Review: THE HIPPIE SHAKES, Greenside @ Infirmary Street

Chickie, based on a real-life person, is a free spirit, but her responsibilities are cramping her style. It's the fun-loving sixties, and she would be free and easy if it weren't for her ever-expanding brood (though she does love them dearly). Her husband Johnny has given her a taste of freedom (*cough* drugs *cough*), but his involvement in the cocaine trade means that Chickie must raise their children single-handedly.

Told solely through Chickie's eyes, this one-woman piece of gig theatre is supported by the Hippie Shakes, a three-piece band who drive the tale forward through the seventies with familiar songs.

Elliott Chase plays Chickie with charisma. Her charm ensures the audience is on the character's side as she rides the waves of her complex life through Europe and California. Appropriately "groovy" animated images provide the backdrop, setting the scene and the atmosphere.

The band are Ryan Lester (drums), Callum Harrison (bass) and Paven Rai (guitar), and they score the production skilfully. They are a tight group as well as enthusiastic and reactive supporting characters when called upon by Chickie.

The plot is often clever, showcasing some of the shadier sides of the swinging sixties and the 'hippie' lifestyle. A sharp and entertaining tale presenting a dark twist on the swinging sixties and its effect on parts of American culture.

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