The Children's Hour have aspects of a well-made play but there are some elements of Lillian Hellman's play that departs from the structure of a well-made play. The first element that departs from well-made play is the logical resolution. Martha killing herself is not a logical ending and is not an ending that was expected. The expectation of Martha, Karen, and Joe going off together is the logical resolution that is expected. Another element that departs from the well-made play is the just in time revelation. Mrs.Tilford did not show up just in time to save a life. She showed up just in time to capture the tragic ending.
This play should not be shown today because the view on same sex relationships for women today are different than in the world of Hellman's play. The results can add up to someone being offended by the fact that Martha killed herself for loving Karen more than a friend. There can be someone who gets mad at how the situation was handled in Hellman's play. In today's world there would probably be more negative replies than good ones.
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