'No Child...' won't be left behind
|
by Hedy Weiss "No Child..." (the title riffs on the government initiative "No Child Left Behind," but also subtly suggests that the lives of many children are gutted of innocence from very early on) is a marvel on every level. It should be seen by anyone fascinated by the way an empty stage can be filled by the sheer power of voice, body language and a brilliant interpreter of character. But more crucially, it should be mandatory viewing for every government official in this nation, and for all those who believe it is possible to write off the public school system and still have a country with a future. First produced Off Broadway, and now on a national touring stop here at Lookingglass Theatre, the 2007 Obie Award-winning "No Child..." is based on Sun's experiences as an artist-in-residence at a Bronx high school, where she spent six weeks working with "the worst class in the school." Her goal: to have her students read, analyze, rehearse and perform Timberlake Wertenbaker's complex play, "Our Country's Good." It's an inspired choice of material, as this is the tale of the first theatrical production in Australia, performed in 1789 by a group of semiliterate convicts. The obstacles facing Sun are all but overwhelming -- from the total lack of discipline in the classroom to the catastrophes that befall these kids on the homefront and mean streets. And she comes very close to throwing in the towel. But of course she and her students finally triumph in their modest yet monumental way. Small and fleet, with a brilliant ability to nail attitudes, accents and defensive postures, Sun plays herself (the artist struggling to pay her rent) and also conjures the whole school "family": the old black custodian who has watched the changes in the school over many decades; the surly Jamaican security guard who reinforces the notion that the kids are under a form of lockdown; Miss Tam, the Asian-American investment banker-turned-teacher who tries her best but eventually is undone; the imperturbable and very Noo Yawk-sounding school principal; the tough-as-nails Russian replacement teacher; the Hispanic grandmother. Of course, it's the kids who star: Jerome, the hostile, self-styled "gangsta"; Jose, the sweet boy who loses his brother; Shandrika, the princess of bling, and, best of all, Philip, the boy who triumphs over his speech defect. The show runs just 75 minutes, and climaxes with a few priceless moments from the kids' performance. You might well find yourself wishing Sun could reprise the entire spectacle. But the excerpts are so vivid, so searing, so true and so heartbreaking that you see it all in your mind's eye anyway. 'NO CHILD...' HIGHLY RECOMMENDED |
More from No Child... |
