Strong performances keep time with powerful Children's Hour'

Several powerful performances highlight Strongsville Community Theatre's production of "The Children's Hour."

Written by Lillian Hellman, the play is a gripping and emotional story about the abuse of power and lies, and how it affects the lives of several people who have no control over the slanderous outcome.

Liana Decates, a 15-year-old sophomore at Orange High School, portrays Mary Tilford, a vengeful and near psychotic girl who attends an all-girls school and starts several lies about the sexuality of its two female teachers. As Mary pulls her powerful grandmother and other girls in the school into her deceit, the lives of the two teachers are forever ruined as well as those around them.

After several roles in a variety of musicals, the character of Mary is the first dramatic performance for Decates, and what a performance it is. As Mary, Decates gives a wonderfully dark portrayal of the deceitful girl with a bright sunny smile and pigtails. The role could have easily been played over the top, but the young actress keeps the performance very centered.

Katrina Walker of Berea gives an outstanding performance as the young Rosalie Wells, caught between Mary's lies and wanting to tell the truth. Rosalie is forced to go along with the destructive lies of Mary, who has found out that she has stolen a bracelet and uses the information to threaten to tell someone. At the young age of 13, Walker already shows great depths in her acting.

As the two teachers caught in Mary's vengeful web, Diane Pedee and Emily Urban give very strong performances as well. Pedee is Martha Dobie, the young woman who has several secrets of her own that are forced out into the open after she and her co-teacher are scandalized by the girls, their parents and the town. Pedee's character reacts to the lies with much anger and emotion and her performance stands out in a play that has many standout performances....