Posted: Tuesday 27 October 2009
Morrison’s Pupil Directs ‘Exam’ Success
As part of a charity fund-raising campaign to finance a trip to The Gambia, Morrison's Academy pupil Ciaran O'Kane recently staged a production of Andy Hamilton's 'The Exam' in Memorial Hall. Performing to a sell-out auditorium, the cast delivered a slick, professional and, at times, hilarious one and a half hours of entertainment.
'The Exam', written by 'Drop the Dead Donkey' and 'Have I Got News for You' celebrity Andy Hamilton, takes a comic look at the pressures put on young people by parents and teachers. Andrew, Chas and Bea are three school pupils of varying academic ability who find themselves at the same exam hall, waiting for their papers. As the wait lengthens, each has to survive a powerful barrage of self-doubt, parental pressure and adult incompetence. They must come to terms with themselves, their peers and their parents - provoked and helped by 'Ex', the mysterious voice of the exam.
The actors playing the three central characters of Bea, Andrew and Chas not only had the challenge of a prodigious amount of line learning and being on stage for all three acts, they also had to gel as an ensemble unit. Lindsey Macdonald (Bea), Douglas Guthrie (Andrew) and Callum Strong (Chas) combined brilliantly to convey the teenage angst inherent in exam performance.
Lindsey, playing the academic high flier who feels increasingly imprisoned by other people's expectations (particularly her idolizing parents, played with toe-curlingly embarrassing cloyingness by Ciaran O'Kane and Arabella Munro) perfectly captured Bea's complex transition from haughty ice maiden, through self-loathing (with hints of anorexic tendencies) to a relaxed and content individual. Lindsey's performance highlighted the message that academic success is only meaningful if placed within a life that is fully-rounded.
Douglas Guthrie's interpretation of Andrew, the worrier with a teenage ulcer, was a tour de force of comic acting. Douglas' malleable face highlighted every subtle nuance of self-doubt. The character Andrew is so terrified of failure he cannot function under pressure and is physically sick: Douglas' facial expressions charting the slide into debilitating nausea was a master class in comic timing of which Rowan Atkinson would have been proud. Of the three main characters, Andrew travels the most, literally as well as metaphorically, to self-enlightenment. His transformation in the final act, where he finds peace within himself, was beautifully caught by Douglas: his bright, beaming face will live long in the memory. The root of Andrew's insecurities is his ferociously ambitious father who vicariously places too much expectation on the fragile boy's shoulders. Mr A was expertly portrayed by Lindsay Duncan who dominated the stage with his physical presence and a fine delivery of the father's trademark hyperbolic metaphors. Charlotte Pritchard quietly, but subtly, captured Andrew's world weary mother who tries in vain to keep the peace.
The third main character is Chas, a chaotic under-achiever who is haunted by the unhelpful ghost of his absent-minded father. Callum Strong hit the right note in his portrayal of the wind-up merchant with a heart of gold. With a cheeky demeanour, Callum caught the anarchic mischievousness of Chas perfectly and, when called upon to go beyond the character's rough exterior, he exuded sensitivity and charm when helping Bea and Andrew through their problems. One of the reasons why Chas behaves the way he does is his messy family life. Ruby McKinnell, playing the fun-loving but ditzy single mum Mrs C, perfectly complemented Callum in the domestic scenes. Lewis Hamilton, the forgetful dead father, was equally good in his other worldly doziness and constantly befuddled state.
The teacher who invigilates the exam is the hapless Miss Baxendale. Emily Coffey delivered a controlled and polished performance and captured the brittleness of a woman whose personal life was colliding spectacularly with her professional one. She is jilted by the cantankerous PE teacher Mr Biggs and Lewis Doig dripped venomous sarcasm most effectively until his justifiable comeuppance towards the end of the play.
Congratulations must go to Ciaran O'Kane for successfully producing and directing 'The Exam'. The money raised from this production will support the work of the UK-Africa Fellowship and help to refurbish a derelict building which will provide accommodation to encourage teachers from the capital to work in a remote area of The Gambia.