Shakers
by Jane Thornton, John Godber

THE STORY: In a not-so-chic London bar called Shakers, we meet Carol, Adele, Nicky and Mel, four friends who have taken to waitressing in desperation but who also have wit and resilience enough to never let any of the colorful characters they come across escape their satire unscathed.

In theatrically heightened moments, the women play the roles of men and women alike, covering not only their nights at Shakers but also the lives of four other working women in London.

Always at the source of their satire are the men who take them for granted or, worse, abuse them.

Against this backdrop of postmodern London life are kaleidoscopic scenes of hilarity and depravity.

In intertwining plot threads we follow the waitresses as they confront a possible new owner for the bar and at the same time we follow four shopgirls getting ready for a night on the town.

Tart-tongued and irreverent, the lives of all of these women are put in painful perspective by the doubling of their roles which draws attention to the economic and social prejudices affecting all women, not just the fighters we meet at Shakers.