Bouncers
‘Bouncers is not so much a play as it is a social phenomenon’
- The Guardian
- WhatsOnStage
About the play
Lucky Eric, Judd, Les and Ralph are the original men in black as they tell the tale of one night in a Yorkshire disco in the 80’s in this outrageous parody of Saturday Night Fever! All the gang are out on the town, the boys, the girls, the cheesy DJ, the late night kebab man and the taxi home, all under the watchful eyes of the Bouncers. One of The National Theatre’s ‘Plays of the Century’!
BOUNCERS is back and touring 2023!
In Partnership with
History of Bouncers
“I think its fair to say that I can’t really remember when the first idea for my play BOUNCERS came from. What I can remember however, is that as older teenagers, me and my friends would look forward to the excitement of the weekend just as a child looks forward to Christmas. The sense of excitement, of possibility, danger and romance was intoxicating to us back then. The fact that usually the whole experience was totally disappointing and dispiriting didn't stop us longing for the next weekend to come along. It was this recurrent sense of wanderlust, that was to fuel my imagination which would eventually lead to the version BOUNCERS which is with us today.
The very first version of BOUNCERS was written in 1977. It was essentially a two hander featuring the characters, Tall and Short two stood on the door of Mr Cinders Night Club. It was a brief forty minute play, which featured a girl, and a male student who appeared at the club, were prevented from entering, humiliated by Tall and Short and then they disappeared into the night. At the end of this brief play it became clear that Tall and Short were not night club doormen, but just two odd characters who stood on the door of any club and assumed power. At the end of the evening they too disappeared into the night. The play premiered at the Edinburgh Festival in 1977”
- John Godber
John Godber on ‘Bouncers’
In this mini documentary, playwright John Godber talks about his worldwide theatre hit, 'Bouncers'. From how it was created to how it should be performed, John covers everything you need to know about the hit comedy!