Teacher-student comedy scores an "A"

REVIVED once more by a very gifted cast and creative team, The Necessary Stage (TNS) play Those Who Can't, Teach is a class act among teacher-student dramas. It was first staged in 1990 - just three years after TNS was formed - and subsequently reworked for the 2010 Singapore Arts Festival. It was then, as it is now, an absolute hoot.

The play revolves around Mrs Phua (played by Karen Tan), a dedicated middle-aged teacher who always goes the extra mile for her students at Marine Parade Secondary School. Around her, the younger teachers run the gamut from the good but jaded Ms Hana (Siti Khalijah Zainal) to the politically-astute but insincere Mr Wong (Joshua Lim) to the new and naive Mr Lim (Lian Sutton).

From the get-go, what's refreshing about Those Who Can't, Teach is its unfettered look at a teacher's burden, from having to deal with demanding parents and school administrators, to the formidable task of teaching itself. Teachers are expected to be role models. But apart from Mrs Phua, few teachers here make the grade.