Review: Bouncers Remix

When John Godber wrote “Bouncers” his target audience was not your regular theatre goer, but the untapped and probably uninterested northern, working class. Unsurprisingly, as a fresher-packed Venue 2 swelled to contain its eager audience, I looked around and was sure that there were very few members of the audience that actually fit this social background. Godber’s observational comedy illuminates the degrading way in which the human race pursues the liberty and revelry (albeit temporary) of a night out, and as the performance began I was confident that the entire room would find it easy to relate to Bouncers Remix regardless of social background.

Despite a small cast of four, a whole segment of society was let loose upon the stage, ranging from weather-beaten, hard-nosed doormen to self-proclaimed sexy, but sometimes sordid young women, out on an alcohol fuelled night. Having to literally morph into a new character, and often gender, on the turn of a heel, the actors were required to completely transform their physicality and voice seamlessly. Each member of the ensemble did this well which made for a highly energised and enjoyable performance. These smooth transitions were also aided by the effective use of physical theatre which enabled the actors to control their surroundings, giving them the stage presence required to engage an audience. The ‘taxi drive home’ scene was a particularly memorable example of this.

This play relies on the strength of its ensemble: lack of commitment from one actor can make the rest of the performance feel very laborious, but under Cameron Kirby’s direction all the actors were well connected and complemented each other’s performance. Oliver Clayton excelled in his role as Lucky Eric whose speeches, although often comic, gave the play its dark edge. Clayton truly embodied the wise, hardened persona of Lucky Eric and delivered his speeches with a conviction that suggested he had spent a lifetime observing the nightlife of Hull. Other highlights came from Ben Anderson’s portrayal of “Sexy Suzie” whose wide-eyes and visible thighs were the temptation of the dance floor. You could tell he enjoyed this role and the cheeky winks and smirks shot at the audience made Suzie not only sexy but scandalous.

However, there are times in this play where comedy isn’t the main intention of the playwright and I also felt that these moments could have been explored more in this production. It is very easy to portray a stereotype when you are acting as the opposite gender; be it in the physical movement or the voice. A more sensitive and realistic approach to the gender reversal could have made the tragic scenes much more emotive and ultimately more powerful. I wanted to believe in and empathise with the female characters as much as I did with their male counterparts but the over acting and slap stick style was not always convincing.

Overall, this was a good ensemble piece and whether you found this play cathartic or were just enjoying the astute comic timing, Bouncers Remix made for a decent opening to this year’s theatre antics and I’m sure it inspired many fresh mermaids to get involved in the thriving theatre scene that St Andrews has to offer.