I thought people might be interested in Peter Reardon’s review/views on Old Nick’s current production The Christian Brothers.

THE CHRISTIAN BROTHERS

Three weeks after playing Claudius in Hamlet, he opens in this Australian classic. Either he’s mad or he has way too much time on his hands. Whatever the reason, James Casey and Darren Sangwell have done us all a favour. I last saw Ron Blair’s The Christian Bothers a few years ago in John Bell’s production at the Theatre Royal, and the first thing that springs to mind is that it fits much better in the Backspace. The concept of a teacher treating the audience as his pupils gets lost in a larger space, but it really feels as though it was written for this environment. (I did wonder whether the auditorium lights should have been left on, but that may have been a bit much.)

My primary school education was in a Catholic school, and there are elements of this script that are almost physically painful. I could not only hear that strap as it descended on its unfortunate victim, it brought back memories of being caned at the age of eight – and I maintain to this day that I was innocent! I recited each word of the Hail Mary along with the Brother – not deliberately but because it is so deeply embedded within me that I had no choice. The Brother’s words about eternity and the horror of an eternity in Hell awoke feelings still there within me – as they say, Once a Catholic, always a Catholic. This is great writing, and as with all great writing it deserves to be treated with respect and be allowed to speak for itself without the imposition of direction or performance that could get in its way.

Fortunately, that is what we get. James Casey has the air of one who has taught the same lessons, in the same words, in the same room, to the same recalcitrant students (and their older brothers, and their fathers) for many years. He doesn’t need to check the page of the textbook he refers to – he knows it backwards. His outrage at the whispered dirty joke in the classroom is the anger of one who has had the same thoughts but been forced to repress them. He lives in a world enclosed behind walls and simply does not understand that the world beyond those walls is changing in ways he will never see – or comprehend even if he could. He invokes the history of the Brothers as sufficient justification for the continuation of the Order in the same fashion: if it was good enough for us it’s good enough for you. He displays all the prejudices against other schools and religions that he so resents when displayed against his own. He repeats many times that he does not care what success his former students have attained, but always with a feeling of wonder at the concept of success. He is frustrated, lonely, sincere, resentful, intelligent and ignorant. I felt at one point that he could have been a little more conspiratorial in his words of advice to the boys on how to avoid having their work identified as that of a Catholic, but that takes nothing away from a performance that is simple, straightforward and honest, allowing Blair’s words to tell their own story and inflict their own pain.

But as much as the script can be painful and evoke memories long kept secret, so it can entertain and amuse, and again Casey and director Sangwell have not wasted the opportunities presented. Musings on the difficulties of chastity are obvious targets for mirth, and the rituals and rigours of religious education are eye-opening for some, and the source of a definitely black humour for others. The piece of chalk aimed at a hapless student while in the middle of a prayer; the despair at a piece of incompetent homework; the threats of disciplinary action we have all heard – for some a reason for laughter, for others a wry smile as a memory is recalled. The setting is simple and sparse, as is the school, and lighting and sound are quietly effective.

If The Christian Brothers is new to you, enjoy it as a wonderful performance piece and a great portrayal of an era and an education system now gone, and if you have seen it before, see it again in a setting that adds immediacy and intimacy to a terrific piece of writing. It is also a compliment to Old Nick that it has managed to stage, in quick succession, a new local play, its annual revue, a Shakespeare classic and a revival of a great Australian play. Not bad for the first seven months of the year.

Peter Reardon