Named after the well-meaning but now partly discredited Bush-era education
initiative No Child Left Behind and based on her own experiences, Nilaja
Sun’s 80-minute show tells the story of a visiting teaching artist who
tries to get a class of uninterested, hostile teenagers at a rundown school
in the Bronx to put on a production of British playwright Timberlake
Wertenbaker’s 1988 play Our Country’s Good.
In Definition Theatre’s current revival, deftly directed by Chika Ike, the
roles are divided up among an ensemble of six actors. And though the cast
is very strong—Kirsten Chan is particularly winning as the visiting
teacher—the material sags. Sun’s characters are quickly drawn, perfect for
a solo performer making a quick changes, but they lack depth. We don’t feel
like we get to know anyone in the show well enough to feel in our hearts
their remarkable transformation—not even the main character. Nor do we see
enough of the student production of the play within a play to get why this
British play, of all plays—a play from the late 80s about prisoners in the
18th century putting on a play from 17th century—reaches these kids and
changes their lives. v
