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by Brian Robin

Season Spotlight—"The Little Foxes"

Lillian Hellman wrote The Little Foxes more than 80 years ago. And the message resonates as loudly today as it did in 1939, when Hellman’s masterpiece first hit the stage.

The Little Foxes hits the Segerstrom Stage Jan. 29-Feb. 26, 2023 as half of a dynamic rotating rep with Appropriate by Brandon Jacobs-Jenkins we're calling "Voices of America." The plays alternate performances, featuring different directors, overlapping casts, the same set—and timeless themes.

The Little Foxes is set in turn-of-the-20th-century Alabama. It chronicles the interfamily struggles for wealth and status late in the Gilded Age. Hellman’s timeless tale casts searing light on everything from greed to gender equality as it asks the question: What price does the American Dream cost?

Ben and Oscar Hubbard are looking at life-changing wealth: funding an industrialized cotton mill. But there’s the matter of getting their hands on seed money. To do this, they enlist their calculating sister, Regina, to get the funds from her dying husband. When he refuses their request, Ben and Oscar begin plotting. But Regina outfoxes both of them, displaying a cunning that the robber barons of the era would embrace.

The original Broadway production ran for 410 performances at the National Theatre. It starred Tallulah Bankhead. Hellman wrote the screenplay for a 1941 movie that starred Bette Davis. 

You may purchase The Little Foxes on its own, or save 20-30% with a season ticket.

About the author

South Coast Repertory

South Coast Repertory is a Tony Award-winning theatre is known for producing classics, contemporary hits and world premieres, for having the largest new-play development program in the nation and for advancing the art of theatre in service to the community. 

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