Ladies Night

Don’t expect any subtlety and certainly don’t expect too many surprises, but Ladies Night is a romp guaranteed to have corsets busting and eyes bulging and if ever there’s been a show that does exactly what it says on the tin then  this is surely it.

Raunchy, risqué and rollicking good fun, the Royal Court again delivers by providing some “alternative” demonstrations of close-knit ball control during World Cup season.

Five lads on the dole in Liverpool are so desperate they decide to become male strippers. Packed with the usual doubts that any such notion might bring, they only get it together when former erotic dancer Dawn, played with style and energy by Nicola Bolton, whips them – almost literally at one point – into shape.

The fun the cast are having on stage is infectious as a somewhat slow first act truly catches fire during the second thanks to the choreography of Beverly Norris-Edmunds which is performed if not exactly with the Chippendale’s authority, then certainly with a great deal of enthusiasm. It would also be unfair not to mention Claire Lyth for designing a truly stunning set that really accentuates the feeling of being in a run down club.

Of the performances, former Emmerdale stalwart Stuart Wade comes to the fore by turning in a fine outing as Craig, the manager whose idea it all is, who in turn is backed ably by the cast as a whole and of whom Michael Ledwich as the naive Norman almost steals the show.

A good, smutty giggle? What more could you’re Missus wish for on a hot summer’s night?

Chris High