#teechers

I had kids looking through documentaries in form time and writing down observations and analysis to apply in their devised pieces

Saw this tonight.Absolutely fabulous, and so funny. 

Local Gander// Theatre

Teechers

Theatre Royal, Bury St Edmund's

I opted for a bit of culture at the weekend in the form of the theatre… More light-hearted really, as it was John Godber’s Teechers performed by the legendary Blackeyed Theatre. I’ve seen his similarly hilarious Bouncers and Shakers in various forms, but Teechers was still one to cross off the list, so I jumped at the chance when it came to Bury’s Theatre Royal.

The play, and its subsidiaries, follow an unusual programme whereby three actors play all the characters within it – confusing, you might think. However, the changes flowed with sparkling clarity as the brute-like Mr Basford seamlessly transformed into the petrifying Mrs Parry, performed by Brad Clapson with unparalleled comic genius. The three actors’ chemistry with each other was fantastic, and helped to create such hilarious scenes as Mr Nixon’s close encounter with Oggy and Gail’s attempt at clinching the deal with her favourite teacher.

Blackeyed Theatre handled the play with due sensitivity, however, as John Godber’s script requires. The synopsis mentions Teechers’ exploration of the “haves” and “have nots” through the constant comparisons with nearby St George’s, and the poignancy of the message was not forgotten by the audience. This is what I love about Godber’s work, and the work of those who do it well, which Blackeyed Theatre certainly did: it packs a punch in terms of comedy, but it doesn’t forget to deliver that all important take-home lesson through believable characters and intelligent quips laced through an original storyline.

Theatre Royal, Westgate Street, Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, IP33 1QR. Tel: 01284 769505

www.theatreroyal.org

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I've seen John Godber's Teechers before. In fact, I was part of the marketing team for the Hull Truck Theatre tour in autumn/winter 2010. Four years ago; man, that's flown.

Back then, local actor Peter MacMillan played the thick but enthusiastic student Ian Salt, AKA Salty, so it was lovely to see him back on stage in Hull New Theatre last night in the same role, also reviving Salty's wet-behind-the-ears but unfailingly lovable drama teacher, Mr Nixon.

Joining Peter in this production by the John Godber Company and Theatre Royal Wakefield are Amy Thompson, presenter of Channel 5's Milkshake, and Tupele Dorgu, who played Kelly Crabtree in Coronation Street from 2004-10. So taking into account that Peter played Neil Hemingway in Emmerdale a couple of years ago, the show prospers from a cast of faces that you may well recognise from the telly.

Teechers hasn't changed a bit, and is all the better for it. Written in the early 80s, John Godber has kept pretty much every detail as it was when first performed at the Edinburgh Fringe in 1987, because nothing boasts longevity as relatable and bittersweet as the behaviour of secondary school pupils. (No matter what generation you belong to, there's always a school bully, a school wimp, a school moron, a school pervert.)

Whether or not you've seen Teechers or a John Godber play before, and regardless as to your feelings toward the education system, you'll love this production. Quite simply, it's just a damn good laugh. Each actor takes on multiple roles, and let me tell you, there are some right crackers! Pocket-sized Amy as a gruff, drama-hating caretaker is priceless; Tupele's gawky, sleeve-stretching Hobby is hopelessly clueless; and Peter proves a narrative observation to be quite apt, in that "all teachers dance like retards."