SURREY MIRROR REVIEW – JUNE 2006

Bouncers and Shakers

Epsom Players, Epsom Playhouse

Reviewed by Tony Flook

EPSOM Players' latest production was a 'two for the price of one' offer - two of John Godber's most popular plays, both trimmed down to one act and combined, to give an evening of almost non-stop laughs, balanced out with a little philosophising.

The pieces have similar themes - in one we see four men as 'door supervisors' outside a seedy northern nightclub; in the other, four girls eke out a mind-numbing living as waitresses at a superficially friendly cocktail bar. Either way, they have little regard for their clientele - their mimicking shows up the worst excesses of the drunks and upper-class twits encountered by the 'bouncers', the snooty clients and ape-men served by the 'shakers'.

All eight players interpreted their multiple roles to near perfection although the men were, if anything, better at portraying women than vice-versa (don't take it the wrong way, guys, it's a compliment to your acting ability!).

Phil Boswell stood out as Lucky Eric, the hard man, who stepped forward to give perfectly timed and modulated insights into his surprisingly moralistic outlook. Lewis Wilmott was notable as doorman Ralph and, in turn, a sleazy DJ and a fun-loving girl on a night out.

It was encouraging to see young talent in the female lineup. Kate Raye caught attention when her main character, Carol, gave a monologue expressing her burning ambition to be a professional photographer. Amy Putt, who also took on a wide range of persona, was notable as waitress Nicky who has just got a contract to dance on a cruise liner.

The entire cast had obviously studied their individual characters in detail and rehearsed together meticulously to achieve such consistently sharp interchanges as well as seamless switching from one scenario to another.

Surprisingly, the plays didn't seem to have aged significantly - unless my mind is still stuck in my perception of nightclub life and the cafe society of 20-plus years ago.

Yes, there is a degree of repetition in the jokes and situations so the thread wears a bit thin towards the end and even after careful pruning by director Paul Falconer the evening was slightly long.

This is, though, a minor criticism and the more lasting impression will be one of a talented team giving an excellent interpretation of humorous yet incisive material.