Shakers – Re-stirred but not shaken
May 24, 2018
Last night saw the opening night of the Society’s latest production, Shakers – Re-stirred by John Godber and Jane Thornton.
The play, which was thoroughly enjoyed by an appreciative audience, is set in Shakers cocktail bar in a typical North of England town. Set in Thatcher’s 1980’s Britain, in the type of establishment where the happy hours are not always very happy, especially for the waitresses who have to put up with the different punters they encounter – and all with a smile on their face.
We see the girls: Carol (Paula Milne), Adele (Caroline MacDiarmid), Nicky (Kay Brown) and Mel (Kim Brown) tell the story, in a kind of flashback, from their viewpoint . By using accent, body language and voice, we see them encounter a group of lads on the pull, pompus businessmen, silly supermarket checkout girls, a loved up couple and the rest.
The play, under the experienced direction of Martin McKay, moves along at a brisk pace and moves seamlessly from scene to scene. Interspersed with this, we also hear the personal stories of the waitresses, the reasons they are working in Shakers, what lies behind the practised smiles and what their dreams are for the future. These insights are very well delivered and add real pathos to the comedy.
Shakers is a sassy, smart, funny and insightful slice of life which is easy on the eye and all in all, a very good evenings entertainment.
The play, which was thoroughly enjoyed by an appreciative audience, is set in Shakers cocktail bar in a typical North of England town. Set in Thatcher’s 1980’s Britain, in the type of establishment where the happy hours are not always very happy, especially for the waitresses who have to put up with the different punters they encounter – and all with a smile on their face.
We see the girls: Carol (Paula Milne), Adele (Caroline MacDiarmid), Nicky (Kay Brown) and Mel (Kim Brown) tell the story, in a kind of flashback, from their viewpoint . By using accent, body language and voice, we see them encounter a group of lads on the pull, pompus businessmen, silly supermarket checkout girls, a loved up couple and the rest.
The play, under the experienced direction of Martin McKay, moves along at a brisk pace and moves seamlessly from scene to scene. Interspersed with this, we also hear the personal stories of the waitresses, the reasons they are working in Shakers, what lies behind the practised smiles and what their dreams are for the future. These insights are very well delivered and add real pathos to the comedy.
Shakers is a sassy, smart, funny and insightful slice of life which is easy on the eye and all in all, a very good evenings entertainment.
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