Writer/Director: Jimmy Fairhurst
Following from an initial run in 2021, Warrington based company Not Too Tame theatre company restages The Social in various social clubs in and around Wigan and Lancashire. Billed as a celebration of all things Northern Soul and its spiritual home The Casino, howvee, The Social is more a domestic drama (albeit set in a social club) than a show specifically about Northern Soul.
It’s undeniable that The Social oozes atmosphere, a social club, a free wigan pie and a cast that work hard for a good two hours – 30 minutes of pre-show ambling and 90 minutes of non-stop, energetic, wrap-around theatre. One uses that term, rather than immersive because apart from a meat raffle, we are not really brought into the action that takes place, we are very much observers allowed into the story of two sisters, Orla (Samantha Seager) and Mazine (Rebecca Hesketh Smith) who are struggling to keep their social club open, not thanks to the on-going exploits of wheeler-dealer on-off boyfriend Dezzy – played with panache by Jimmy Fairhurst. Alongside dodgy fire-stick sales courtesy of Dezzy’s long-lost brother Ziggy (Tyler Dobbs), we also get glimpses into the life of newly appointed PCSO Greg, played with wonderful lumpness by Elliot Bailey and Sally Malloy (as herself) the 2023 Northern Soul World Dance Champion – who skilfully weaves her tale and moves into the proceedings.
The story that unfolds is a raw and bitter-sweet tale of many social clubs up and down the land, the struggle is real and so too are the people who run them – the cast brings that rawness throughout, and it feels truthful and relatable. There are times when the action is so frantic and the music loud (especially the opening segment) that dialogue is lost but once the show settles, it really does deliver. There are excellent performances all round – Seager and Hesketh Smith are great as fighting sisters, and Dobb’s larger-than-life Mancunian portrayal is touching.
The Social guarantees you a fun night out – and when the drama is over, the place is turned into a club so you can dance till your feet hurt and your taxi comes and picks you up.
Runs until 6 Dec at clubs across the North West
The Reviews Hub Score
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