Thursday, December 5

Tag: Frazer Hammill

Bouncers – Octagon Theatre
North West

Bouncers – Octagon Theatre

Since its debut at the 1977 Edinburgh Festival, Bouncers has enjoyed countless revivals and tours. To a first-time viewer, though, this iteration of the classic, northern nightclub comedy suggests that last orders were called a long while ago. An interchangeable quartet of mostly-like-minded bouncers work the doors of Mr Cinders: their interactions and observations are interspersed with the activities of different sets of partygoers, from celebrating girls to pseudo-alpha males. Under the direction of Jane Thornton, the piece promptly establishes exactly who its target audience is, as the doormen proudly declare that, in their pocket of the 1980s, “nothing is woke”. The uttering of this tiresome phrase lays the foundation for the humour that is to follow: fat jokes, gay jokes, women ...
Bouncers – Blackpool Grand
North West

Bouncers – Blackpool Grand

If your name’s not on the list, you’re not coming in… Bouncers is back in Blackpool with a bang! Named as one of The National Theatre’s ‘Plays of the Century’, John Godber’s classic is at the Grand Theatre for a very limited run. With a contemporary introduction for a 2024 audience, Bouncers quickly returns to its roots. Keeping faith with Godber’s original script, packed with humour and nostalgia, this new production takes us back to the 1980s when disco was king, and everyone lived for the weekend. Les, Ralph, Judd and Lucky Eric (played wonderfully by George Reid, Tom Whittaker, Nick Figgis and Frazer Hammill respectively) take us on the journey back to relive a night in nightclub “Mr Cinders”. With an exhilarating, toe-tapping 80s soundtrack, this production is as fantastic for its ...