Party on with John Gober's bitter-sweet comedy Black Tie Ball at Scarborough's Stephen Joseph Theatre
If John Godber’s plays could change the world, we would be living in a more equal society; one in which the quality of jobs, housing, education and healthcare were not a political battleground or a postcode lottery.
Like, the playwright says it is not equal but, however much the odds may be stacked against us, whoever’s political or social whims we are at the mercy of, we should never give up on our dreams or ambitions.
In a cocktail glass, that is Black Tie Ball which was on at the Stephen Joseph Theatre, Scarborough.
The upper echelons of northern society are at a pay-and-display event hosted by the self-made multi-millionaire businessman who owns the hotel the event is being held at.
The staff gather in the wings to cater to their every want.
Told in Godber's signature visceral style, the comedy is bitter-sweet, the observation sharp and the pace fast.
A cast of four, Dylan Allcock, Jade Farnill, William Ilkley and Levi Payne, tell the story of the black tie event from the point of view of four members of staff hired to deliver the dishes to the table, pour the drinks and, generally, fetch and carry.
The oldest is a former miner – a veteran of the strike – the other three: a 32-year-old music student, a single mum and hairdresser and a young bloke who has had more jobs than hot dinners.
The quartet also plays a variety of guests allowing Godber to show the divide between the haves and have-nots and score political and social points: like 84 per cent of land in the UK is owned by seven per cent of the population. If you do not believe it, then Google it.
To detail every spit, cough, faux pas and disaster would be to spoil the fun, farce, facts and jokes of the ‘bit of a do’.
Black Tie Ball has fire in its belly, is brilliantly acted, at times as funny as being handed a P45 after 40 years with the same company and at other times hilarious.
If we cannot change the world, at least, as the final curtain falls on bad news for the hospitality staff, we can sing-along to the Matt Monro version of the song We’re Gonna Change the World. Bitter-sweet indeed.