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Class Enemy

NIGEL WILLIAMS

| English Theatre |

INTRODUCTION

In this review, I am going to talk about “Class enemy”, a play written by Nigel Williams in 1978, and first performed at the Theatre Upstairs, the 9th March 1978, and on the 4th^ April at the Royal Court Theatre, London. PLOT The play is about six students, so savage and rude that teachers are not willing to teach them. They destroy the classroom and argue about what to do, finally Iron has the idea of giving short lessons by themselves. Nipper starts talking about his drunk father, and then Sweetheart talks about sex. Iron argues about the way they are giving those lessons, because they are not lessons, just speeches. Then Rack gives his “lesson”, although his friends ask him to do talk about sex and gardening, he just talks about gardening and winderboxes as a craft which converts into a plant. Suddenly, master arrives calling Cameron (Snatch) to leave, and announces that he does not know if a teacher will come. The boys are angry with the system. Nipper talks about black people and says what they do to go from Africa to any country until Sweetheart sees a teacher going to their class. In act two, no teacher finally goes to the class, and students argue about teachers, and social workers. Snatch arrives again, and they receive him as if they were militaries. Snatch gives a lesson about winders and narrates also the first time someone called him “nigger”, when he finishes everybody congratulates him. Iron and Sky-light start arguing and hitting themselves, after this Sky-light tries to give her lesson about cooking a British dish, Bread and butter pudding, although Iron is always interrupting and bothering her. Iron and Sky-light fight again until Sky-light is beaten on the

the boss of the class and is always arguing, interrupting and destroying everything; in fact, he hits Sky-light.

• Snatch is a thick black boy, who has recently arrived from Brixton where he was with a social worker. His real name is Cameron. He is the most admired boy of the group.
• The Master is a secondary character, who is tired of these teenagers and he has gave up on them. STRUCTURE, STYLE AND LANGUAGE The play is structured in two acts. It is written in prose, with lineal chronology, and the entire play happens during the afternoon. The story can be realistic as it happens in some schools. The language is a mix of argot, jerk and teenager slang, and it is very difficult to read and understand; some parts of the play are written in capital letters as if characters were shouting. STAGE PROPS The stage designs are described at the beginning of act one, characters are in a schoolroom, located in south London. The classroom is destroyed, painted, and the chairs, desks, windows and doors too. CRITICAL EVALUATION In my opinion, after spending days reading and trying to understand what it was happening, and what characters were saying; I do not like the play, I believe this fact is not due to the content or the aim of the play, but because of the language. For me it has been really difficult to read and understand everything because I am not used to read this kind of non-literary language.

However, I think that the content is good; Williams shows us another society far from the manners of “The Importance of Being Earnest” or “Mrs Warren Profession”. Nigel Williams shows us young people with different and difficult lives trying to pass time until a teacher arrives, this last fact remembers me of “Waiting for Godot” a play by Becket. Both show people waiting for something to happen but never happens, and in both plays characters spend their time talking about life and giving speeches, a way of seeing how characters are and what they think about different topics: as in this play sex, black people or defence. Moreover, we can see their behaviour while waiting and listening to each other’s lessons. As an example, we can see that Iron is self-centred and egocentric, while Racks tries to help the rest. In addition, that although Sky-light is being bullied, in such a way, by Iron at the end of the play he tries to calm him down. To sum up, that it is not directly said how they behave we can know it by their actions and speeches. Finally, I consider that by the content is a good play, but by the language is very difficult to understand, so that maybe it is just recommended to people with a high level of English. I would have liked to see it on scene, because I think it would be more understandable and visual. BIBLIOGRAPHY Williams, Nigel. Class Enemy. Methuen Modern, 1978.