For those of us
whose schooldays are a distant memory, corporal punishment for certain misdemeanours
were a fact of life. You badly misbehaved,
got caught and, likely as not, the result would be an encounter with the dreaded
cane. It’s therefore not so easy to view
the subject of Mark Ravenhill’s new
play, currently playing at The Royal
Court, as shocking. But then this
isn’t a play just about a defunct method of doling out punishment.
Three of our
finest actors, Nicola Walker, Alun
Armstrong and Maggie Steed make
up the cast. Armstrong’s Edward, a deputy head teacher is about to retire after
a career spanning 45 years. His loyal wife,
Maureen (Steed) is looking forward
to his celebratory send off, whilst their estranged daughter, Anna (Walker), is paying them a long overdue
visit. But this is no jolly trip home to see Mum and Dad. Anna is not welcome and hasn’t been for a
long time. Plus, the retirement
celebrations may well not take place. Her
parents are under siege from a large group of Edward’s pupils who are
demonstrating against his role in the school’s adherence to corporal punishment
before its ban in 1986. Edward insists
of course that he was only carrying out orders, but did he enjoy dishing out “six
of the best”? He veers between hard-done
by exemplary teacher to a man with an extremely short fuse and it becomes clear
that wife Maureen is more than a little cowed.
Despite her protestations that the outside demonstrations are totally
without validation one wonders if this is what she truly believes. Anna, meanwhile, whilst seemingly there to try
and calm the situation, has other fish to fry.
A local academy to which she is affiliated, is out to make a bid for her
father’s ailing school.
Whilst Edward
is representative of a patriarchal society, the playwright makes it clear that
he’s not in total control. Help is
needed from his wife, especially when he needs to climb the ladder into the
loft and from his daughter when he needs to write a report for the school
inspectors. Anna, a supposed representative
of modern liberalism, peppers her language with phrases such as “best practice”,
suggesting that the apple hasn’t fallen far from the tree with regard to
inflexibility. And her actions at the end of the play show she has maybe
inherited more of her father’s traits than she would probably like to admit.
Unless, of course, she is just paying him back for his treatment of her whilst
growing up. Much is open to
interpretation.
Chloe Lamford has designed a room that is the absolute
antithesis of cosy. With a complete lack
of any creature comforts and housing a crumbling staircase and attic that
eventually bears down on the cast threatening to squash them, it conjures up desolation
to a T.
The three
actors are exemplary. Alun Armstrong effortlessly shifts from
school masterly pride in what he has achieved to out and out bully in a
heartbeat. Maggie Steed, pithy at the start, transforms into the archetypal
dominated wife and the always
brilliant Nicola Walker beautifully
hints at the cruelty lying beneath her character’s liberal exterior. Add to the mix, Vicky Featherstone’s adept direction and The Cane is a play in our #MeToo times that gives the audience many
surprises.
