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Stars explained: * A production of no real merit
with failings in all areas. ** A production showing evidence of not
enough time or effort, or even talent, and which never breathes any real
life into the piece – or a show lumbered with a terrible script. *** A
good enjoyable show which might have some small flaws but has largely
achieved what it set out to do.**** An excellent show which shows a
great deal of work and stage craft with no noticeable or major
flaws.***** A four star show which has found that extra bit of magic
which lifts theatre to another plane. |
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Light touch gives a big shake Shakers Stage 2 Crescent
Theatre, **** IT is a proud boast of Stage 2 that however
little stage experience its members may have had before joining, they
will find themselves in a show if they want to be in one – because
nobody is left out. It is a philosophy that has served director Liz Light
utterly brilliantly for two decades – and certainly it is one that is
handy if you are planning to turn the second half of this four-hander by
John Godber and Jane Thornton into a seething sea of 80 party-goers.
Stage 2's last two productions were Under Milk Wood
and A Midsummer Night's Dream. They, naturally, were also
subjected to the Light touch which ensured that no one had ever seen
them remotely like this before. But neither provided such a heaven-sent
opportunity for a party with lots of music and dancing – and parties are
what these remarkable youngsters are good at without giving a hint of
the hours of rehearsal that inevitably have gone into creating them. But Shakers adds another dimension, because
Shakers is definitely a grown-up show. So we find our four young
waitresses, around whom the show is built, and to whom the programme
gives a rhyming and rhythmical listing as Carol, Adele, Nicki and Mel,
variously engaged in a detailed description of an abortion and lamenting
the inadequate size of condoms. A young man, meanwhile, casually
observes that he “wouldn't mind having a bash” at a young woman on the
other side of the Shakers area and helpfully accompanies the remark with
gyrations that show us how he would cope with the ambition if it were
ever to be fulfilled.
But this is Stage 2, the youth group that goes boldly
and utterly successfully. The abortion moment had the first-night
audience gripped in rapt attention and sympathy. The Durex detail and
the macho moment received the laughter for which they were aiming. It
would have been easy to have pitched them wrongly, into a wall of
horrified silence. Liz Light ensures that her young charges never suffer
that sort of embarrassment. She knows their undoubted abilities and
although she stretches them remarkably, she never pushes them too far. So here is yet another Stage 2 triumph – and one that
shone even more brightly on the first night because the projector,
operated by the youngsters themselves and intended to show an amusing
moment in the girls' toilets broke down and provided only one-third of
the intended picture. Dismay could have thrown a lesser group out of
kilter. This lot took disaster in their stride and in so doing did not
surprise me in the slightest. This is what Stage 2 does. This is a Shakers set in Liverpool, and the
immediately noticeable bonus is that the waitresses – Elizabeth Halpin,
Laura Cummins, Helen Carter and Chloe Jones – have such a mastery of the
twang. But this is merely the top-dressing. In the riotous final scene,
there are confrontations with obnoxious customers and these are handled
quite splendidly, with a mixture of dignity and flaring fury. The four
girls, clearly the mistresses of their chosen hobby, never put a foot
wrong.
The other members of the huge company do not have the
chance to disport themselves as liberally as the waitresses do, but in
the maelstrom of music and movement it is impossible to single out
anyone and pretend that you have found a weak link. Stage 2 doesn't do
weak links. It may have them when rehearsals start, but they are history
by the time the curtain opens. So we have big musical numbers that are given an appropriate accompaniment, clubland-style – except that these are dancers attuned to the teamwork that is necessary to get so many of them just right for the crowded, carefree but so-disciplined choreography by Adrian Richards and Océane Li-LeDantec – achieved in a kaleidoscope of colour and brimming with energy. It even goes on right through the interval. There are a few moments when energy is entirely committed to a one-man dancing display. This is when the remarkable Adrian Richards comes swivel-hipped and rubber-limbed to his high-speed and riveting responsibilities. He will be joining the National Youth Theatre shortly and then go on to the Central School of Speech & Drama. And because the essence of the show is teamwork, it
would be a wasteful and laborious process to try to list everyone who
contributes to its vibrant buzz. But I must mention a little half-pint
in an orange dress. Emma Staunton (Sharon) is a happy young dynamo,
repeatedly justifying the opportunities she is given and in a pleasing
partnership with Siobhan Twissell (Tracey, the girl who has sunburn
problems). Yet again, Liz Light has transformed a show to
accommodate the needs and the talents of her youthful charges. It's a
sparkling delight. To 24.7.10. John Slim
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