Review: Bouncers and Shakers by Harlow Amateur Theatre Company

Shakers

Four waitresses – Carol, Adele, Nicky, and Mel – have very different personalities, but they share a common goal: to make a better life for themselves. 

The play takes place over the course of one night, during which the waitresses interact with various customers, each with their own story to tell.

First things first. This was superbly acted by four actors who we have seen and appreciated a lot over the last few years.

However, we never felt that this play got going. And sensed that the audience (a packed Theatre 2) agreed.

In the end it felt like a series of vignettes and the play became dominated by the actors playing leery old men, hen nights, actresses auditioning etc.

It was still very well acted but this reviewer felt it lost its narrative arc.

The production was great, the direction was great and their energy and command of the stage could not not be faulted.

Lucia Banks has an energy and spark; Georgia Bryson is perhaps the most expressive actor we have in our local drama scene; Chrissie Waite is just a class act and Gemma Colton produces excellent performance after excellent performance.

And perhaps this reviewer goes in with a built-in prejudice against eighties plays. Whatever you do with them, they feel less retro and just plain dated.

Bouncers

The audience went downstairs for a drink, came back into see Bouncers and were immediately enthused by what they saw.

They just loved the energy and the levels. In fact, it did feel like a football match, where the team come out for the second half and raise their game.

Again, we could question the narrative arc and yes, it was still horribly dated but they loved it from when it began with Rappers Delight and when it ended with Thriller.

Not sure if we ever got to grips with the social dynamic and individual life stories. It was quite a truncated version but, like Shakers, it was the professionalism of the four actors (Lee Barnes, Jordyn Linklater, Myles Lovell and Ben Paddon) that really packed a punch.

In many ways, you could have turned the sound down and appreciated this of how they interacted, almost like a choreographed dance performance more than a straight forward play.

Like we said, the audience loved it and it is part of a huge variety of plays that not only HATS perform but all the groups in Harlow and the villages.