THE ARCANE world of pub rugby league forms the setting for another of John Godber’s stripped down, no frills tales in this mid-eighties outing Up ’n’ Under.
Driven by misplaced pride to strike a seemingly hopeless wager, an unlikely coach tries to train a group of unfit, disillusioned pub regulars into a team to take on the best around.
Through the shock of physical effort and having to work with a female trainer, initial skepticism gradually gives way to optimism and eventually a victory of sorts.
It’s an uplifting formula that worked way back when but which now seems, like the group themselves, to be riddled with cracks and hamstrung for pace.
Undoubtedly the weakest element in this team is the script itself. The references are dated, the plot never sparkles and what should be tight and crisp is often a bit like last week’s games kit.
Much of the script’s comedy just isn’t funny. Stereotypical, unreconstructed Yorkshiremen can only go so far, particularly in their half-dozens, and whole swathes of this labour like re-runs of Hale and Pace from 40 years ago. By the time the loose bowels joke comes round for the fifth time or more it really is wearing thin
What humour there is in this production comes from the visual gags and interactions from the cast of seven. And thank goodness they put the work in.
Much of the team from the Loft’s recent hit revival of Godber’s Bouncers have been retained, including director Lorna Middleton, and there are strong performances from Mark Roberts, Connor Bailey and Harrison Horsley.
Rosie Pankhurst more than holds her own as the lone woman in what is a very male world. In the week that Wembley and the BBC again played host to the showpiece final of the burgeoning women’s game, one can’t help but wonder how some sort of update might have transformed this element.
A rather static first half blossoms into much more fluidity in the second with the pleasingly choreographed final match by far the most successful passage. Swift team changes, decent ball-handling and some fun off-the-ball antics all pay dividends. It’s quick and effective theatre and almost wins the day.
There’s some genuine energy being applied to this production and some standout moments but the ground beneath its feet is too mudbound for it to fly.
The revamped Bouncers was rooted in the past but somehow managed to rekindle poignant and funny memories. This script just shows the terribly thin line between nostalgia and staleness.
Visit lofttheatrecompany.com for details of performances and bookings.
