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Let
me start with a confession. I am teacher, I teach drama and, like
most of us, I once went to school. All this in theory should make
me a perfect audience member for Hull Truck Theatre Company's revival
of John Godber's drama, Teechers, a play within a play about a young
drama teacher's probationary period performed by the "pupils"
of a special priority comprehensive school. On the other hand, maybe
I'll just be harder to satisfy.
Teechers
was first performed in the late eighties and it seems self-consciously
updated in this latest production. References to Harry Potter and
Lord of the Rings appear to have been crowbarred into a play that
is still very relevant today.
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| Teechers
has a lot more bite than films like The Dead Poets Society |
This
self-consciousness is especially evident in the programme which
makes little or no reference to the history of Teechers which is
a great shame, because Godber's writing is still very vibrant almost
twenty years on.
John
Godber's plays can be wonderfully theatrical and brilliantly engaging
for live audiences which often hampers film adaptations of his work.
I was pleasantly surprised that despite its subject matter Teechers
manages to avoid any pat, Hollywood endings. It shows the stress
of working in tough schools, the way teachers will either get out,
toughen up or break down. Although
the lead character George Nixon does give a lot to his kids there
is no big, life-changing scene - he ends up applying for a job in
the local grammar school with its posh drama studio.
This
is by no means The Dead Poets Society; Teechers has a lot more bite.
The conceit of this play being performed by three "school leavers"
allows Godber to pack an emotional punch without being overly sentimental,
as well as being a lot of fun for both actors and audiences alike.
The
cast of this production establish some excellent theatrical conventions,
which the audience obviously enjoyed. There are some excellent gags
describing the bizarre goings on in secondary schools.
Sound
effects and slow motion add texture and comedy. For the most part
these worked very well to great effect, but a couple of times they
lacked clarity, most frustratingly in a scene of important narrative
development which left me trying to work out what had happened when
I should have been carried with the flow.
The
production rattles along firing out witty jokes. The audience seemed
to find a lot of truth in a lot of the jokes, taking the joy we
all share from laughing at teachers who do, it seems, "all
dance like retards."
Matthew
Booth is good as Salty finding contrast in a production, which sometimes
seems to play at only one level, both in performance and pace but
is almost constantly big and fast throughout. This characteristic
was most notable in Vicky Binns's performance as Gail. Whilst the
loud persona was perfect for Gail (a character I recognised from
many classes), Vicky Binns could have allowed more depth in the
other characters she played. To be honest I felt like I was being
constantly shouted at.
Teechers
is still a vibrant, punchy play very much relevant today, yet this
production directed by John Godber, is not exceptional and falls
a little short of its potential. Yet, the audience, which consisted
to a large extent of teachers and young people, seemed to enjoy
it a great deal. As the audience left, the foyer was full of the
noise of burbling familiarity: "You know he was just like..."
Mat
Verguson
Teechers
is at the Lawrence Batley Theatre in Huddersfield until Saturday
25th September 2004 and at Wakefield's Theatre Royal and Opera House
from Monday 27th September to Friday 1st October 2004.
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