Little Happy Secrets Response

Honestly, I chose this play because I find Mormonism fascinating. I don’t know why, but I always have, and I was intrigued to read a play with Mormonism in it.

Similar to a Children’s Hour, Melissa Larson’s Little Happy Secrets also centers on a same-sex attraction a woman has to her best friend. A Mormon herself, Larson often inserts Mormon characters into her plays, with this one being no exception. Little Happy Secrets centers on Claire, who has romantic feelings for her best friend, Brennan. What makes these feelings so “forbidden” is that, aside from being a Mormon, Claire is also very conservative and very into her faith. Her best friend, Brennan, however, views the world with a much more open mind. When Brennan ends up engaged to a boy Claire does not approve of, for selfish and unselfish reasons, things begin to twist. I found this play to give a refreshing twist on an idea quite overdone.

A dramaturgical choice Larsen made that I found significant was that the play did not have this completely “happily ever after” kind of ending. Yes, Brennan sends Claire the note, and yes, this entire situation does not destroy she and Claire’s relationship. In the perfect world, however, a part of me wanted to see Brennan come out and say that she, too, had feelings for Claire. To the audience, this was highly unlikely, but boy, would it have wrapped up the story with a big bow. I’m glad that did not happen, however. Larson did an excellent job of creating realistic characters with many dimensions while avoiding stereotypes.

Another dramaturgical choice that I thought really worked in the favor of the play was that there was some breaking of the fourth wall where Claire addresses the audience. It happened sometimes at the beginning of scenes, sometimes at the end, and something mid scenes. Because this play is largely dependent on the character of Claire and her inner thoughts surrounding the situation, I think this decision is vital for the audience’s true understanding of the play.