Have you ever wondered what goes on behind the scenes at a major hotel? It may be able to put on the glitziest of evenings that host the most influential people in the region and demand the highest level of dress code both for its guests and for its employees but the service you see is not what you necessarily get from a disgruntled workforce. Does the glamour of the high life extend behind the scenes?
In his latest offering Black Tie Ball John Godber uses his biting satire and observation to give his view on life in a five star hotel and the difference between the haves and have nots of this world.
None of the hotel staff seem to be trained for their jobs with Ronnie (William Ilkley) being the only permanent member of staff of the four cast members. The other temps – Joy (Jade Farnill), Duncan (Dylan Allcock) and Lewis (Levi Payne) – have been drafted in to serve at the Black Tie Ball which not only has the leading lights of the business world in attendance but will also see the owner of the hotel make an appearance.
With staff not appearing for work and rooms being overbooked, the four cast members are soon overwhelmed and with the jazz band that is down to provide the evening’s entertainment taking the drugs part of the sex, drugs and rock and roll lifestyle very seriously indeed then the waiters have to take action to fill the musical gap.
With all of this mayhem going on there is ample opportunity for Godber to introduce his usual laugh out loud moments. The audience for his plays has come to expect a high level of entertainment with a message underneath and there is a very overt tone to this production.
All of the characters have a link to the long-defunct coal mining industry and the hotel itself was once a majestic Hall built on the proceeds of the black gold that lay underneath its foundations. Godber explores how those at the lower end of the coal chain are still left to scrabble around for meaningful work while the owners of the pre-nationalised industry and their descendants are still able to live a life of luxury.
With a swift change of costume, the actors are able to smoothly transition from one character to another and must be congratulated for how well they played their parts. Ilkley was excellent as the stolid ex-miner who also portrays the apparently avuncular hotel owner who prefers cash to heritage, Allcock and Payne show excellent comic timing and are a very likeable pairing while Farnill is also able to perfectly transition from waitress to high flyer whose Dutch courage allows her to deliver a message in her keynote speech that the male guests probably did not want to hear.
With the help of his Co-Director Neil Sissons and a Creative team of Set Designer Graham Kirk, Choreographer Ruby Stevenson, Costume Design by Joshua Cartmell and Musical Direction by Allcock, Godber has fashioned another hit to his back catalogue.
Black Tie Ball has a running time of approximately two hours including interval. For ticket information contact 01782 717539 or tickets@newvictheatre.org.uk
