Theatre Royal Brighton

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CREATIVE LEARNING OUT AND ABOUT:
JOIN THE THEATRE ROYAL BRIGHTON TEAM FOR
FREE PUPPET MAKING WORKSHOPS IN THE CITY THIS SUMMER

Theatre in a Suitcase Puppet Making Workshops:
Thu 24 Aug | 11.30am – 2.30pm at Churchill Square Shopping Centre
Thu 31 Aug | 11.30am – 2.30pm at Pavilion Gardens

Whilst restoration of the iconic façade of Theatre Royal Brighton continues on New Road, the theatre’s Creative Learning team are out and about in the city running free workshops for children and families!

Theatre in a Suitcase puppet making workshops are free drop-in sessions running for the next two Thursdays. At Churchill Square Shopping Centre on Thursday 24 August and Pavilion Gardens on Thursday 31 August, both from 11.30am – 2.30pm. 

These workshops invite participants to drop in and join the fun. With no prior registration required, families can simply arrive at any point during the 3-hour session and immerse themselves in a world of artistic expression and imagination. The team will be on hand to guide participants through the process, ensuring that everyone, from little ones to adults, can craft their own unique puppet creations. The best part? Admission is completely free for all, making it a fantastic way for families to spend quality time together while discovering their inner artists. An added bonus: TRB’s ticketing team will also be on hand for anyone wanting to pop along and book any tickets in person whilst their box office is closed!

Theatre Royal Brighton, who have recently released their new season brochure (digital copy here), reopens on Saturday 9 September with a free open day on stage. Saturdays at the Royal programme for children and families returns from Saturday 16 September – with workshops including Saturday Club for 10 – 12 year olds, Skip’s Family Workshops for 5 – 10 years olds and Stories with Skip for 2 – 4 year olds and their grown-ups. These sessions are themed and include a look around the Theatre, arts and crafts, playing, stories and drama; and if you’re wondering who Skip is – he’s a mischievous theatre mouse and the mascot for Skip’s Club events, look out for him when you visit the Theatre! Age is a Stage fun filled weekly sessions for anyone aged 50+ return from Friday 15 Sep. All of these events can be booked online via ATGTickets.com/Brighton.

  

Nottingham Concert Hall – until Saturday 26th August 2023

Reviewed by Amy V Gathercole

5*****

“Rocky Horror is the most fun, feisty and downright sexy show you’re going to experience in a theatre. Don’t dream it, Be it…”

Fun, frolics and frocks, ‘It’s just a step to the left’ … on a very memorable night at the best show in town. It’s not often that shows run for 50 years and with the iconic cult favourite Rocky Horror Show it’s easy to see why.

Rocky Horror is the most fun, feisty and downright sexy show you’re going to experience in a theatre. Don’t dream it, Be it. Combining elements of; musical theatre, sci-fi, drag, rock’n’roll and horror in its explosion of delight, deviancy and debauchery.

For anyone who doesn’t know what to expect, in its essence, Rocky Horror is a very twisted fairytale. Our conservative couple Brad (Richard Meek) and Janet (Hayley Flaherty) (who both have great comedic timing and powerful vocals) happen upon a house of horrors on a very wet night.

They’ve broken down and are looking for the use of a phone, as chaos and sexuality are (literally) thrust upon them upon their arrival and they quickly learn that a night spent here will change their lives, minds and hearts forever.

It’s the most fun you can have as an audience member, as you’re encouraged to participate in numbers like ‘Time Warp‘ and of course, it’s a show where you will find many of the audience embracing the theme with costumes including sequins and stilettos. You won’t be asked to ‘shh’ by an usher or asked to leave for heckling the narrator – who was expertly played by Joe McFadden (as part of a 4-week stint). He even added some tongue-in-cheek improv to certain lines shouted from the audience and giving it a Nottingham and topical spin in parts – a nice touch that was greeted with a lot of chuckles.

At its heart, it is a show about acceptance, and it’s been uniting LGBTQIA+ people and communities globally for decades. Helping to provide answers for people questioning their identity and providing a safe space for the alternative ego in us all.

Some roles are an actor’s dream come true and the energetic, charismatic and devious role of unforgettable Dr Frank’n’Furter is one of them. Here it’s expertly handled by Stephen Webb, who is having the time of his life cavorting and frolicking around that stage in his pants. Webb is equal parts terrifying, alluring, commanding and sexy all at once but he makes the role his own with every strut he makes on the stage, whilst also echoing the unforgettable Tim Curry.

Another notable performance is that of Riff Raff from Kristian Lavercombe, who has now performed this role in over 2000 shows around the world. Taking on the mannerisms of the creator of RHPS, Richard O’Brien but adding their own creepy and at times sinister aesthetics.

A favourite of mine has always been Columbia (I even dressed as her for the occasion) and here Darcy Finden played her vulnerable and chaotic nature, the unhinged and spurned lover to perfection.

Some of the iconic costumes of Sue Blane have had a modern update, but thankfully the memorable ones can still be found on the stage (and in the audience). The set is brilliant, combining old-school staging techniques to convey humour (particularly in the seduction
scenes in the stand-up right bed on the stage) and using more modern lighting effects to create the mesmerising and mysterious elements of the show.

In short, it’s THE party to be at. It’s raucous and racy and it will have you joyously dancing in the aisles as your jaw drops a bit more.

INITIAL CASTING ANNOUNCED FOR IMPOSTER 22 AT THE 

ROYAL COURT THEATRE

The Royal Court Theatre, in collaboration with Access All Areas, today announces the initial casting for Imposter 22 by Molly Davies (God Bless the Child, A Miracle). The production has been created from an original idea by neurodivergent Royal Court Associate Director Hamish Pirie, and is a co-creation with seven learning disabled and autistic artists who also perform in the piece. Directed by Pirie, these artists and performers are Kirsty Adams, Cian Binchy, Housni Hassan (DJ), Dayo Koleosho, Stephanie Newman, Lee Phillips and Charlene Salter. Anna Constable will also perform as an alternate to Stephanie Newman, with further casting to be announced. The production runs from Saturday 23 September – Saturday 14 October 2023, with a press night on Friday 29 September 2023. 

Introducing the co-creators and cast:

Kirsty Adams said: “I’m really excited and happy about making this show. It’s important that learning disabled and autistic people have a voice and express how they feel on stage. We all collaborated and improvised together to create characters, and my character Blossom is cheeky and a little bit bossy.”

Cian Binchy said: “This show is a very original idea, and I’m feeling great about it. Autistic and learning disabled people have got so much to offer so it’s important that we continue to be on every stage. My character Jake doesn’t want to put up with the stuff other disabled people put up with, I’ve helped create the character and improvised with the cast since 2019.”

Housni Hassan (DJ) said: “I feel incredible about making this show – I can’t wait! We are as fantastic as non-disabled people, talented in our own unique way and all of us were born for the stage. My character Kev is a funny, quirky, deep thinker who is generous and kind.”

Dayo Koleosho said: “I feel amazing and I’m looking forward to being in the show. I want to show that we can own and perform on the biggest stages in theatre with confidence, and that’s why it’s important that learning disabled and autistic people are on stage at the Royal Court.” 

Stephanie Newman said: “I’m most excited about attracting other learning disabled and autistic people to feel welcomed on stage, and I want us to be an example. I created my character, Rose is friendly and rule breaking.”

Lee Phillips said: “It feels great, a brilliant opportunity to be more creative and become a better performer. I hope the audience takes away the fact that we are amazing, that this is a good story and that they understand the characters. Geoff, the character I play, is clever, likes to have fun and the joke is always on him!”

Charlene Salter said: “It’s really important for learning disabled and autistic people to be represented and shown as role models on stage. We are here to be seen and not pushed aside. For the audience to wake up and realise that we have got talent and we can perform as good as non-disabled actors. We need more roles to represent us on TV and film.”

The whodunnit caper has been collectively created, inspired by the lived experiences and imaginations of the group, over a five-year workshop process. The production marks a new partnership between Access All Areas and the Royal Court and is a playful account of barrier navigation, the politics of neurodiversity and the power of sharing a platform. 

“We need to start at the start.

Yes, yes, we do or the Neurotypicals will be confused”

There was something off about the new guy. But now he’s dead, and the sirens are fast approaching.

Who to trust – what was it he told you that time on the pedalo? 

You need to get your story straight; because CCTV and number plates. 

Because everyone’s perspective is different, and only certain perspectives count. 

You need an empty stage, a mic, a London bus.

You need a captive audience, roller skates, and a man 25 to 45 who will do as he’s told.

Pressure’s on. Engine’s running. 

The new production will be created with the sensory needs of neurodivergent audience members in mind and all performances will be relaxed.

The Bread & Roses Theatre Announces the Clapham Fringe Festival 2023
Now in its 8th critically acclaimed Year, welcoming theatre companies and artists
from around the world!

The Bread and Roses Theatre is gearing up for this year’s Clapham Fringe Festival, which is set to be our biggest and most international, with companies from across the globe bringing us their work, and an expansion from one to three venues.

Alongside some of the best and most crowd-pleasing theatre, stand-up, works in progress, experimental performance and emerging artists at our founder venue, the much loved Bread & Roses Theatre, we are hugely excited to welcome the previously announced Two Brewers into the Clapham Fringe fold.

Keen to expand our programming to include drag, burlesque and cabaret, we can’t wait to welcome new artists to this year’s festival. We are beyond thrilled to be working with the Two Brewers and are so excited to showcase the best artists that South London and beyond has to offer.

We are also pleased to welcome Clapham’s Railway Tavern to the Festival, as their in-house stand-up comedy team ‘Comedy Bandits’ becomes part of the Clapham Fringe for the first time.

Highlights include: Theatre Group GUMBO bring their surreal satire ‘Are You Lovin’ It?’ to from Japan to Clapham, as part of an international tour – Winner of “Media Pick” at Edmonton Fringe, “Best of Fest” at San Diego Fringe, “Best Ensemble” in New York City and more. A huge hit at fringe fests across the world, GUMBO invites you to a surreal romp.

International work is also on display with ‘A Scar Is Born’ by Lorelei Zarifian, which originated in the US – a cycle of songs recounting life in Marseille, Paris, New York and Florida, intertwined with sketches about the absurdity of modern existence.

Other highlights include: ‘this is not a play about ophelia (a play about ophelia)’, a one woman show that explores the experience of teenage grief. It is multi-disciplinary piece and uses technology to ask the question; ‘What if Ophelia didn’t have to die?’. Anthroplay Theatre brings us ‘Four Short Plays’ – 15 minute plays, showcasing amazing new writing and brilliant up and coming performers, curated & directed by Anthroplay. This is their second event series, born out of their flagship scratch night Anthrotalks – which has been held monthly for the last two years, and will be held at Two Brewers as part of this year’s Fringe.

The Clapham Fringe Festival is proud to be a launchpad for artists, with box office split deals with no hidden fees. We can’t wait to share this huge array of artists and companies with our audiences.

International theatre, world premiere pieces, award winning work, stand up and cabaret across three venues, and all in Clapham, this year’s festival promises to have something for everyone.

The Festival is curated and produced by the The Bread & Roses Theatre, led by Managing Director Rebecca Pryle, Artistic Director Velenzia Spearpoint and Associate Producer Alexander Knott.

“A new wave of venues has opened in recent years … all on the sweetheart deals of old.” – The Guardian on The Bread & Roses Theatre

21 September – 15 October 2023 | The Bread & Roses Theatre, 68 Clapham Manor
Street, SW4 6DZ London

Full festival line-up: https://www.claphamfringe.com/whats-on.html
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ClaphamFringe Twitter @ClaphamFringe Instagram:
@ClaphamFringe

PAUL TAYLOR MILLS PRESENTS

A QUEER SEASON IN THE WEST END

BLOODY ELLE
AND
BOY OUT THE CITY

RUNNING AT THE LYRIC THEATRE
FROM 27 – 30 SEPTEMBER 2023

For a limited season, this September, the Lyric Theatre will host two new pieces of work, which have received rave reviews from this year’s Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

First seen in 2021 at The Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester, Bloody Elle, is a critically acclaimed show which is loud, proud and unapologetically queer. It’s a story from then, for now which was since played at Soho Theatre and was nominated for ‘Best Regional Production’ at the WhatsOnStage Awards 2022.

Boy Out The City premiered in 2021 at Westival Music and Arts Festival followed by a London premiere at the Turbine Theatre. For the past 2 years, audiences up and down the UK have been praising this hilarious, revealing and deeply tender play. 

BLOODY ELLE

Bloody Elle is a one-woman, semi-autobiographical gig musical, from Lauryn Redding. Featuring original music created live on stage, it’s a funny, poetic, and epic exploration of love, class, shame, and beauty in all its complexities. It’s the coming of age and coming out story of Elle; a young, working-class girl from the north of England.

Elle meets Eve. Her eyes are green like guacamole, she has posh-hair and a freckle on her chin and when she touches Elle’s arm…the world spins off its axis. This loud, proud love story is heart-warmingly honest and belly-achingly funny. 

Stuffed full of those stomach-flipping-time-stopping moments that everyone will recognise. Bloody Elle is a gig musical full of searing original music performed live on stage. 

It’s brutal. It’s beautiful. It’s a “moment moment.”

Bloody Elle is produced with Traverse Theatre, Cloudrise Productions and Royal Exchange Theatre. 

BOY OUT THE CITY

Created out of writing from his own private journals, Declan Bennett (recently returned from Broadway in Moulin Rouge), reflects onsurviving the streets of Coventry in a NAF NAF jacket, discovering the Gay scene in 90’s Soho, and confronting his Catholic school days.

After moving out of London to wait out the final months of the pandemic initially with his boyfriend, Declan unexpectedly finds himself alone in the Oxfordshire countryside. In his isolation, he is forced to face the demons of his past on a messy journey through the turbulent world of toxic masculinity, homophobia, and men’s mental health. From the lonely aisles of Hobbycraft to the bright lights of New York City, this is the story of a man in desperate search of identity when confronted with sudden unexpected solitude.

A raw and humorous autobiographical play exploring
toxic masculinity, homophobia, and mental health

Boy Out The City is produced by Lauren Reed Productions.

The Mill at Sonning – until 23rd September 2023

Reviewed by Marcia Spiers

4****

This play was first performed in 1970 and focuses on three couples whose lives are entwined as the men all work for the same company. An opening song by David Cassidy really took me back to that time – pure nostalgia!

The clever set saw two of the couples in what looked like the same house but amazingly they seem to avoid each other. At the end of the first act there were two dinner parties going on at the same time and both descended into chaos. The physical comedy was very well staged and kept me laughing.

Stuart Fox gave a standout performance in his portrayal of the somewhat forgetful Frank Foster who suspected his wife was up to no good. Julia Hills played the elegant but flighty Fiona Foster in wonderful outfits of the time. Ruth Gibson proved to be no pushover as the feisty Teresa Phillips whose husband Bob (Damien Matthews) was quite the typical chauvinist male of the 1970s era. Ben Porter played the dull but quite controlling William Featherstone whose mousey wife Mary (Emily Pithon) ended up getting accused of having an affair despite being the least likely candidate.

A great evening’s entertainment with lots of laughs and as a woman you can truly reflect on how things have moved on since the 1970s or not!

The Mill at Sonning is a lovely setting for an evening at the theatre as there is the opportunity for dinner before the performance in the lovely oak beamed restaurant.

Southwark Playhouse – until 23 September 2023

Reviewed by Claire Roderick

4****

Third time’s a charm for Robert Holtom’s delightful coming of age comedy. After runs at VAULT Festival and The Pleasance, Southwark Playhouse’s The Little is the latest stage for this magical play.

Life for Harry Potter fan Jack (Alex Britt) is becoming complicated. The fact that he has been sorted into Hufflepuff is not the only thing he is hiding – his growing attraction to best friend Ollie (Martin Sarreal) must be kept secret in school where the worst insult flung around is “Gay”. As Jack navigates his way tentatively through school, keeping safely in the closet, his relationships with best friends Gemma (Charlotte Dowding) and Ollie change, with tragic results. Unable to accept that this is how life should be, Jack uses his own time turner to relive his teen years and change his and his friends’ life for the better, determined that he and Ollie must be together.

Steeped in nineties and noughties nostalgia (remember when JK was unproblematic?), a basic knowledge of Potterlore helps, but Ollie’s sardonic criticisms and questions clear up any vital facts. Jack gets to relive these years with more positive results, but life is still not perfect, so another do-over is tried. Jack’s kind and romantic heart could lead to this becoming the world’s longest play as he wants to do more to give everyone the life he thinks they deserve, but his friends step in to remind him that life isn’t perfect, and they will face the struggles and joys to come together. Holtom doesn’t shy away from the truth that life is not rosy now, with a joke highlighting the change in JK as well as characters acknowledging that the views and actions of some within the LGBTQ+ community are as just as damaging and dangerous. But this doesn’t dampen the effervescent and overwhelming joy the show creates – a truly glorious production.

Holtom’s writing is sparky and emotive, with the pain of hiding your true self from parents who won’t even watch Graham Norton on TV laid bare. The cruelty and ignorance at school is also shown brilliantly in a jokey, but nevertheless hard-hitting way. As each version of Jack’s life plays out and he becomes bolder about revealing his sexuality, he finds surprising allies, and the journey to understanding and acceptance we see his parents take is simply gorgeous. Roast potatoes have never meant so much. The running joke of mum investing so much in plot holes in EastEnders is played beautifully.

Tom Wright’s direction is crisp and feels intuitive, with movement director Rachael Nanyonjo’s skills creating multiple layers and magical moments. Natalie Johnson’s astrological/horological set design is evocative and enchanting, especially in conjunction with Rory Beaton’s lighting and Peter Wilson’s sound design. Alex Britt is brilliant as Jack – naive and full of wonder at the new world he finds in London, portraying his conflicted emotions as he finds his way, and creating a wonderfully frustrating but lovable character. Charlotte Dowding is hilarious in her many roles – especially as food-pushing mum and the fierce French teacher, while Martin Sarreal impresses as Ollie – quietly capturing the fear beneath the bravado – and is a hoot as Jack’s Heavenly hookups.

Joyful, hopeful and full of heart, Dumbledore Is So Gay is a real charmer. Get yourself a ticket before they disappear.

FULL CASTING ANNOUNCEMENT

FOR THE WORLD PREMIERE OF

WRITTEN BY INTERNATIONALLY ACCLAIMED AUTHOR DMITRY GLUKHOVSKY,

 NOW FACING AN 8 YEAR JAIL SENTENCE IN RUSSIA

DIRECTED BY VISIONARY THEATRE DIRECTOR MAXIM DIDENKO

AND STARRING THE LAST KINGDOM’S (NETFLIX) AND VICTORIA’S (ITV)

ADRIAN SCHILLER

RUNNING FROM 14 SEPTEMBER – 4 NOVEMBER 2023
AT THE MARYLEBONE THEATRE

The full cast is announced for The White Factory and includes: Adrian Schiller, best known for playing Mr Penge in the ITV series Victoria and Lord Aethelhelm in the Netflix series The Last Kingdom, as Chaim Rumkowski and Old Ezekiel. Alongside him as Rivke Kaufman is Pearl Chanda, notable for her role as Sheila Sim in See How They Run, and Mark Quartley who starred in the hugely popular series The Ipcress Files as Pete, takes the role of Yosef Kaufman. They are joined by James Garnon (SS Wilhelm Koppe), Matthew Spencer (SS Herbert Lange), Olivia Bernstone (Female Ensemble) and Lewis Hart (Male Ensemble).

With casting now complete for his playwriting debut, the acclaimed author Dmitry Glukhovsky has this week been sentenced to eight years in prison by the Russian state following a trial in absentia. Currently living in exile, the writer of the bestselling Metro 2033 series is accused of deliberately spreading false information about Russia’s armed forces; both he and the play’s director, Maxim Didenko, are outspoken critics of the war against Ukraine.

This powerful and urgent new play is inspired by real events, with a haunting contemporary resonance, and will premiere at the Marylebone Theatre this autumn, running from 14 September to 04 November.

Spanning several decades, The White Factory explores the life of Yosef Kaufman, a Holocaust survivor from Lodz, haunted by his wartime experiences as he tries to build a future with his new family in 1960’s Brooklyn. Tormented by the nightmares of his past, Yosef’s attempt to negotiate the weight of his own history becomes a passionate battle for survival and redemption.

This heart-wrenching drama of love, endurance, despair and hope follows one man’s journey   from the Lodz ghetto of 1940’s Poland to 1960’s America, where the possibility of a new life is tested to the limit by the remnants of his past.

Written by Dmitry Glukhovsky, directed by Maxim Didenko, with Ukrainian creative producer Ekaterina Kashynsteva, The White Factorywill play at Marylebone Theatre from 14 September until 4 November 2023.

VIDEO ALERT – First look and listen to
Mrs de Winter is Here from the English language premiere of REBECCA at Charing Cross Theatre

Mrs de Winter is Here

with Lauren Jones as 2nd Mrs de Winter 

and Kara Lane as Mrs Danvers

Pianist Tom Knoles

Videographer Jack Somerset

Record and mixed by Ben Robbins at The Umbrella Rooms

watch with this link

Richard Carson, Lauren Jones and Kara Lane  head the cast for the eagerly anticipated English language premiere of the critically acclaimed musical ‘Rebecca’.

Based on Daphne Du Maurier’s 1938 novel, by Michael Kunze and Sylvester Levay, two of the most successful German-language musical theatre creators, ‘Rebecca’ has already captivated more than two million people worldwide in hugely successful productions in 12 countries and eight languages.

‘Rebecca’ had its world premiere at VBW’s Raimund Theater in Vienna, Austria, in September 2006, where it went on to play to sold-out houses in three seasons, and where it is currently enjoying a hugely successful revival.

The rest of the cast are: Alex James-Ward, Piers Bate, Sarah Harlington, David Breeds, Shirley Jameson, Neil Moors, Nicholas Lumley, Nigel-Joseph Francis, Elliot Swann, Scott McClure, Emily Apps, Melanie Bright, Gail MacKinnon, Tarisha Rommick, James Mateo-Salt, Rosie Glossop.

Rebecca, with an orchestra of 18, will be directed by Alejandro Bonatto (director of the critically acclaimed production of Donizetti’s ‘Rita’ and Francis Poulanc and Jean Cocteau’s ‘The Human Voice’ at Charing Cross Theatre).

It has a new English translation by Christopher Hampton (two-time Tony Award winner Best Score & Best Book for ‘Sunset Boulevard’ and Oscar winner for Best Adapted Screenplay ‘Dangerous Liaisons’ & ‘The Father’) and Michael Kunze.

Featuring 22 original songs, Rebecca is a gripping thriller full of intrigue and surprises that sticks closely to the original novel. Wealthy Maxim de Winter brings his naïve new wife home to his Cornish estate, Manderley, where the manipulative housekeeper, Mrs. Danvers, resents the new wife’s intrusion. She persuades her that she is an unworthy replacement for the first Mrs de Winter, the glamorous and mysterious Rebecca, who perished in a drowning accident, with tragic results…

The world-famous novel was also turned into a celebrated Alfred Hitchcock film in 1940, starring Laurence Olivier, Joan Fontaine, Judith Anderson, George Sanders and Gladys Cooper. It was nominated for 11 Oscars, winning two awards; Best Picture and Best Cinematography. Rebecca was recently filmed again by Netflix starring Lily James, Armie Hammer, Kristin Scott Thomas and Keeley Hawes.

Creative team
Original Book and Lyrics: Michael Kunze
Music and Orchestrations: Sylvester Levay
English Book Adaptation: Christopher Hampton
English Lyrics: Christopher Hampton and Michael Kunze
Based on the novel by Daphne du Maurier

Director Alejandro Bonatto
Choreographer Ron Howell
Musical Supervisor/Conductor Robert Scott
Production Designer Nicky Shaw
Lighting Designer David Seldes
Sound Designer Andrew Johnson
Projection Designer Matt Powell
Costume Supervisor Jess Richardson-Smith
Casting Stephen Crockett/Grindrod Burton Casting
on performance days for personal callers

4 September to 18 November

FIRST GLIMPSE OF CAST IN NEW 

HELEN FORRESTER PLAY 

‘BY THE WATERS OF LIVERPOOL’ 

UK TOUR OPENS IN TWO WEEKS 

Team release first images now rehearsals are underway 

Cast features Coronation Street’s Tom Roberts and Emmerdale’s Joe Gill,

Emma Mulligan, Lynn Francis, Daniel Taylor, Lynne Fitzgerald, 

Joe Owens, Samantha Alton, and Roy Carruthers 

Last chance to see Helen Forrester’s life story on stage 

Autumn 2023 UK Tour will open in Liverpool on 4 September 

followed by dates in Port Sunlight, Crewe, Coventry, Sale, Rhyl, Darlington, 

Lichfield, St Helens, Southport, Halifax, Lytham, and New Brighton

The creative team behind new Helen Forrester play By The Waters Of Liverpool have released the first cast images during rehearsals and in costume. 

By The Waters Of Liverpool Autumn 2023 UK Tour will run for eight weeks visiting 13 venues across the country. 

The tour opens in two weeks on Monday 4 September 2023 at The Auditorium at M&S Bank Arena in Liverpool before travelling round the country. 

The nine-strong cast will play more than 50 characters between them during the production. 

By The Waters Of Liverpool tells the captivating life story of best-selling author Helen Forrester. this will be the only chance fans will have to experience the new production live on stage as the team recently announced that this play and the earlier production, Twopence To Cross The Mersey, will no longer tour. 

After opening The Auditorium at M&S Bank Arena in Liverpool early September, the tour will conclude late October at the Floral Pavilion in New Brighton – just a few miles from where Helen Forrester was born in Wirral. Both venues are located on the banks of the River Mersey which was instrumental throughout Helen’s books. 

Between the dates in Liverpool and New Brighton, the play will also visit venues in Port Sunlight, Crewe, Coventry, Sale, Rhyl, Darlington, Lichfield, St Helens, Southport, Halifax, and Lytham. 

The cast are now in rehearsals in Liverpool and took time out for a costume photoshoot – showcasing how the new line-up will look in the play. 

Coronation Street’s Tom Roberts will play John Forrester, Helen’s father; Emmerdale’s Joe Gill will play Harry O’Dwyer, Helen’s love interest; with newcomer Emma Mulligan in the lead role of Helen Forrester. This is Emma’s first professional acting role. 

They will be joined by Lynn Francis, Daniel Taylor, Lynne Fitzgerald, Joe Owens, Samantha Alton, and Roy Carruthers. 

Tom Roberts has countless television credits including bad boy Scott Emberton in Coronation Street;DS Flanagan in Emmerdale; five seasons as Tony in 2point4 Children; EastEnders; Casualty; Holby City; Waterloo Road; Hustle; Brookside; Hollyoaks; Boon; and The Bill. Film credits include The Bradford Riots; Oh Mary, This London; The Casebook Of Eddie Brewer; Doreen: The Movie; and Just 14. Having trained at Mountview Drama School, Tom’s theatre credits include Blood Brothers, Fiddler On The Roof, Kes, Death Of A Salesman, The Three Musketeers, Misconceptions, Bouncers, Changing Rooms, Intimate Exchanges, Frankenstein, April In Paris, Educating Rita, The Holly And The Ivy, On Golden Pond, and The Verdict. His extensive radio work includes drama for BBC Radio 4, as well as several appearances on The Archers. 

Joe Gill is best known for playing the role of Finn Barton in ITV’s Emmerdale.He has also appeared in Brassic, Casualty, In The Flesh, The Sparticle Mystery, River City, In With The Flynns, and short film The Rest Is Flowers. Joe recently wrapped on his first leading feature film role in Treading Water, due for release later this year. On stage Joe recently appeared in Into Battle at Greenwich Theatre to rave reviews. Theatre credits also include The Full Monty, Butterfly House, Tiger, Romeo & Juliet, and The Comedy of Errors. He has also worked on a web series BookStreamz – narrating and performing a wide variety of stories from well-known and undiscovered authors, streamed live to the homes of audiences. 

Emma Mulligan is a 2021 acting graduate from East 15 Acting School. She is originally from Northern Ireland. Most recently she played the role of Marie in short film Undead Dilemma. Emma played numerous roles at drama school, including Dunyasha in The Cherry Orchard, Inez in No Exit, and Mattie-Fae in August: Osage County. 

Lynn Francis is well-known on the Liverpool theatre scene. Her theatre credits include The Royal, Ladies Day, A Nightmare On Lime Street, and The Salon. Screen roles include Reds & Blues, The Ballad Of Dixie & Kenny, and Charlie Noades RIP. She also worked alongside Ian Hart and Dougray Scott in film The Lie Is Dead. 

Daniel Taylor is an award-winning actor, producer, and theatre director. He has recently toured the UK in the lead role of Something About George – The George Harrison Story. Theatre credits also include Blood Brothers, The Very Best Of Tommy Cooper, Lennon: Through A Glass Onion, Down The Dock Road, and A Midsummer’s Night’s Dream. Television credits include Loose Women, The Bill, and Miranda’s Games With Showbiz Names. 

Lynne Fitzgerald is best known for her comedy acting role. She is also an acclaimed writer and director. Theatre credits include Desperate Scousewives, 2Georgeous4U, Two, The Importance Of Being Earnest, Catfish Therapy, The Salon, Night Collar, and Last Train To Auschwitz. 

Joe Owens has most recently been seen in the new and reimagined production of Masquerade at Liverpool’s Epstein Theatre. His training includes the BA Acting course and Foundation Certificate at LIPA, as well numerous years spent with the Young Everyman and Playhouse (YEP) company. Credits include Dogs directed by Nathan Powell; Love’s Labour’s Lost directed by Conor Wray; and Posh directed by Francesca Goodridge. 

Samantha Alton is best known for her one-woman performance as Kitty in Kitty, Queen of The Washhouse, at Shakespeare North Playhouse. She has been performing professional for almost a decade now after graduating with first class honours in 2013. 

Roy Carruthers is a familiar face on stages in Liverpool. Theatre credits include Ladies Night, Funny Money, Night Collar, The Price, and Lennon’s Banjo. Television credits include Good Cop, and Longford. Film credits Sparkle. Roy has also appeared on Radio 4’s Pick Of The Week programme. 

By The Waters Of Liverpool is a stunning period drama produced by the team who first brought the smash-hit Twopence To Cross The Mersey to the stage, which premiered in Liverpool almost 30 years ago. 

The creative team are producers Rob Fennah and Lynn McDermott for Pulse Stage Productions and Bill Elms. The show is directed by Gareth Tudor Price and written by Rob Fennah. 

Co-producer Bill Elms explained: “Rehearsals are now underway and the cast and crew are already coming together as a family – it’s inspiring to see everyone really just click and support each other. Once those costumes go on, the characters really come alive and it’s magical. We are very lucky to be custodians of Helen Forrester’s fascinating life story – which so many people today can resonate with given the challenging times in society. 

“Since Twopence To Cross The Mersey premiered almost 30 years ago, hundreds of thousands of theatregoers have seen the show and really taken Helen’s story to their hearts. Helen and her family even travelled from Canada to see it for themselves. By The Waters Of Liverpool is an adaptation of her third autobiography and the final chapter of Helen’s life in Liverpool during the Great Depression. The play also features sizeable chunks from Helen’s earlier book Liverpool Miss, together with flashbacks to Twopence To Cross The Mersey – as well as a storyline from Helen’s fourth autobiography Lime Street At Two. That way, those unfamiliar with Helen’s work will still get a complete picture of her life in one show.” 

By The Waters Of Liverpool Autumn 2023 UK Tour is highly anticipated. Its inaugural tour was scheduled to run for 12 weeks across 17 venues in Spring 2020. It was abandoned after visiting only three theatres due to the Covid-19 pandemic and rescheduled twice when the pandemic failed to abate.    

By The Waters Of Liverpool has sold more than a million books. It is set in the 1930s after Helen’s father went bankrupt during the Depression. Her family were forced to leave behind the nannies, servants and comfortable middle-class life in the South West of England. The Forrester’s chose Liverpool to rebuild their shattered lives. They were in for a terrible shock. Taken out of school to look after her young siblings, Helen is sick of being treated as an unpaid slave and begins a bitter fight with her parents for the right to go out to work and make her own way in life. But by 1939 and with Britain on the verge of war Helen, now aged 20, has still never been kissed by a man. But things start looking up for her when she meets a tall strong seaman and falls in love. 

Helen’s literary achievements were further celebrated in 2020 to mark her 100^th Birthday when an iconic Blue Plaque was unveiled at the Forrester family home in Hoylake on the Wirral, a place which featured heavily in her work. 

Helen Forrester’s best-selling volumes of autobiography include Twopence To Cross The Mersey, Liverpool Miss, By The Waters Of Liverpool, and Lime Street At Two. 

Written by Rob Fennah   ·   Directed by Gareth Tudor Price 

Produced by Pulse Stage Productions and Bill Elms 

Fully endorsed by the Helen Forrester Estate 

Website:         www.bythewatersofliverpool.com 

Facebook:       www.facebook.com/ByTheWatersThePlay 

YouTube:        https://youtu.be/r6TLMnPUleg 

LISTING INFORMATION 

HELEN FORRESTER’S  

BY THE WATERS OF LIVERPOOL 

LIVERPOOL – THE AUDITORIUM AT M&S BANK ARENA 

Monday 4 September – Wednesday 6 September 2023 

www.mandsbankarena.com 

PORT SUNLIGHT – GLADSTONE THEATRE 

Tuesday 12 September – Thursday 14 September 2023 

www.gladstonetheatre.org.uk 

CREWE – LYCEUM 

Monday 18 September – Tuesday 19 September 2023 

www.crewelyceum.co.uk  

COVENTRY – ALBANY THEATRE 

Wednesday 20 September – Thursday 21 September 2023 

www.albanytheatre.co.uk  

SALE – WATERSIDE 

Friday 22 September – Saturday 23 September 2023 

www.watersidearts.org  

RHYL – PAVILION 

Tuesday 26 September – Wednesday 27 September 2023 

www.rhylpavilion.co.uk 

DARLINGTON – HIPPODROME 

Friday 29 September – Saturday 30 September 2023 

www.darlingtonhippodrome.co.uk 

LICHFIELD – GARRICK 

Tuesday 3 October – Wednesday 4 October 2023 

www.lichfieldgarrick.com 

ST HELENS – THEATRE ROYAL 

Monday 9 October – Wednesday 11 October 2023 

www.sthelenstheatreroyal.com 

SOUTHPORT– THE ATKINSON 

Thursday 12 October – Saturday 14 October 2023 

www.theatkinson.co.uk 

HALIFAX – VICTORIA THEATRE 

Monday 16 October – Tuesday 17 October 2023 

www.victoriatheatre.co.uk 

LYTHAM – LOWTHER PAVILION 

Thursday 19 October – Saturday 21 October 2023 

www.lowtherpavilion.co.uk 

NEW BRIGHTON – FLORAL PAVILION 

Tuesday 24 October – Sunday 29 October 2023 

www.floralpavilion.com