FOR many years, until 1989, an aunt and uncle of mine were the licensees of a pub in a small North Somerset village. Their regular customers were a microcosm of the local community – several farmers, the grave-digger, a farm labourer who was the local table skittles champion, the doctor and two hospital specialists, a small group of high-flying businessmen, their wives and daughters, one of whom was married to the then Liverpool goalkeeper Bruce Grobbelaar, and of course the village “bobby”.
Alas, the malady that was creeping up on public houses and the change in social habits, which has accelerated with 15,000 pubs closing since 2000, saw the demise of the Bell Inn. Locked into their computers and telephones, the present generation has little or no time for socialising in “the local,” and in doing so making contact with and sharing experiences personally with their neighbours.
Creator/producer/director Nic Doodson obviously believes that we have lost a great deal in the demise of the pub as the hub of the community, and with the aid of a multi-talented group of nine singing dancing musicians, he has set out to prove the point.
When you enter the theatre you are greeted with an open stage, which set designers Oli Townsend and Verity Sadler have turned into a vibrant pub bar, and an open invitation to join the cast in a pre-show drink on stage.
From there on, it is movement and song all the way, from a Guns and Roses number to folk music, Find Me Somebody to Love and Dance with My Father.
It would have been nice if the otherwise informative programme had contained more information about the musical content and who among the cast –singer, tap-dancer, piano soloist – was leading the way in a particular number.
What we did gain was a fine insight into the individual cast members, thanks to well-delivered monologues, written by Ben Norris, and the fact that it was a multi racial ensemble – American, Welsh, Latvian, second generation African and representatives of several other parts of the UK.
Through the atmosphere created by a traditional pub and the joy of singing and dancing such a wide variety of music, this mixture of people blended to become a wonderfully supportive unit and a first class choral group.
And when it came to involving the audience, this company could give lessons to many a pantomime club! Several members of the audience were invited on stage – but never embarrassed while there – to help a number along. The bar was reopened during the interval. Many of those left on stage at the start of the second half remained for some time to help recreate this community feeling.
Lurking in an audience that was all too ready to respond physically and vocally to any invitation from the cast were three local choirs who joined in a thoughtful encore that reminded us that Nic Doodson and Ben Norris had a great deal more to say than just “Let’s all sing and dance and have a good time.”
Thinking back to the lovely atmosphere to be found in my aunt and uncle’s old pub and the way in which such a wide variety of the community came together there, I, like Nic Doodson, regret the passing of such places and wonder what will replace them. This production underlines what you’re missing by not having a “local”. And it tickles the musical tastebuds of those who enjoy 1980s-90s pop music, with a few folk songs thrown in for good luck.
This certainly is a one off piece of theatre – if you miss it at Bath, you can catch it at Cheltenham’s Everyman Theatre from 1th to 15th August, Truro’s Hall for Cornwall 8th to 12th September or Southampton Mayflower Theatre from 3rd to 7th November.
GRP