NUMBER 9.................. Reviewing The Arts UK-wide: NEWS: Uk Tour of 'By The Waters Of Liverpool' extended

NEW FORRESTER PLAY BY THE WATERS OF LIVERPOOL EXTENDS TO FIVE MORE VENUES ON UK TOUR

DATES NOW INCLUDE ISLE OF MAN, HAYES, WINCHESTER, LIVERPOOL AND BLACKPOOL

After a hugely successful premiere run at the Liverpool Empire Theatre last October, five more venues have been added to the Spring 2020 UK Tour of Helen Forrester’s By The Waters Of Liverpool.

By The Waters Of Liverpool is stunning period drama produced by the team that brought the smash hit Twopence To Cross The Mersey to the stage.

The news follows the recent announcement that Sian Reeves, Parry Glasspool and Lucy Dixon have joined Mark Moraghan, Eric Potts, Lynn Francis, Danny O’Brien, Roy Carruthers, and Chloe McDonald to complete the cast.

By The Waters Of Liverpool Spring 2020 Tour will open on Tuesday 3 March at the New Brighton Floral Pavilion in Wirral–just a few miles from where Helen Forrester was born and celebrates what would have been the writer’s 100th Birthday.

The production will then travel to Stockport, Warrington, St Helens, Lancaster, Crewe, Southport, Rhyl, Swansea, Darlington and Malvern, before continuing with the newly added venues of the Isle Of Man, Hayes, Winchester, Liverpool and Blackpool. 11 weeks in total.

Mark Moraghan is best known for his role as Owen Davies in Holby City. Other TV credits include: Coronation Street, London’s Burning and Brookside. He has also appeared in Celebrity Masterchef and was runner up in the TV singing contest, Just The Two Of Us with Natasha Hamilton. Mark also made numerous guest appearances on Harry Enfield & Chums. Following in the tracks of Ringo Starr and Michael Angelis, Mark is now the voice of Thomas The Tank Engine. Theatre credits include: My Fair Lady, MacBeth and Little Miss Sunshine.

West Bromwich born Sian Reeves is an original cast member of the 1985 stage production of Les Misérables. She also later appeared in the 25^th Anniversary performance at London’s O2. Sian has already shared a stage with fellow cast member Mark Moraghan in the celebrity TV singing contest, Just The Two Of Us. Sian and opera singer, Russell Watson, won the competition. Sian’s TV credits also include: Cutting It, Emmerdale, Casualty, Hope Springs and Holby City. Theatre credits include: West Side Story, Love Me Tender, The Merchant Of Venice and The Little Match Girl.

Parry Glasspool is best known for playing Harry Thompson in Hollyoaks. He was born and raised in the Midlands before moving to London to study BA Hons in Acting for Stage and Media at the University of West London. After five years in Hollyoaks, Parry recently made a dramatic exit in a high-profile storyline when he was murdered. He was nominated for Best Newcomer at the prestigious National Television Awards 2016. Parry’s other television credits include Hollyoaks Later, Our Zoo and the film The Cutting Room.

Lucy Dixon hails from Greater Manchester. She is widely known for her television roles as Danielle Harker in Waterloo Road and Tilly Evans in Hollyoaks. Lucy received a nomination for Best Actress at the TV Choice Awards 2012 for her portrayal of Tilly. The following year, she also featured on the longlist for Best Serial Drama Performance at the National Television Awards 2013. Lucy’s other TV credits include: Birds Of A Feather, Casualty, Scott And Bailey, Doctors and Endeavour. Theatre credit include: Sweet Charity, The Girl From The Ward, Lord Of The Flies and Peter Pan.

Eric Potts has been a regular face on our TV screens for more than twenty years. The Scottish-born actor is best known for playing the eccentric baker, Diggory Compton, in Coronation Street. His other screen credits include: Doctor Who, Heartbeat, The Royal, Last Of The Summer Wine, Emmerdale and Peak Practice. Eric’s theatre credits include: Twelfth Night, Brassed Off, Footloose and The Merry Wives Of Windsor.

Other confirmed cast members are: Lynn Francis, Danny O’Brien, Roy Carruthers and Chloe McDonald.

The new touring production of By The Waters Of Liverpool is again produced by Pulse Records Limited in association with Bill Elms and is directed by Gareth Tudor Price.

Writer and friend of Helen Forrester, Rob Fennah has written both the stage play versions of Twopence To Cross The Mersey and By The Waters Of Liverpool.

Rob Fennah commented: “To go from premiering a brand new show last October to a full blown 11-week UK Tour visiting 16 theatres is a fantastically scary prospect. This period drama is a big production with a large cast and a huge story to tell. And for those who may be unfamiliar with Helen’s work, By The Waters Of Liverpool also features sizeable chunks from Helen’s earlier book Liverpool Miss, together with flashbacks to Twopence To Cross The Mersey. I’ve even weaved in a storyline from Helen’s fourth autobiography, Lime Street At Two. That way, the audience get a complete picture of her life. To make all this possible we use a technique called ‘story theatre’ whereby the actors form part of the landscape itself and take on multiple roles; over fifty different characters. It’s a fluid and very theatrical way of presenting such an epic tale and has proved to be a huge hit with our audiences.”

Helen Forrester’s son, Robert Bhatia, said: “The partnership between playwright Rob Fennah and my mother Helen, and her legacy, has been outstanding.”

During the Great Depression, Helen’s father lost his fortune when the stock market and the family were suddenly thrown into poverty. Leaving behind the nannies, servants and comfortable middle-class life in the South West of England, the Forrester’s chose Liverpool as the place to start over. They were in for a terrible shock. Taken out of school to care for her younger brothers and sisters while her parents struggled to re-build their shattered lives, Helen is treated as an unpaid slave and desperate to escape.

By The Waters Of Liverpool is a period drama set in the 1930s. The story opens in 1935. Helen Forrester is 16-years-old and fighting a bitter battle with her parents for the right to educate herself and go out to work. By 1939, Helen is now aged 20 and with Britain on the brink of war, she has never been kissed by a man. But things start looking up for Helen when she meets a tall strong seaman and falls in love.

By The Waters Of Liverpool by Helen Forrester has sold more than a million books. Now this is your chance to see it come to life in this exciting new stage play adaptation.

By The Waters Of Liverpool’s Spring 2020 UK Tour opens at New Brighton Floral Pavilion from 3 March to 8 March 2020, before heading to the Stockport Plaza (10 March to 12 March); Warrington Parr Hall(14 March and 15 March); St Helens Theatre Royal (17 March to 21 March); Lancaster Grand (23 March and 24 March); Crewe Lyceum (25 March and 26 March); Southport Theatre (27 March and 28 March); Rhyl Pavilion Theatre (31 March to 4 April); Swansea Grand Theatre (6 April and 7 April); Darlington Hippodrome (9 April to 11 April); Malvern Theatres (14 April and 15 April); Isle Of Man Gaiety Theatre (23 April to 25 April); Hayes Beck Theatre (27 April and 28 April); Winchester Theatre Royal (30 April to 2 May); Liverpool Epstein Theatre (4 May to 9 May); and Blackpool Grand Theatre (11 May to 13 May).

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

Adapted by Rob Fennah · Directed by Gareth Tudor Price

Produced by Pulse Records Limited in association with Bill Elms

Fully endorsed by the Helen Forrester Estate

Website: www.bythewatersofliverpool.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/ByTheWatersThePlay

LISTING INFORMATION

HELEN FORRESTER’S

BY THE WATERS OF LIVERPOOL

FLORAL PAVILION

Tuesday 3 March – Sunday 8 March 2020

Marine Promenade, New Brighton, Wirral, CH45 2JS