THE men in black moods, the lads on the pull and the girls on a birthday binge are back. Not that they have ever been away.

Somewhere in the world, at any one time, a Big Mac is being chomped, a tube of Smarties is being popped, and John Godbers's "microscopic study of urban nightlife in Anytown, any weekend" is being performed.

Right now is a good time to do it in Harrogate, the old spa town where taking the waters has been replaced by the binge-drinking weekend antics in Parliament Street.

As the audience arrives, the four doormen of the apocalypse are already on the prowl and on the growl, in monkey suits to cut out the monkey business at Xanadu's nightclub. Welcome to a white-knuckle ride through Nineties clubland, as seen through the narrowed eyes and felt through the fists of mad lad Les (Andy Brady), chippy Judd (Pete Dunwell), edgy Ralph (Grant Burgin) and veteran Lucky Eric (Jonathan Magnanti), the troubled king of bouncers with the monologues to prove it.

Adrenalized by a soundtrack of handbag favourites, Britpop anthems and pulsating dance grooves, the bouncers act out the night's contact sport, playing not only the door operatives, but the lairy lads, the wary girls, the lecherous DJ and assorted nocturnal creatures too. Their only props are handbags and a surfeit of imagination; the rest is down to teamwork to get them through Godber's comic assault course.

Artistic director Hannah Chissick gave Harrogate an A-grade Teechers in 2003, and again she has brought new sparkle to a Godber gem. She pumps up the audience interaction, inserts references to Harrogate and Starbeck, invents Starbeck FM radio station and peppers up the bad language and topical reference points. The most inspired innovation is the multi-coloured dance floor lighting in Philip Witcomb's set design. At one point, at the mention of the England rugby team, it transforms into the St George's flag; when the lads visit the gents, a line of pale yellow lighting sets the stinking scene.

The performances are full of energy and physicality, sauce and pathos, with big Pete Dunwell doing particularly well. The weekend starts here.

Box office: 01423 502116

Updated: 11:23 Friday, February 25, 2005