An entertaining and educational piece of children’s theatre that struggles to adapt fully to the stage.
The Olivier Award nominated The Boy At The Back Of The Class has taken the festival theatre stage and, in some ways, offers a gentle incline into Imaginate Festival’s presence in Edinburgh. This new play offers a glimpse into the exciting future of children’s theatre. There is a lot to praise, a lot to be excited by, and a lot that in the end falls short.
There are many qualities of The Boy At The Back Of The Class well worth raising up. Namely, that this is the exact kind of story needing to be told to young and receptive audiences in an era of misinformation. This can be a tired compliment (often only superficially adding to the criticism), but here it is true. Seemingly centralising the story of “Ahmet”, a young boy who joins a London school after fleeing Syria, this play takes on the mammoth task of educating (while entertaining) younger audiences on the current refugee climate. It succeeds, but not without stumbles.
Firstly, this set design by Lily Arnold is impeccable. Utilising an open space, versatile props, P.E. climbing frames and a cubic neon border, this set is adaptable and transformative; it hasn’t been done this well since The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night-Time. Performances are consistent and necessarily high energy, with a great wealth of comic performances (highlights being Abdul-Malik Janneh as “Michael” and Evie Weldon as “Clarissa”) and heart-felt performances (highlights being leads Serkan Avlik as “Ahmet” and Sasha Desouza-Willock as “Alexa”). Humorous moments and sharp choreography by movement director Kloé Dean, as well as a second half that reads Roald-Dahl-Esque, makes for a swell evening that is educational, visually impressive and entertaining for all ages.
The Boy At The Back’s biggest downfall, however, is its structural ambition. The play’s second half is engaging and provocative. This is done through impressive commentary on the media and its role in political action (and how kids of all ages can ask the right questions), as well as surprising but poignant descriptions of immigration hurdles. This, combined with accelerating action and a Queen of England Ex Machina, makes for a second half that is equal parts moving and stimulating. Unfortunately, the first half doesn’t succeed in the same ways.
While we are informed that this is Ahmet’s story (including an Act One finale where Ahmet yells “Why doesn’t anyone understand me?” – the audience now understanding Ahmet for the first time), the first act centralises Alexa, who describes Ahmet as “The Boy At The Back Of The Class”. This, plus “lion eyes” descriptions that come off as dated orient-style rhetoric at best, leads the first act into a rambling, action-less nose dive. At times there is room for engaging discussions on the “Stop The Boats” epidemic. However, the script mostly resorts to an ill-fitting Matilda style villain for conflict and an “it’s okay to be different” message in order to cross the finish line, potentially diluting its point and punch.
The first act finale indicates a turning point. Yet, it doesn’t truly deliver on its promise: to tell Ahmet’s story, as opposed to the world around him defining him. What results is an important show, with inspiring political confidence, humour and energy, but one that has to employ less than suitable tactics in order to exist. The audience, filled with all ages that night, leant forward at its heavier sections. Kids are smart, and also evidently more hungry for genuine information than ever. That said, more trust in this adaptation’s core concepts in the future may elevate this play from educational and entertaining to utterly revolutionary.