Twopence To Cross The Mersey – Theatre Royal, St Helens

A novel by Helen Forrester that sold over a million books had been adapted for stage and is now on tour. This particular adaptation was created by Rob Fennah, produced by Bill Elms and directed by Gareth Tudor Price. The synopsis of the story is that it is set in 1931, Helen’s family we’re made bankrupt and decided to start a new life in Liverpool, this was because Liverpool was where Helen’s father John Forrester (Mark Moraghan) made his fortune originally. In the 1930s there was the Great Depression so many people were out of work and those who had work were unlikely to give it up. Helen (Jenny Murphy) was in her teens and wanted to go to school but as her parents needed to find work she had to look after the baby whilst her brothers went to school. What was nice in this show was that even in the Great Depression people were still willing to open their arms with human kindness to offer food and coal for warmth. We still have that sense of community today but it’s always nice to be reminded that a little help can go a long way for those in need.

This production had a cast of Liverpool actors including Lynne Fitzgerald (Mrs Foster, Miss Brough) Daniel Taylor (Porter Billy, Old Gentlemen) Rob Hudson, Chloe McDonald, Parry Glasspool and Lynn Francis. They were highly skilled in multi rolling throughout the show. Making each character unique.

Having not read the books only the production. The story was engaging, however I felt this wasn’t suited for a big theatre. I also felt that it was rather confusing having multiple people narrate whereas Murphy did an amazing job doing it herself considering she was playing the lady herself. Total runtime was 2 hours with an interval but could have easily had 15 minutes taken off it. If you’re a fan of the era and war time as I am it is worth a watch and would encourage schools to watch this show as you can learn about the Great Depression and how hard life really was for families and especially children. Kudos to the cast for getting through yesterday’s show as people were talking, leaving and in one case shouting at the cast like it was an interactive show.

Reviewer: Luke Stephenson

Reviewed: 27thSeptember 2022

North West End UK Rating: ★★★