Written by Mark Medoff, Children of a Lesser God opened on Broadway in 1980 and won the Tony Award for Best Play and for both of its lead actors, John Rubenstein and Phylis Frelich. The play was originally written for Ms. Frelich, a deaf actress, based on her relationship with her husband. After a successful two year run it was turned into a movie, nominated for five Oscars including Best Picture, with Marlee Matlin winning a Best Actress Oscar. Not having seen either, the pedigree of this story promised some acting fireworks in this new Broadway revival.
Joshua Jackson (Showtime’s The Affair) is James Leeds, a new teacher at a school for the deaf. Lauren Ridloff is Sarah Norman, now a janitor at the school, having lived there since she was a young child. He is idealistic and earnest about opening up the world to deaf people. She is reluctant to speak or even read lips. What follows is a complicated relationship about communication and individuality. The play also includes some contrived subplots involving other students and thematic overload with an older hardened teacher and a do-gooder lawyer. When the play centers its focus on the core relationship, Children of a Lesser God is at its best.
The scenic design is sharply cool; a blue landscape with orange accents that suggest a memory play travelling through doors of understanding and also doors of separation and isolation. As the teacher, Mr. Jackson is rarely offstage. He is our narrator here who simultaneously speaks lines while also signing and interpreting signing. The performance is grounded, natural and completely real. Ms. Norman is effectively emoting without speaking yet we still are able to hear her thoughts and try to grasp a deaf and mute life. Why does she not want to cross the chasm and make connections to the speaking world?
Chemistry between these two central characters is critical here and both actors deliver on that promise. Intellectually, I enjoyed this play as an opportunity to consider whether a deaf world is oppressed or just different. Theatrically, I enjoyed watching the acting, particularly the leads, and their approach to delivering this challenging material. Emotionally, however, I did not really get engaged so by the end, all of this fell a little flat for me. A very good clinical and analytical study with some great acting roles but not exceptional enough to be considered a top tier play.