A 1993 Play and Playgoers Year Book survey placed Yorkshire-born John Godber in third place behind William Shakespeare and Alan Ayckbourn, as the most performed playwright in the UK. Those heady days of popularity, led by plays like Bouncers and Up ‘n’ Under (and Shakers, co-written with his wife Jane Thornton), may be behind this gritty playwright, but Do I Love You?, first presented two years ago, shows that although the style may have mellowed a little over the years, Godber’s ability to write crisp witty dialogue cleverly disguising political and social messages, and wonderful observation of characters is undiminished by the passage of time.
Three modern 20-something former university graduates, Sally (played by the writer’s daughter Martha Godber), Natalie (Chloe McDonald) and Kyle (Emilio Encinoso-Gil) find themselves trapped in dead-end jobs in a drive-in food chain, and find an escape route via Northern Soul music and dance, which they discover listening to the 1970s records left by Sally’s late grandmother. After an exhilarating all-night session in Cleethorpes in the company of middle-aged Northern Soul fans, the trio is inspired to throw their fast food chain hats over the windmill and make their way to that Mecca of Northern Soul – Blackpool, and to show that the present generation has the same spirit and values as those who started the musical genre 50 years ago.
John Godber’s message appears to be that little has changed socially over the last half century, the poor still ‘have nowt’, and face almost insuperable barriers if they want to rise above “do you want chips with that?’-type jobs.
While the sets, costumes and lighting are simple and straightforward, the direction, (by the author) and acting are far more complex.
The way in which the relationships between the three characters, as well as the interpretation of a Godber script bristling with comedy, which ideally dilutes the drama and social messages, underlines the skill of writer, director and trio of actors who never attempt to upstage each other – all provide a fine demonstration of theatrical teamwork at its best.
GRP