

Foremost of them was Myers, whose character - scathingly rational yet passionate -came to resent her adored instructor. The changes in Sandy as her mind developed, resisting the hedonistic frame of mind were gradual and believable; Myers’ anger and frustration for those around her more so.

The setting itself was Spartan, keeping accouterments at a minimum, such as chairs and a blackboard. However, the space was efficiently used, requiring minimal changes for transitions, which were accompanied by opera music in line with the character’s interests.

The 1930’s aura was clearly defined in the costumes of the characters. From Mr. Lowther’s bowlers to Miss Brodie’s hats and coats, the costuming team lead by Erica Hann (’12) and Zoe Speas (’12). Particularly noticeable were the deep red gloves and hat worn by Speas in a scene visiting a museum. All of the school girls graduated from one uniform with a plaid jumper to another including a sweater, making clear the age difference as well as entrance into an upper level school.

Bringing laughter in Act I and rapt attention in Act II, "The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie" took the dynamic time of the 1930's with strong performances.