A MAJOR production documenting the early life of Merseyside author Helen Forrester will be staged at Theatre Royal in St Helens next month as part of a national tour.
By The Waters Of Liverpool was set to embark on its autumn UK tour with 15 performances at Liverpool’s Epstein Theatre but, on June 30, following a decision by Liverpool City Council to end decades of financial support, the venue's permanent closure was announced putting the Forrester play in serious jeopardy.
A rescheduled tour, which began with preview performances at M&S Bank Arena Auditorium in Liverpool earlier this month, is currently enjoying rave reviews and continues with a three-date run at the Theatre Royal in St Helens from Monday, October 9 to Wednesday, October 11.
By The Waters Of Liverpool is set in the 1930s after Helen’s father went bankrupt during the Depression.
Her family was forced to leave behind the nannies, servants and comfortable middle-class life in the South West of England. The Forresters 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.
Millions of people worldwide are familiar with Helen Forrester’s life story which is told through her best-selling volumes of autobiography Twopence To Cross The Mersey, Liverpool Miss, By The Waters Of Liverpool and Lime Street At Two.
The show's New Brighton-based producer Rob Fennah told the Star recently: "By The Waters Of Liverpool also features sizeable chunks from Helen's earlier books Liverpool Miss, together with flashbacks to Twopence To Cross The Mersey.
"I've even threaded in a storyline from Lime Street At Two; that way those unfamiliar with Helen’s work will get a complete a complete picture of her life. We have a wonderful cast of nine playing over fifty characters, all of whom will be familiar to Helen Forrester's vast army of readers”.
Helen's literary achievements were further celebrated in 2020 to mark her 100th Birthday when an iconic Blue Plaque was unveiled at the late author's family home in Hoylake, a place that featured heavily in her work.
He said: "When By The Waters Of Liverpool was forced to close back in March 2020, we all thought it was a setback and we'd be back on the road within a few months.
"It never occurred to us that it would be over three years before the show would hit the stage again.
"As with everyone working in the arts at that time, it proved to be a very difficult period forcing many talented people to leave the industry for good.
"But in true Helen Forrester style, we managed to survive and now want audiences to know that By The Waters Of Liverpool is coming back, bigger and better than ever."
The cast includes Coronation Street’s Tom Roberts and Emmerdale’s Joe Gill together with Lynn Francis, Daniel Taylor, Lynne Fitzgerald, Joe Owens, Samantha Alton, Roy Carruthers. The show stars Emma Mulligan in the role of Helen Forrester.
The show is directed by Gareth Tudor Price.
Co-producer Bill Elms commented: “It’s been such a challenging journey for By The Waters Of Liverpool. But the tour has now opened, we have an incredibly talented cast and the four-star reviews are flooding – we’re delighted to be back on the road.
“From pandemic lockdowns, a theatre closure, and Lynn and Rob’s extraordinary kidney transplant, it’s been a story in itself getting the play to stage and tour.
"This is the final ever opportunity for fans of Helen Forrester’s fascinating work to see her life story on stage
“By The Waters Of Liverpool is captivating – the story of a young woman struggling to live her life. The story is heartbreaking and heartwarming, it does have plenty of comedy moments thanks to the myriad of characters, but most of all there is so much hope and love. Something everyone needs.”
Helen's son, Robert Bhatia, said: “The partnership between playwright Rob Fennah and my mother Helen, and her legacy, has been outstanding."
Tickets for the show's run at the Theatre Royal in St Helens are from here
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