New Twopence Play Premieres Next Month

It is now just over a month until the new stage play version of Helen Forrester's hit musical Twopence To Cross The Mersey embarks on a six-week tour of four Merseyside theatres.

The Merseyside Spring tour will visit Liverpool, Southport, St Helens and New Brighton between 10 March and 23 April.

The new ensemble production features eight cast members, including a number of faces familiar to Liverpool theatregoers, namely Eithne Browne, Jake Abrahams and Emma Dears.

The tour opens with a three-week run at the Epstein Theatre Liverpool (10 to 28 March). This is followed by visits to Southport Theatre (9 to 11 April) and St Helens Theatre Royal (14 to 16 April). The tour ends with a trip across the River Mersey to the Floral Pavilion in New Brighton (19 to 23 April).

The full cast line up is Emma Dears (Judy & Liza, Les Miserables) as Mother, Christopher Jordan (Moving On, Coronation Street) as Father, Young Helen is played by Maria Lovelady and with Young Alan played by Daniel Stephen Davies, all of which make up the Forrester family. Eithne Browne (Brookside, Brick Up The Mersey Tunnel), Jake Abraham (Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, Game of Thrones), Roy Carruthers (Night Collar, Tales from Haunted Liverpool) and Brian Dodd (Tony Teardrop, Treasured) all take on lead roles, as well as supplementary characters throughout.

In its earlier format, the musical version of the show had four hugely successful runs at Liverpool's Empire Theatre, firstly in 1994 and then returning in 2004, 2005, 2007 and 2009, with Rob Fennah and production company Pulse Records Ltd.

The new version is being staged by Pulse in collaboration with producer and stage writer Rob Fennah and new co-producer Bill Elms. They are joined by director Bob Eaton. The show will celebrate 21 years on stage during its Merseyside tour which also starred Eithne Browne.

During an illustrious career spanning more than 40 years, Bob has directed more than 80 professional productions in regional theatres across England, London, New York and Hong Kong. Bob has also written and co-written over 20 plays, musicals and musical adaptations - and most recently won praise for the return of Lennon the musical to Liverpool.

Producer and stage writer Rob Fennah said: "This is a new stage play adaptation of Helen's book and follows our very successful musical version, which Helen came to see nearly 21 years ago when premiered at the Empire theatre in Liverpool. In fact, the performance on April 9th will mark the show's coming of age! But I must point out, everything about this production is different; new set, new script; new director. Together with the strong and talented cast we have found to tour this Spring, taking the play across Merseyside theatres and introducing more theatregoers to Helen's fascinating story is something we are all looking forward to."

Helen Forrester's Twopence to Cross the Mersey tells the true story of a young girl and her formerly wealthy family as they are suddenly thrown into poverty during the Great Depression of the 1930s. Leaving behind the nannies, servants and comfortable middle-class life in the South West of England, they uproot their shattered lives and choose Liverpool as the place to start again to rebuild their dreams and fortune. Unbeknown to them however, a terrible shock awaits them.

Theatregoers also have an extra incentive to catch the show following a collaboration with Merseyrail - they can travel by train to selected performances at two Merseyside venues for just two pence. And according to the organisers, this is the first time that people have been able to cross the River Mersey for just 2p since 1948.

The specially priced train tickets will be available for people travelling into Liverpool for the Epstein Theatre's matinee and evening performances (2.30pm and 7.30pm) on Wednesday 18 March. This will be followed on Wednesday 22 April, for theatregoers travelling across the Mersey to New Brighton for the Floral Pavilion's matinee and evening performances.

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