A slight addition to a classic NZ play......
Scene - Wellington NZ, early-mid 1980s.
Young Sebulba is conducting a lengthy crusade in favour of ignorance at a second-rate Catholic high school.
With him is his trusty friend Andre.

Fate had put our two heroes in Old Arthur's English class, to study that classic NZ Play, The Pohutukawa Tree.
Truly, its boring stosh. Even if performed, I doubt there would be any kind of spark; recited at your desk, it was woeful.

But on a brighter note, Andre's copy of the play had been 'enhanced'.
Some nameless genius has written in another character.
Someone that had also decided this slow, boring play needed a boot up the ass.
The character was named Eby.

Now Eby's part wasn't huge (settle!!), but it was meticulously written for full effect.
Eby would enter a scene and say nothing for ages, until at the right moment a carefully chosen line (or lines) from him would change the scene from serious drama to outrageous comedy, whereupon he would leave.

Of course I ditched my copy and read off Andre's!
And Old Arthur never understood why in the midst of a big dramatic scene, Andre and I would be crying with laughter.

I wish the play had been kept so I could regale you with excerpts from it, but we handed it in so some other poor downtrodden saps could get a giggle from it in the future.

When I started writing comedy myself, I drew inspiration from the author's own efforts, and remembered his examples of timing and content.

To the unknown genius who wrote it - they should be studying YOUR version of the play. More fun all round! You are a Yoda amongst Jedis!

Length - 5 weeks of actually enjoying English classes.

BTW - RIP Old Arthur - the 88s never got you in the Desert, but Father Time did.
(Sebulba continues to fight evil with evil....., Sat 9 Oct 2010, 18:36, 1 reply)

Click for remembering your old teacher

(boozehound is drinking your bar dry, Sun 10 Oct 2010, 1:48, closed)