Review: Shakers, Wharf Theatre, Devizes (From The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald)

Review: Shakers, Wharf Theatre, Devizes

8:52am Saturday 28th January 2012 in Theatre & Arts By Lewis Cowen

Several years ago, Chris Worthy directed John Godber's Bouncers and greatly impressed with it.

Bouncers, set in a northern night club, was funny, slick but gritty and compelling.

Now Mr Worthy has turned his attention to the distaff side and presents the world of four waitresses at Shakers, a trendy cocktail bar in a northern city, where pretension rubs shoulders with self-obsession.

I would like to report that Jane Thornton and Mr Godber's collaboration works just as well but, sadly, I can't.

Written in the early 1990s, the references to pina coladas and seafood pasta are just too distant to ring any bells with today's audiences.

The revelations about the characters are also far less incisive and emotive.

But the ticket price is worth it for four superb performances from the hard-working cast.

Mel Combe plays Mel, an older woman who is struggling to sustain the magic of her relationship with Steve and keeps from him the abortion she had as a teenager, which might threaten the chances of having a baby with him.

Then there is Adele, played by Izzy Jones, who appears self-confident on the outside but inside fears for her job at the bar as the only source of income for her and her child.

Victoria Wakefield is Carol, the smart-talking, assertive girl who wants to be a photographer but struggles in a very competitive field.

Finally, there is Vicky, played by Lizzie Lomax, who manages to get a job as a dancer on a cruise liner but is petrified by the prospect.

The cast also play the patrons of the bar with mixed success. I personally loved the quartet of naive young women who come in to celebrate one of their number's 21st birthday.

Mr Worthy designed and built his own set and very authentic it looks, too. Less authentic is the miming of the props. This is the second show at the Wharf where props have been mimed and I hope it is not the start of a trend.