We headed back to the 80s at Joseph Rowntree Theatre – as we watched the John Godber classic Shakers come to life, with characters bolder than the eyeliner they were sporting.
The Rowntree Players were ready to bring us a surfeit of multi-rolling madness, as we stepped into a legendary cocktail bar.
There was a stereotype to be found around every corner as the actors arrived in their bright pink shirts and brought us their first hand experiences of working in this unruly industry. They introduced us to their wide variety of clientele, which enabled each actor the opportunity to shine under Jamie Mckeller’s excellent direction.
The clever lighting design hooked the audience from the moment the performance started which paired excellently with the synchronised music, welcomed us into the party! A party which continued throughout the carefully chosen soundtrack of 80s classics which blended each scene together, sometimes even with a welcome surprise dose of choreography too. There was a song for everyone whether it was Club Tropicana, All Night Long or Girls Just Wanna Have Fun…
…And indeed they did as we met the charismatic ladies donning the uncomfortable white plimsols and larger than life hairdos. Sophie Bullivant’s overly opinionated Carol, Abi Carter’s self-assured Adele, Laura Castle’s wild Mel and Holly Smith’s naive Nicki, gave us an excellent glimpse into life at Shakers.
Whilst their personalities may differ, they share one clear common goal: how can they make life better for themselves. I especially enjoyed seeing this honest vulnerability through their individual monologues shared within the performance.
But there wasn’t just four characters onstage – these incredible actors created a full ensemble before our eyes, whether the snooty golf-playing wealthy folk to the locals on their big fancy night out. With very limited additional costuming or props the cast were able to effortlessly create each character, relying solely on their talent, physicality and voice acting.
Despite the legendary bar itself being the home of most of these portrayals, one of my personal highlights was our trip to the The Red Lion, where a mundane monologue about wood raised an eruption of laughter from the entire audience – who knew?!
But even with the comedy permeating throughout, there was a undeniable undertone to the narrative that – regardless of it feeling like a rather dated script – still resonated perfectly today. With themes of pregnancy, termination, abusive relationships, grooming and women’s safety being highlighted, you couldn’t help but feel protective of these characters and worry at their naivety; we can only wish these problems weren’t just as relevant in today’s modern society.
Whilst I appreciated the simple set, effective lighting and iconic soundtrack, the praise must go to the four brilliant actors who took on the difficult fast-paced dialogue and embodied each and every new character for us to enjoy – which was sometimes a thankless task from a rather reserved audience.
This was an outpour of comedy, impressive multi-rolling, and non-stop energy. You know you’ll be in for a great shock watching this play and that’s just hearing the cocktails be £2…that’s enough to make anyone nostalgic!
Shakers was at Joseph Rowntree Theatre from Thursday 14 to Saturday 16 March.
Rowntree Players‘ next show will be Grimm Tales at the Joseph Rowntree Theatre from 11-13 July. Visit the Joseph Rowntree Theatre website to see their full programme of upcoming events.