Review: BAD TEACHER, Pleasance London

“Welcome to Evie’s classroom! Please, take a seat.”

Bad Teacher, written by and starring Erin Holland, begins with a video introducing us to the world of 2019, in which Gavin Williamson is the Secretary of State for Education of the United Kingdom, student mental health is declining and teachers are losing faith in the education system they have dedicated themselves to. As someone interested in the politics of the education system and mental health in general, I was immediately interested in the show. But, almost immediately, the tone of the show shifts as Evie enters the room, singing along to a recording of “Mama Says.” 

Evie introduces herself to the audience, explaining that tonight is the night that every teacher dreads - the parent-teacher conference. From the beginning, you can tell that Evie is not your classic, stereotypical teacher - she’s a “cool” teacher, comparing cats being scared of cucumbers to how women react to “dick pics” in the morning. For today, she has three goals - Use her “BPE” (“Big Pussy Energy”), help Joy (her favourite student), and try not to cry. 

Holland is a great physical actor and is able to seamlessly switch between a range of accents throughout the show, but her performance fails to support a story that cannot choose between serious politics and wild, over-dramatic sexual jokes. Throughout the show, there are moments in which politics are thrown in with no strong effect, especially when in between graphic sex jokes. I would have been interested in hearing more about how politics had affected Evie’s teaching, but we are instead told stories about the teacher going to a day rave or having sex with a man and breaking his penis. 

One awkward moment included a rap/rant titled “An Ode to Gavin Williamson,” in which Evie rambles about her hatred for the Tories and how they have destroyed the education system. Again, this could have been much more powerful if it had been more of a focus throughout the show. Instead, we are given parodies of a range of films and shows including The Walking Dead, The Godfather, Jaws, The Incredible Hulk and The Hunger Games. Serious moments, including topics like body dysmorphia and suicide, are cut into short scenes, always ended by “Mama Says.”

There are some fun moments of crowd work, including one particularly hilarious moment in which an audience member muttered “Oh, God,” when being selected and was then referred to as “God” for the rest of the show. Another highlight of the show, which would have worked much better if the entire show was in a lighter tone, was the moment in which Ofsted calls the school, throwing everything into chaos. 

Ultimately, Bad Teacher is a show that struggles to decide whether it is going to be a serious reflection on mental health in the current education system or a funny tale from the perspective of an exhausted young teacher. 

Bad Teacher ran at Pleasance London’s Main House Cabaret from 25 to 27 October.

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