John Godber, one of Britain's most well-known contemporary playwrights, popular due to his ability to turn the mirror round on the people he so easily lampoons, shining a light on our popular culture and our everyday lives with razor-edge wit and precision. His most iconic and evergreen play, 'Bouncers' was written way back in 1977, and it still packs a punch with audiences 45 years' later! Some years after 'Bouncers' bounced off the page, he collaborated with Jane Thornton to come up with a sequel, showing the other side of the coin, and in 1984, 'Shakers' was born. Both plays are full length 120-minute non-stop comedies, and both utilise only four performers to portray a whole both the male and female parts, which is part of the hilarity and appeal of these plays.
This evening at Romiley's Forum Theatre, the adults of NK Theatre Arts presented the both plays in the same evening; and so in order to do so, they condensed them into 60-minute one act plays, and (as is the way with these comedies) added their own modernisations and contemporary references where appropriate. The John Godber company seem always happy to update and modernise the scripts to keep the relevant.
They started with 'Shakers', the all-female romp of four inept and forever-dreaming-of-something-better cocktail waitresses. 'Shakers' is a little more serious than 'Bouncers', and each of the four characters has their own 'monologue in which they delve deeper into their own psyche and we learn more about them before they became the cocktail waitresses that we see on stage. 'Shakers' is an exposé on the life of a cocktail waitress, the degradations she has to suffer and of the clientele that people such an establishment. It is fast-paced, with each vignette practically overlapping the one before it, and thus it requires the actresses to be able to switch characters in the blink of an eye.
Our four waitresses this evening were Emily Stannage, Becky Larner, Georgia Goodwin, and Freia Reidel-Fisher. The play started excellently with an upbeat comedy dance routine, but a little more projection from the cast, especially in the quieter, more reflective moments would have been appreciated. Their female gossip and tittle-tattle was nicely handled, but I do feel that their male roles were somewhat underdeveloped. Directed by Jennie Davies and Pete Curran, the pace at times was to slow, and the pauses between each scenelet was too long. A little more attention to detail when miming (especially taking off and putting on clothing) would have made those particular scenes more realistic. There were some genuinely funny moments and the cast worked well together as an ensemble, but in general, it was not as slick or as laugh-a-second as it could have been, with some of the jokes falling a little flat sadly. The four actresses did give sterling performances however, and did exactly what was asked / required of them from the directors.
After the interval and we found ourselves outside a nightclub with the four bouncers who, like the ladies in 'Shakers' are tasked with performing not only their roles but al the other characters too, including the drunken females who frequent the club. Insightful, and hilarious, and written in the same way as 'Shakers', meaning the transitions between characters and themes is seamless and full-throttle. Again, as with 'Shakers', the play started with an upbeat and humorous way, this time with a rap from the four bouncers. A great opener, and helped the four to keep the pace and maintain their high energy roles throughout. In the main, this was more successful than the 'Shakers' play, with fewer pauses, and more raw energy, making the scene and character changes swifter. There seemed to be a better understanding of this play in general, from both cast and director, and indeed as an audience member, I both saw and felt the audience lift for this play, laughing and applauding more. Our four stereotypical caricatures this evening were Mike Lamont, Simon Bownas-Topley, Terry Halliday, and Darren Stannage.
A fun and enjoyable evening out. It has been a long while since I last saw either play, and reacquainting myself with these overt and comedic creations was a joy. NK Theatre Arts continue to inspire and produce quality theatre, and deserve a wider audience.
Reviewer - Matthew Dougall
on - 10.3.23
on - 10.3.23
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