The Cane at The Royal Court

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.