Review of Teechers
ENTERTAINING, fast-paced and inventive, ‘ Teechers’ by John Godber is a superb take on life in a dysfunctional modern comprehensive school.
The Sir Robert Martin Theatre in Loughborough was the perfect venue for the Festival Players to present this ‘play within a play’ with the intimacy of the auditorium echoing a school hall complete with the staged ‘ V.I.P’ reserved front row seats.
The play itself follows three year 11 students, Salty, Gail and Hobby as they exuberantly perform their end of term play delivering the highs and lows of gaining and subsequently losing a new Drama teacher namely Mr Nixon.
The set including props and simple items of costume are stripped back the bare minimum as only three desks and chairs plus a dual purpose blackboard and projection screen are positioned on stage and the audience are asked by the cast at the start to simply use their imagination and concentration throughout something they kept reminding them of through direct dialogue.
All three actors besides playing themselves portrayed a never ending chorus of supporting characters including cynical staff colleagues, school bullies and obstructive caretakers veering into each one with consummate ease and totally identifiable with typical school stereotypes and brilliantly believable.
The performance certainly showcased the talents of the three actors, James Daw as Salty was excellent and displayed his multi-talented side as an actor, I loved his Tony Blackburn take-off and dancer and the transformations from Victoria Price as Gail, both male and female, were exceptional and top marks for the effortless accents!
Claire Malpas as Hobby easily succeeded in her shifting roles with sharpness and comedic timing that such a play requires. Highlights abound in this show but one that stands out is the Ninja Turtles sequence ridiculous but visually hilarious.
The ending of the play is moving and poignant which delves beneath the pure comedy to Godber’s message about the state of education that is delivered in one line from Mr Nixon stating ‘every pupil should be treated equally in school’ a message first written the 80s but still very relevant today.
Performances of Teechers will be at The Sir Robert Martin Martin until Saturday, April 29. Tickets can be purchased directly from The Festival Players on 07855 248832, at the Box Office on 01509 231914 or by visiting the Loughborough Town Hall website.
By Lynette Watson