This play is funny because it is about a class of children going on a school trip, and when children go on a school trip they usually mess about so it has to be a funny play. What helps it to be funnier is that there is a contrast of characters in the play. Reilly and Digga are the older kids who bully the younger kids and try to embarrass Colin and Susan. Linda and Karen both fancy Colin so the things that they do sometime to impress him or get close to him are sometimes funny. Willy Russell wants this play to appeal to kids and children are more likely to enjoy the play and understand the serious bits in the play if there is humour in the play as well. A lot of the funny parts in the play are when Linda and Karen are talking and flirting with Colin, and when Reilly and Digga try to embarrass Susan and Colin:
“Sir’s in love, sir’s in love…Agh, ey, he is in love with y’ though, isn’t he miss.”
“I’ll bet he wants t’ marry y’.”
“You’d be better off with me, miss. I’m better looking. An’ I’m sexier!”
“Sir, it’s dead spooky. It’s haunted isn’t it…Sit I’m frightened (linking his arm for protection)… But I’m frightened sir.”
(Grabbing his other arm) “Sir, so am I”
It is obvious that most of the time the kids are just taking the mick out of the teachers and want to embarrass them. This is funny because even though the teachers are older, they are being made uncomfortable and getting embarrassed by the children.
Reilly and Digga are the two who joke and take the mick the most, because whenever they get the chance they try to do something to trick someone in some way. Another funny part in the play is when Mrs Kay and Kevin are arguing about going swimming in the sea:
“…Agh, miss, I’d be all right, miss…I wouldn’t get drowned, miss…Oh, miss…Oh…miss…Agh…Just for five minutes, miss.”
“Kevin Bryant…come here.”
“Don’t, miss…don’t or I’ll spray y’…Oh no miss.”
“Now who wanted to go swimming Kevin?”
Other points that Willy Russell tries to raise in this play is about poor children who are not very clever, who are in a progress class. They do not have very good lives because they are poor and they live in horrible areas in Liverpool. The core of the play lies between Mrs Kay and Mr Briggs and their different philosophies about teaching. Mrs Kay believes that the kids should have fun because they have no chance of being successful but Mr Briggs thinks they should still be strictly educated.
They are many different types of characters in this play which make it better because there is such a contrast between some of the characters. Mrs Kay just wants the children to have fun. Mr Briggs is a stricter teacher who believes the children should be well educated. Colin and Susan are two younger teachers who are lovers and get embarrassed by the kids. Carol is one of the main characters. She is a young girl in the progress class who lives in a horrible in Liverpool. Her dream is to live in a nice house with a nice garden and trees. When she goes to Wales she thinks is her dream place. The main part of the story is based on what happens with Carol and Mr Briggs at the beach.
This play is obviously not written just to make the audience laugh. Willy Russell does have a lot of things in this play to make us laugh but there are also many serious points in the play. I do not agree that the sole purpose of this play was to make the audience laugh.
