LOCALLY BASED Blue Pig Theatre Co are in the Town Hall studio next week with a welcome revival of their hit staging of John Godber and Jane Thornton’s uproarious comedy, Shakers Restirred.
The production enjoyed a sell-out run at the same venue last January, and having ushered in the year in such successful fashion, it seems apt that the company should also choose it as their way of seeing the year out.
In Shakers Restirred, we meet Carol, Adele, Nicky and Mel, four friends who have taken to waitressing in desperation, but who also have wit and resilience enough to never let any of the colourful characters they come across throughout the evening escape their satire unscathed.
These four long-suffering waitresses take us beyond the pina coladas, cosmopolitans, and paper umbrellas into their world. In theatrically heightened moments, the women play the roles of men and women alike, covering not only their nights at Shakers but also the lives of their assorted customers.
Always at the source of their satire are the men who take them for granted or, worse, abuse them. Against this backdrop of modern-day urban life are sidesplitting scenes of hilarity and depravity. In intertwining plot threads we follow the waitresses as they confront a possible new owner for the bar and at the same time we meet the string of visitors to the bar.
Nicky is played by Angela Ryan and, speaking about the play as she prepared for an evening’s rehearsal, she outlined its appeal, for actor and audience alike.
“We all get to play a lot of different characters in the play, probably about 10 characters each, so it’s very good in that way from an actor’s viewpoint,” she says. “It’s also a very, funny and accessible play that really connects with its audience.
“It presents the kind of characters that we could all meet anywhere. The play was done in England first in the 1980s but for our production we’ve updated it to the present and relocated it to an Irish setting.”
Ryan goes on to describe waitress Nicky, her principal character in the play: “She’s a bit of a dreamer, for her all the world is a stage. She views her waitress job as something she’s doing temporarily while she’s waiting for something grander to happen.”
Ryan is the only cast-member from the original production to feature in this revival. Joining her onstage this time out are Anna Mullarkey, Jasmin Finn, and Candice Melton. The play is again directed by Ruth Shortt. Following its run at the Town Hall, Shakers Restirred then embarks on a national tour.
Shakers Restirred is at the Town Hall studio from Monday December 1 to Saturday 6 at 8.30pm nightly and promises to provide a hugely entertaining evening.
Tickets are €15/13 and bookings can be made at the Town Hall on 091 - 569777.
