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The following was submitted by Visual City LLC and The Modern Theatre at Suffolk University:
BOSTON – There’s sex in the air, and the hunt is on in John Godber’s "Bouncers," opening October 1 at The Modern Theatre. Four bouncers, including Ralph, who is played by Medford resident Michael Ferrari, show what happens on a Friday night in the bass-thumping, booze-soaked, bedlam of a UK discotheque, where throngs of the young descend in search of love, sex, and something better than their workaday lives.
"Bouncers," has a storied history in the United Kingdom. There have been thousands of productions since its beginning in 1978. Among the most produced plays in England, it is listed as one of The National Theatre’s Plays of the Century. Productions in the 1990s won seven Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Awards and five Jefferson Awards in Chicago.
“I first saw 'Bouncers' in Chicago in 1991, laughed more than I have at any show, and I’ve been obsessed with it ever since,” says Director Bill Doncaster. “This is four actors, playing dozens of characters, and feels more like a ride than a play. It twists and turns through the debauchery and hilarity of nightlife and reveals the sadness of youth desperate for a night out to break the monotony of lives with few prospects.”
“If you’ve ever gone out with the intention of getting to bed early, but instead crawled home at 3 a.m. having spent all your money, 'Bouncers' feels all too familiar,” Doncaster says. “I wouldn’t be the first to say it’s a great show for people who think they don’t like theater. It can turn from hilariously crass to deadly serious on a dime, and it’s hard to know what comes next, and how it gets there.”
Presented by Visual City LLC and The Modern Theatre at Suffolk University, this production features many from the creative team that staged a critically acclaimed run at the historic Cantab Lounge with Stickball Productions in 2013, a run cut short closing weekend by the Boston Marathon bombing manhunt.
Doncaster, actor Joe Siriani (Lucky Eric), lighting designer Anthony Phelps, and fight choreographer Meron Langsner all return, joined by actors Bradley Belanger (Judd) Michael Ferrari (Ralph), and Liam McCarron (Les), choreographer Joanne “Misses JoJo” Caidor of the Afmohip Dance Company, sound designer Jacques Matellus, assistant sound designer Deleyah Creese, and co-producers Doncaster and Sam Seidel.
"Bouncers" opens October 1 and runs Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights through October 24 at The Modern Theatre at Suffolk University, 525 Washington Street, Boston. Tickets are available at https://ci.ovationtix.com/34432/production/1280397. Doors open at 7 p.m. with beer and wine bar and thumping music. "Bouncers" take the stage at 8 p.m.
