Our play for August was The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie.
This play is based on a novel by Muriel Spark. The script was written by Jay Presson Allen. Jean Brodie is a teacher at an all-girls school in Edinburgh, Scotland, in the 1930s. Brodie is known for her tendency to stray from the school's curriculum, to romanticize fascist leaders like Benito Mussolini and Francisco Franco, and to believe herself to be in the prime of life. Brodie devotes her energy and attention to girls she sees as special or mouldable, who are referred to as the "Brodie Set". At the start of the play, the Brodie Set is composed of four 12-year-old junior schoolgirls: Sandy, Monica, Jenny, and Mary. The play follows them through to their final year. Act 1 covers from 1931 to 1933, Act 2 from 1933 to 1936, and Act 3 in the girls’ final year two and a half years later.
Each act is introduced in the current day with a reporter from the USA has flown to Edinburgh to interview Sister Helena who has had a book published that became a best seller. Then we go to the various scenes involving the schoolgirls and Miss Brodie. We found this an interesting way to set the picture.
After reading the play we discussed some comparison with our June play, Monday Sacrifice. Both plays were set in an all-girls school. The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie focussed on a group of students, but Monday Sacrifice focussed on a group of teachers. They both covered a teacher who recognised the value of the humanities, a culture that still has problems today. There perhaps the similarities ended, with the relationship between Miss Brodie and the schoolgirls the focus of the plot. Miss Brodie had an interesting mind and approach to her students. Whether this was a healthy relationship or not is open to debate.
We enjoyed the play which left us with things to think about.
This play is based on a novel by Muriel Spark. The script was written by Jay Presson Allen. Jean Brodie is a teacher at an all-girls school in Edinburgh, Scotland, in the 1930s. Brodie is known for her tendency to stray from the school's curriculum, to romanticize fascist leaders like Benito Mussolini and Francisco Franco, and to believe herself to be in the prime of life. Brodie devotes her energy and attention to girls she sees as special or mouldable, who are referred to as the "Brodie Set". At the start of the play, the Brodie Set is composed of four 12-year-old junior schoolgirls: Sandy, Monica, Jenny, and Mary. The play follows them through to their final year. Act 1 covers from 1931 to 1933, Act 2 from 1933 to 1936, and Act 3 in the girls’ final year two and a half years later.
Each act is introduced in the current day with a reporter from the USA has flown to Edinburgh to interview Sister Helena who has had a book published that became a best seller. Then we go to the various scenes involving the schoolgirls and Miss Brodie. We found this an interesting way to set the picture.
After reading the play we discussed some comparison with our June play, Monday Sacrifice. Both plays were set in an all-girls school. The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie focussed on a group of students, but Monday Sacrifice focussed on a group of teachers. They both covered a teacher who recognised the value of the humanities, a culture that still has problems today. There perhaps the similarities ended, with the relationship between Miss Brodie and the schoolgirls the focus of the plot. Miss Brodie had an interesting mind and approach to her students. Whether this was a healthy relationship or not is open to debate.
We enjoyed the play which left us with things to think about.
The play for our next session on Wednesday 6th August from 9.30 to 12 in U3A Room 1 is Brighton Beach Memoirs, by Neil Simon. It does sound good.
Joy Shirley
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