The play
I have chosen to write about is The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie. I am currently
involved in this production and have studied the script rather a lot. It
is based off of a book titled the same and written by Murial Sparks. The novel was turned into a play by Jay Presson Allen performed in London. It has won many awards including a Tony. It was also
adapted into a screenplay where the lead was played by Maggie Smith. It has
been produced numerous times and was even at one point made into a TV
mini-series. Some of the shows most notable performances were in London and the
film version that won an academy award. Most of this information I have
gathered from listening to the director and designers talk about the history of
this production.
The basic plot follows two types of
relationships, the relationship between teacher and student and also romantic
relationships. The play follows the influence of one extreme teacher over her
students, called "The Brodie Set." Not only does it show how much of
an effect a teacher can have on her students, but also the semi-brainwashing
Brodie imparts on her favorites.
It also focuses on Miss Brodie's love life,
with one love pursuit pulling her to a traditional life and another to a more
adventureous path. Brodie teaches her students ideals of Hitler and Mussolini
and is considered by many to be a fascist. This label is ultimatley her demsie
as she gets fired from the school for being a radical. Her romantisized idea of
life fills her girls and everyone around her with a sense of danger and
excitment. She gets a little carried away and is banned from the school when
she is ultimatley betrayed by one of her favorite students.
One dramaturgical choice that I loved was the
use of historical and geographical references. She references Giotto and Italy
to further paint a picture of her romanticized view of life. No one can deny
that Jean Brodie is a passion filled woman, but the question comes up that
should so much opinion should be passed on to such young children with
impressionable minds. I like the use of her allusions to what is going on at
the time (Scotland, the 1930-1950’s) because it really sets the stage and lets
the audience know Brodie’s education level.
The second choice is the progression of age of
the little girls. The theme of time passing becomes prevelant with the aging of
the school girls. It is determined at the end of the play that Miss Brodie is
actually “past her prime” Even though Miss Brodie pours her heart and soul into these little girls, she misses out on her own life because of it.
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