London: Keira Knightley is set to play a teacher in a girls` boarding school falsely accused of a lesbian affair, in the play ‘The Children`s Hour’.
The drama, which opens this week at the Comedy Theatre in London`s West End, is reportedly based on a real-life, 19th-century scandal in Scotland, reports the Scotsman.
Lillian Hellman, the American who wrote the play in the 1930s, heard about the Scottish case from her lover, Dashiell Hammett, author of ‘The Maltese Falcon’.
Hellman switched the case from Edinburgh`s New Town to New England but retained the basic elements of a career ruined by lies and gossip.
The play is about two women, Karen Wright (Knightley) and Martha Dobie (Elisabeth Moss from hit TV series ‘Mad Men’), who run a small boarding school and have their careers and reputations ruined after a pupil accuses them of having a lesbian affair. After which Dobie kills herself.
The reality is equally shocking. In 1809, Marianne Woods, 27, and Jane Pirie, 26, ran a small but successful boarding school in Drumsheugh Gardens, Edinburgh, catering for the daughters of the city`s high society.
Among their pupils was Jane Cumming, the illegitimate child of Lady Cumming Gordon``s late son and a Bengali servant girl.
On 4 November, 1810, Cumming visited her grandmother at 22 Charlotte Square and accused her two teachers of "inordinate affection" for each other.
An appalled Lady Cumming Gordon wrote to all the pupils`` parents warning of immoral behaviour. As a result, every child was withdrawn from the school and the business was ruined.
The emotional Woods and deeply religious Pirie were devastated and sued Lady Cumming Gordon for slander, asking for 10,000 pounds compensation. The case, called on 15 March, 1811, rocked Edinburgh society.
ANI
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts.
Cookies Setting
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device and the processing of information obtained via those cookies (including about your preferences, device and online activity) by us and our commercial partners to enhance site navigation, personalise ads, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. More information can be found in our Cookies and Privacy Policy. You can amend your cookie settings to reject non-essential cookies by clicking Cookie Settings below.
Manage Consent Preferences
Strictly Necessary Cookies
These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work or you may not be able to login.
Functional Cookies
These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalisation. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies then some or all of these services may not function properly.
Targeting Cookies
These cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They are also used to limit the number of times you see an advert as well as help measure the effectiveness of an advertising campaign. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.
Performance Cookies
These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies we may not know when you have visited our site, and may not be able to monitor its performance.