19 April 2018
Education, Education, Education. (A play by The Wardrobe Ensemble)
at Shoreditch Town Hall.
Reviewed by Adam McCormack
Star rating: ***
It is 1997 and eighteen years of Tory government have come to an end. For many in teaching the New Labour policy of putting education as the first three priorities of their government seems like the start of a brave new world. The Wardrobe Ensemble’s gallop through the events of the day after the election at Wordsworth Secondary School gives a hilarious yet thought-provoking take on hopes of change balanced by the reality of school life.
We initially see the school through the eyes of a reserved, Teutonic German, Tobias, a new temporary teaching assistant on an exchange programme. Tobias is in the thrall of Cool Britannia and the wonders of the 1990’s British music scene, exemplified by the victory of Katrina and the Waves in the latest Eurovision Song Contest. His first day is not only the beginning of the New Labour Government, but it is also “muck up” day, when the Year 11 students run riot. The teachers who have to handle this are ineffectual, over-excited by the potential support for their profession, or hung-over from election night parties. When presented with the rebellion of a pupil frustrated by being excluded from a field trip, all of these factors combine to create a climactic crisis – just when the parents are arriving.
This is a very slick production combining inventive scene shifting, seamless costume changes (the teachers all have roles as pupils) and perfectly timed choreography – all with a background of those 1990’s hits that Tobias so loves. Dramas set in schools always evoke some memories in an audience, and there is enough here to engage a wide age group. As a vehicle for portraying forlorn hope, the setting is ideal, although at times the approach lacks subtlety as so much is compressed into a one-hour production. The forward looking denouement will be regarded as harsh by some, particularly given an implied criticism of the academy system on which the evidence of success or failure is still inconclusive. However, this may seem like nit picking if one regards this more as an entertaining commentary on a moment in history.
The cast all display tremendous energy and this, together with the pace of the plot, takes the audience with them regardless of any shortcomings. Beyond the dubious 2018 hipster beard of the headmaster there is little to criticise, and there are scenes of high comedy, particularly when the news of Michael Portillo losing his seat turns into an episode of frenzied passion – complete with a Titanic hand-on-the-window moment. By the close we are genuinely concerned about the prospects for the teachers and pupils: cue “Things can only get better.”
Education, Education, Education is at the Shoreditch Town Hall until 21st April and then on tour around the country until 8th June.
