Review: Teechers

Theatre 2: Wednesday Feb 26th

TEECHERS is one of those plays that is much much harder to do than you may think.

It was written in the mid-eighties and in the wrong hands it can date quicker than you can say Fenn Street Gang (Google it).

This version, directed by Jim Thomas and starring Kirstie Brough, Ben Parsley and Amy Jaggers was a fresh, contemporary production and will resonate with everyone from those who are studying Teechers as a set text to those who remember…..The Fenn Street Gang.

Jim Thompson’s production is tight and well disciplined. Sometimes productions of Teechers are swallowed up by indiscipline and anarchy and become somewhat incoherent. This production does not waste a line, a mannerism or a moment. Every character (and there are a lot) is fully rounded and developed. Every piece of Theatre 2 is used. In fact it is a lesson in how to use such a space effectively.

Most of all the three actors are a delight. In many ways, Ben Parsley was the anchor role, mainly for his portrait of Mr Nixon. Many of us have seen Ben in a lot of comedies and pantomimes but this reminded us what a versatile actor he is.

The same can be said of Kirstie Brough. She fizzed with energy whether it was as Gail Saunders, Miss Witham or Miss Prime but Kirstie also had a number of moments where subtle and nuance were to the fore.

Amy Jaggers underlined what a wonderful comic actress she is. Her characters really had depth and she must have got a laugh at every line. This is an actress who would surely shine in some form of one-woman show.

Above all, the three performers were a perfect balance. This play is delicately balanced. With ten characters it can become confusing, play the parts too much like cartoon characters and it loses its message. There was none of this here. The message at the end is as fresh in 2020 as it was in 1984.