Drama review on Bouncers the play

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Luke Cuthbert Drama Coursework

Theatre Review of Bouncers

During this review I will be discussing and comparing the main points of the play “Bouncers”, written by John Godber, which I attended on the 5th of October 2006 at the Queens theatre, Hornchurch. Firstly the basic plot of the play was a Saturday night out on the town from the different perspectives of a group of guys, a group of women, the bouncers of a club and other miscellaneous characters that are involved during the course of the play. However there are only four actors throughout and therefore they have to play numerous characters. The group of guys that are portrayed are simply “out on the lash” so to speak and are absolutely intoxicated from the word go, since it is there big night of the week. Further more their whole aim of the play is about trying to get into the clubs and try and get some ladies. However you have the other main male characters the bouncers, who are simply on a routine night watching the doors reminiscing of previous experiences. Also they compare one another’s attributes when it comes to fighting and they try and better each other, their main theme is one of ego. Referring back to the other side of the characters the women are “out on the razz” and have similar intensions of the male partygoers, of getting drunk and trying to snag a partner of the opposite sex.

    The main themes are ones of youthfulness, immaturity and fun loving carelessness. However despite these relatively innocent characteristics there are some rather solemn overtones, that if listened to can be very meaningful. These implications are ones of sadness, because during the play one of the characters “Lucky Eric”, played by James Earl Adair, gives a number of speeches about young, slightly promiscuous girls in clubs being taken advantage of and how there demise should be a warning to other young women. Nevertheless the rest of the play remains very comical and light hearted.

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    The play was set in the 1980s when partying, taking drugs and drinking excessively was at an all time high. Moving on the play was primarily set in a club called Hollywoods. The mood of the play was exultant, joyous and comical, but now I am reiterating what I said earlier and despite these moods there are some sadder ones as well.

     The style of the play was supposed to be one of slick sophisticated characters and atmosphere that the audience are supposed to be in envy and fear of, meaning the bouncer characters, because they ...

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