Class, Bush Theatre

We can never unlearn what we’re taught at school. Kids might not absorb facts and figures, but the subtle rules that govern society take root in the classroom. This is the impetus of Class, a sharp new play by Iseult Golden and David Horan, which has its London premiere in May 2019.

Taxi driver Brian (Stephen Jones) and his newly ex wife Donna (Sarah Morris) return to their old school, for a meeting with their son Jayden’s teacher. Mr McCafferty (Will O'Connell) is affable and highly educated—unlike his struggling student’s parents. His esoteric language alienates them, and the meeting deteriorates minutely but quickly.

Following successful runs in Dublin and Galway, and at the Edinburgh Fringe, The Bush Theatre will welcome the original cast and crew of Class, allowing audiences to witness what The Arts Review called ‘three terrific performances’.

The play cuts between the tense adults’ meeting and an after-school homework club, where Jayden and his friend Kaylie (played by Jones and Morris) are supervised by Mr McCafferty. Some reviewers called these cuts ‘contrived’; others praised the juxtaposition. Overall, the play has been very well received. The Irish Times deemed it ‘hugely entertaining’; The Sunday Times gave it five stars, calling it ‘an inspired look at society’.

At the Bush, Class forms part of a 2019 programme that is excitingly diverse—the final achievement of artistic director Madani Younis, who will become creative director of the Southbank Centre in the new year.