Has any Gisborne show enjoyed such a responsive, raucous, ribald crowd as the audience at Centre Stage’s opening performance of the New Zealand comedy, “Ladies Night” ? Unlikely.
The play centres on a group of jobless blokes who hit on the idea of forming a male strippers troupe to earn some cash. You know the story from the movie Full Monty which blatantly ripped off the New Zealand play.
“Ladies Night” is funnier, more relatable — and live; the cast of the Lawrence Mulligan-directed production have taken on the roles with heart and gusto.
With his Brian Eno-ish hairstyle and strong stage presence, Jono Samson looks all the part of the troupe’s anxious manager, Craig — and he has reason to be anxious. Personal dramas, a terrible audition and arguments threaten to tank the lads’ money-making scheme.
Hurt by his crumbling marriage, Bruce Reid’s masculine but emotionally stunted Barry is easily frustrated, sometimes comically, sometimes poignantly so. Real-life dancer Paul Hawaikirangi invests his character Wes with the energy of a good-hearted but profile-conscious sportsman whose ego sometimes gets the better of him, while Ayden Malone brings out an endearing goofiness in his character, Norman. As choreographer Glenda, Elizabeth Cutts is bold and brassy and coy around Norman; Debbie Rowland’s sceptical bar manager Bernie is cool and sharp.
