Praised By the Waters of Liverpool tour announced
By the Waters Of Liverpool, the play based on Helen Forrester’s millionselling book and featuring a star-studded cast from stage and screen, will embark on a major UK tour this autumn.
Tickets are on sale now for the story adapted to stage by Rob Fennah and directed by Gareth Tudor Price.
This stunning period drama features a star-studded cast including Sian Reeves (Coronation Street), Mark Moraghan (Holby City), Parry Glasspool (Hollyoaks), Lucy Dixon (Waterloo Road), Eric Potts (Coronation Street), Lynn Francis, Danny O’Brien, Roy Carruthers and Chloe McDonald.
Great reviews from the spring 2020 production included ...
“A big sweeping story of real emotion” - The Stage
“Convincing and compelling” - Broadway World
“An unimaginable story, made all the more powerful because it actually happened” - The Reviews Hub
Adapted from Helen Forrester’s autobiographical book, By The Waters Of Liverpool is a stunning period drama set in the years just prior to the start of World War Two.
The story opens in 1935. Helen is just 16 years old and is fighting a bitter battle with her parents for the right to educate herself and go out to work.
During the Great Depression, Helen’s father lost his fortune and the family were suddenly thrown into poverty.
They chose Liverpool as their base and a place to start afresh.
But they were in for a terrible shock.
Taken out of school to care for her younger brothers and sisters, Helen is treated as an unpaid slave and becomes desperate to escape.
By 1939 she is aged 20 and, with Britain hovering on the brink of war, she has still never been romanced and kissed by a man.
But things start looking up for Helen when she meets a tall, strong seaman and falls in love.
It’s a compelling and powerful
play that will be heading to a theatre near you this year.
Millions of people are aware of Helen Forrester’s life story told through her best-selling volumes of autobiography Twopence to Cross the Mersey, Liverpool Miss and By The Waters Of Liverpool.
Writer and friend of
Helen Forrester, Rob Fennah wrote both the stage play versions of Twopence To Cross The Mersey and By The Waters Of Liverpool.
He said: “We had an amazing response when we premiered By The Waters Of Liverpool.
“Helen Forrester’s books resonate with millions of people across the UK and many more around the world.
“This adaptation of By The Waters Of Liverpool features a sizeable chunk from Liverpool
Miss, Helen’s second volume of autobiography, together with flashbacks to Twopence To Cross The Mersey, so newcomers to Helen’s story will get a complete picture of her life.”
A meeting with Helen in 1992 resulted in Rob’s adaptation of Twopence To Cross The Mersey.
As a musical play it grossed over £2 million at the Liverpool Empire alone. Rob and Helen remained friends until her death in 2011.
The first tour last year of By the Waters of Liverpool marked the centenary of Helen’s birth. Her son Robert Bhatia travelled from Canada to see the production at the Liverpool Empire, then gave his full backing for the sharing of his mother’s story with audiences across the UK.
This latest tour gives the chance to see Helen’s story come to life once more.