“My teacher, the anti-hero“

Reviewer: Walter Chan
Performance: 1 August 2014

A carefully-crafted rehash on an old topic that provides fleeting glimpses of brilliance amid the banal subject matter.

(from left to right): Christopher Fok, Marcia Vanderstraaten, Lian Sutton and Jasmine Xie Huilin. Photograph: The Common Folk

At one point of the play, Christopher Fok’s character, a Junior College teacher, takes a long drag on his cigarette, pauses, and muses, “Why are we held more accountable than the rest of humanity when we are just as human?”

Indeed, this is not an ode to the model teacher. Directed by Christopher Fok and written by Marcia Vanderstraaten, Micromanage Overwork Exaggerate (mind the acronym) comes in the wake of certain members of the teaching profession making headlines for the wrong reasons.

The play consists of vignettes staged in the round, using minimal and modest props. But don’t let the description fool you – some stylised scenes are creatively executed, for example when two teachers take up badminton rackets and engage in a conversation with an over-defensive parent (played with delicious gusto by Vanderstraaten). The parallel between Vanderstraaten’s rapid-fire dialogue and the teachers’ simultaneous efforts to valiantly fend off a barrage of imaginary shuttlecocks sent titters of laughter among the audience.

Other strokes of genius include the twisting of Singaporean platitudes like “Thinking Schools, Learning Nation” and “Teach Less, Learn More”, to serve as cynical taglines for an education system too deeply entrenched in its rigidity. As one character noted, “We must scaffold the syllabus; our kids cannot be trusted to handle it on their own!” – a testament to playwright Vanderstraaten’s subversive wordplay, clearly in her element with the dry wit on display here.

However, while Micromanage Overwork Exaggerate managed to achieve a passing mark, it failed to meet the grade for outstanding work.

Audiences familiar with Singapore theatre might immediately spot a resemblance to Haresh Sharma’s critically acclaimed Those Who Can’t, Teach. Indeed, as the play progressed I was waiting with bated breath for an “aha” moment that would set it apart from Haresh’s 1990 production. Alas, all Micromanage Overwork Exaggerate did was update the context, but not the conflicts at its core.

Which is a pity, because the team of actors were, on the whole, competent. And Fok’s direction showed definite potential of him becoming a strong theatre director. Unfortunately, it did not translate into the performance, which felt sparse because of two reasons: One, the modest running time of one hour. Two, the central staging, which normally is supposed to bring the audience closer to the performance, but in this case backfired by pulling the actors’ energy in all directions, resulting in an unfocused viewing experience.

Nonetheless, being a young company, the team behind The Common Folk has time to learn and grow. This group exhibits tremendous potential and, who knows, they just might be the first-class thespians of tomorrow.