EXCLUDE ME. To 22 March.

London

EXCLUDE ME
by Judith Johnson

Chelsea Theatre To 12 April 2003
Runs 1hr 35min No interval
Mon-Sat 8pm

TICKETS: 0870 990 8454
www.chelseatheatre.org.uk
Review: Timothy Ramsden 1 March

Tense drama well-acted and directed but hindered by its plot-device.We're being taught something here, but what? Comprehensive School Physics teacher Ken Barrett is not as simply put-upon as he likes to tell us. It adds a speculative complexity to the tense, if contrived, atmosphere of the best (and only?) school hostage drama since Barrie Keeffe's Gotcha in the 1970s.

There it was the frustrated Kid who improvised the imprisonment of two teachers. In what Johnson calls 'a flight of fantasy' it's the revengeful ex-teacher – debarred from working after having assaulted young Wayne – who executes a planned kidnap of the lad and, less convincingly, bright young A* pupil Jessica, on GCSE results day.

This gives the play its tension, yet is also its weakest aspect. Barrett veers between impossible demands about his former job, having his version of the incident heard, and aimless hatred. It's crucial to him know people Wayne hit out first: something that would have made no difference to the course of events.

The play becomes more interesting as other characters' views emerge (conflict of voices being the basis of drama). What always killed student sympathy for Barrett was his sarcasm: he continues to ladle it out - his insults about Wayne's lap-dancer mother are sheer spite.

For reasons that finally become clear, Kay Bridgeman's ex-trouble girl single mum stays in monologuing isolation. Sveltly-clad in slender clothing, arms and hands gesturing as she speaks, Yvonne's hopes for her boy have a sincerity that bites deeper than Sir's sarcastic bile (it'a a neat detail the young people continue calling Barrett 'Sir' by habit).

Jonathan Guy Lewis has a hard-eyed hate as Barrett; Michael Obiora begins with generalised shuffling but goes on to develop an unexpressed intelligence and emotional force, a touching pride in his lone GCSE. Best of all in John Burgess's spare, unfussy production is Katie Donnison's Jessica, the character whereby Johnson shows 'star' pupils can be as thoughtlessly pigeon-holed as 'troublemakers'.

She comes nearest (precipitating the crisis) to breaking from the issue-led neatness of things: Wayne as an underachieving Black male teenager, single parents, teacher-workload. All informative but a little too neat in a forcefully-written play that could do better without its mainspring plot device.

Ken: Jonathan Guy Lewis
Jessica: Katie Donnison
Wayne: michael Obiora
Yvonne: Kay Bridgeman

Director: John Burgess
Designer: Simon Daw
Lighting: Flick Ansell
Fight director: Terry King

2003-03-02 09:44:53