Plautus, in his play Bacchides (written approximately 194–184 BC), mentions a "large and powerful" doorman / bouncer as a threat to get an unwelcome visitor to leave. [10] It was a rough contour of a heart, which was again symbolic of the theme of the play. At the end of Act One, the heart was highlighted in red, perhaps to emphasize what the characters were looking for. Music was an element that was used throughout the performance. Light rhythmic instrumentals were used to build up the tempo etc. and sometimes, specific songs were used as part of the comedy. When Rosy found that her boyfriend had been cheating on her, she sobs loudly on stage, and suddenly, the song ‘I will survive’ plays on the speakers with Rosie lip-synching along in a dramatic and hilarious way! Dry ice is used as well as rotating lights, like those of a mirror ball, projected onto the arches creating a 1980’s atmosphere in the disco. Coney Island – Early History (1881–1903)". westland.net. Archived from the original on 29 June 2012. Bouncers must not have ownership of any type of firearm during their service even if they have a valid firearms license.

Voted as one of the greatest plays of the 20th Century in a National Theatre poll, and regularly produced around the world, Bouncers was nominated for Comedy of the Year in 1985, won seven Los Angeles Critics’ Circle Awards and five awards in Chicago in 1987. This comedy classic is unmissable! This ‘Urban Remix’ appears here for the third time at the Royal Court, having previously played on both the studio and main stages, but there’s a reason that it is fast becoming as much of a favourite as the original on which it is based. JOHN Godber’s 1977 comedy Bouncers is not so much a play as an institution. Not only one of his earliest stage works it’s also the most popular and frequently performed, and has been given a few tweaks through its performance history to keep it fresh. It’s a risky move to try and improve on a classic, so fans may well have raised an eyebrow when writer Maurice Bessman and director Miriam Mussa decided to create a new version of the work in 2018 as a vehicle for their new company, Boisterous. The hall was small and compact with a simple stage and rows of seats that were placed one behind another rather than in levels. The racy 90s dance music that blared from the speakers gave the audience a taster of what they would expect.

A look back at 2023 with the New Vic’s Dementia and Creativity Group

He wears a large gold signet ring on the middle finger of his right hand. Eric is the philosopher of the group who makes intelligent observances on life. He works out in the gym and boasts of his prowess on the bench press. There is an air of menace surrounding all the bouncers, but Eric has a violent temper which bubbles over when goaded by his rival Judd. The victim, the exception". Journalism and Media Studies Centre, University of Hong Kong. 13 May 2007. Archived from the original on 25 November 2008. A confetti cannon concealed out of sight on the left of the stage throws out golden coin-sized paper when the disco starts, while red confetti is used when tensions are stirred up in the club. Originally premiering at the Edinburgh Festival in 1977, Bouncers is still one of the most performed plays in the UK today and is named as one of the National Theatre’s ‘Plays of the Century’. Don’t miss the classic comedy and northern favourite. In early Nazi Germany, some bouncers in underground jazz clubs were also hired to screen for Nazi spies, because jazz was considered a "degenerate" form of music by the Nazi party. [23] Later during the Nazi regime, bouncers also increasingly barred non-German people (such as foreign workers) from public functions, such as 'German' dances at dance halls. [24] The door supervisor from the Ohio-Bar in Berlin in 1948

Chu, Yiu-kong (4 January 2002). The Triads as Business. Taylor & Francis. p.101. ISBN 9780203030004. Wells, Helen M. (2004). "Is there a place for covert research methods in criminology? A different approach" (PDF). Graduate Journal of Social Science. 1 (1): 1–19. ISSN 1572-3763 . Retrieved 19 November 2020. There were monologues where the tempo of the play needed to be slowed down, but there were rapid interplays of dialogue between characters when they needed to maintain the upbeat rhythm. Much of the script rhymed too. This added to the humour in the play! Some specific scenes were particularly impressive. In some dancing scenes, only the four actors managed to effectively give the impression of being caught in a crowd of people. They pushed, shoved, crawled, and mopped sweat from their brows; everything appropriately exaggerated. Eric’s existential crisis (aka, perhaps, growing up) is underdeveloped as a character arc and the audience, whilst no doubt recognising the sense in what he says, has nowhere to take it. Another routine, in which the bouncers (door supervisors) discuss the linguistic contortions of contemporary LGBTQ and BAME discourse, strikes a chord but again is left hanging. John Godber was born the son of a miner in Upton, West Yorkshire in 1956. He became a very successful playwright with popular plays such as ‘On the Piste’ and ‘Up n’ Under’ and TV shows like Grange Hill and Brookside. He is known most for his comedy but he has shown in a number of his productions that he includes seriousness alongside comedy for optimum effect. His plays are performed all over the world and have won many awards including five at the Edinburgh fringe festival. However, for some, Bouncer’s is regarded as Godber’s finest work. The inspiration of which came from a club called Kiko’s in Pontefract- it had the added bonus of having fake palm trees on the dance floor!Robin Barratt – Confessions of a Doorman, Diverse Publications Ltd, 22 June 2006, ISBN 0-9548143-2-0 Armstrong, Gary (1998). Football Hooligans: Knowing the Score. Bloomsbury Academic. p.77. ISBN 9781859739570 . Retrieved 8 May 2014.