A new musical based on classic 1970s sitcom The Liver Birds is to be presented for one night only at The Epstein Theatre in Liverpool.
The concert presentation on May 30 promises a West End cast performing all-new songs and lyrics by internationally acclaimed singer/songwriter Barb Jungr and Level 42’s Mike Lindup. The script, inspired by Carla Lane and Myra Taylor’s original TV series, has been written by BBC Radio Merseyside presenter Linda McDermott.
The show is directed by Sarah Tipple whose credits include the stage version of Dirty Dancing and Mike Leigh’s adaptation of The Pirates Of Penzance.
The plot sees two of the “Liver Birds”, Sandra and Beryl, meet at their old flat in present-day Liverpool for the first time since the 1970s when Sandra abruptly left with no forwarding address. Can their friendship be rekindled after this long separation, and what happens when the Liver Birds come back together after 40 years?
The two characters are based on the two flatmates originally played by Polly James and Nerys Hughes, who were the stars during most of the sitcom’s run on BBC1 from 1969 to 1979.
Carla Lane, whose other hit comedies included Butterflies and Bread, personally granted the rights for this musical adaptation before her untimely death in 2016. Since then, the writing team have been busy creating this modern-day story, celebrating Carla’s characters and their home city in a new story.
They won the support of Olivier Award-winning theatre producer James Seabright who is working alongside renowned Liverpool-based promoter and producer George Seaton to bring this show to the stage.
The concert presentation will be the culmination of the show’s first workshop. The creative team will be inviting audience members to share their feedback on the musical before it moves forward to its next stage of a fully staged world premiere production, which will also open in Liverpool.
BOOK TICKETS TO THE LIVER BIRDS IN CONCERT
Mark Ludmon has been a journalist for over 20 years, specialising in writing about theatre and the arts as well as bars, pubs and drink. He has been on the theatre judging panel for London’s Olivier Awards and has a masters degree in English literature, specialising in Elizabethan and Jacobean drama. He has an MA in theatre research, criticism and dramaturgy from the University of London’s Royal Central School of Speech & Drama. You can find him tweeting about theatre as @MarkLudmon and writing about theatre at markludmon.com.
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