The bar is
crowded with men and women, both sexes eager to have a good time on
a Friday night. The drinks start to flow. Men, egged on by their buddies,
gulp down glasses of liquor. The women, in the mood to party, strut
their stuff on the dance floor as the men watch with growing excitement.
This was the contemporary nightclub scene that was recreated by Bouncers.
What made it more amusing was that the cast was entirely male.
The play begins by looking at both the men and "women" as
they prepare for a night of loud music, vigorous dancing and a constant
flow of drinks. The talented and highly energetic cast poked fun at
both sexes as they fussed over their hair, clothes and clean underwear
(for the men, of course). Cheeky songs and sexual innuendo served to
draw much laughter from the audience. The cast also effortlessly displayed
the foolishness of men's behaviour at these nightclubs. For instance,
the men participated in a spitting competition where I thought that
Lucky Eric (played by Francis Maston) and Judd (played by Peter Hodson)
deserved recognition for their most disgusting spitting skills. It is
true, as they say, that boys will always be boys.
The women, similarly, were portrayed as superficial creatures whose
only concern was attracting the men using their looks and body.
However, the cast did not just stop there. As the title of the play
suggests, they took on the role of bouncers, men whose jobs require
them to prevent certain "troublesome" people from entering
the club. It was commendable how the actors could quickly switch from
goofy weaklings to intimidating and fearless bouncers while also revealing
with convincing chemistry the tight bond that existed between these
macho individuals.
This change of roles also brought with it a more serious side to the
production. The bouncers are accustomed to the goings-on in the nightclub
and have witnessed the less appetising side of the nightclub scene.
Lucky Eric makes a couple of speeches where he laments the tragedy of
young girls who lose their virginity to men in the clubs. His brilliant
performance succeeded in evoking feelings of regret and sadness as he
spoke of girls who were "eighteen going on to thirty because they felt
they had to". However, though the bouncers were at times serious, they
were after all manly men who enjoyed the sight of "milky white flesh"
and had many sexual experiences to share with one another. This had
the audience roaring with laughter as the men recounted experiences,
which were more often than not unsavoury.
Lighting designer, James Tan, recreated the nightclub scene well, with
bright, dancing lights providing the perfect atmosphere for a party.
Though Bouncers delivered an excellent depiction of the loud
and raucous side of the nightclub scene, Godber's script only spends
a little time on its ugly side. If a greater attempt had been made to
show this, perhaps the production could have offered better balance
of laughter and serious reflection. However, if Bouncers aimed
to provide light entertainment to its audience, it undoubtedly achieved
its aim as everyone who left the theatre had a naughty grin on his or
her face. |
"Everyone left the theatre with a naughty grin on his or her face"
Previous Productions by Centre Stage Productions
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