Thursday, February 15, 2024

Shakers:Under New Management At Penrith Players Theatre

Penrith, Cumbria. Thursday 15-February-2024.

It has been a year since we went along to support our local am-dram society. Then it was a three-hander featuring an all woman cast, Di and Viv and Rose. This time it was Shakers which turned out to be another three person, all female production but instead of three college friends it was three waitresses as the main characters.

Apparently this play has been around for some time, Shakers was first presented by the Hull Truck Theatre Company at Spring Street Theatre in 1984 and this incarnation has been revised and updated to reflect current times.

Not only did the three cast members play the waitresses, but also a whole panoply of customers: teachers out for a birthday celebration, a group of likely lads, some footballers, romantic couples, snobby patrons, and even a Scottish chef. They did a fabulous job of switching between roles with stances and voices to match.

It is easy to see why this is a good choice for a local company as it requires very little in the way of props and scenery. Three chairs and a backdrop was all that was needed to conjure up a slightly run down bar and a set of scarves helped differentiate between the different characters. The rest is down to the script and the talent of the cast.

An entertaining evening out.

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