Published: February 4 2010
by SARAH RAINEY

WHEN the bouncers enter, stony-faced, to the chords of Carmina Burana, it’s clear that this is going to be a play to be reckoned with. 
Offbeat comedy is tinged with dark truths about teenage life, as Lucky Eric (David Bauckham) and his mismatched cronies guide you through a typical night on the tiles at Mr Cinder’s nightclub.
Bauckham’s wizened bouncer becomes Maureen (“massive but nice”), sweating her way through a boozy girls’ night out. Then there’s birthday girl Rosie (Luke Stevenson), Plain Elaine (Simon Higgins) and Sexy Suzy (Antony Law).
The boys, meanwhile, are “pissed-up, pale face, lager lousy lads”, stumbling into the club in a stench of beer and misguided hedonism. The bouncers transform seamlessly into the unpleasant but all-too-familiar Terry, Jerry, Baz and Kev; who want nothing but sex and a late-night kebab.
“Down in the disco is the place to be; the lights are as bright as a colour TV,” they chant.
Told through the bouncers’ eyes, Godber’s play paints a vivid picture of Britain’s seedy urban nightlife, still timelessly apt 33 years after it was written. Bauckham’s portrayal of Lucky Eric is pitch-perfect, while Stevenson’s comic timing gets the loudest laughs.
This play is laugh-out-loud funny but underpinned by a moral message that will stay with you long after the stage goes dark. 
Until March 6 • 0844 209 1805

or book online at camdennewjournal.com