A new stage adaptation of Helen Forrester’s Twopence To Cross The Mersey begins at Crewe Lyceum today (September 21) and runs for four days.
Based on the late author’s million-selling autobiography, the play written by Rob Fennah chronicles Helen’s early life during The Great Depression in 1930s Liverpool.
It features a cast of nine playing more than 40 characters set in the early 1930s in the midst of the Great Depression.
Helen’s spendthrift father was declared bankrupt forcing the family to leave behind nannies, servants and beautiful middle-class home in the gentler South West of England.
With nothing more than the clothes they stood up in, the family of nine took the train to Liverpool where they hoped to rebuild their shattered lives.
Rob Fennah said: “This show is loaded with provenance.
“Helen was hands-on during the writing process so her army of loyal readers will get to see a true and honest representation of Twopence To Cross The Mersey.
“Along with the many hours of telephone conversations I had with her from her home in Canada, I have a stack of letters and faxes, crammed with little gems that never found their way into her books.
“On many occasions, Helen would travel to the UK and we’d get together to talk about the stage adaptation.
“It was fantastic to have her there, in person, to help me flesh out some of the lesser characters in the books, but ones I felt would help bring the story to life on stage.
“Over the years, Helen and I became firm friends and I feel very privileged to have been entrusted with her most famous work.
“Helen and I would often meet in places that were significant during her early life in Liverpool; places that were close to her heart.
“The Palm House in Sefton Park is case in point.
“Readers of Twopence To Cross The Mersey will know how she used to take refuge there as a child during the freezing winter months.
“The Kings Gap Hotel in Hoylake was another; she was born at her grandmother’s home just around the corner in Warren Road.”
Helen’s literary achievements were celebrated in 2020 when an iconic Blue Plaque was unveiled at the late author’s family home in Warren Road.
Helen Forrester’s son Robert Bhatia said: “The partnership between playwright Rob Fennah and my mother Helen, and her legacy, has been outstanding.
“I saw the play during its last tour and the portrayal of my mother was utterly convincing.”
Twopence To Cross The Mersey is produced by Pulse Records Limited in association with Bill Elms. It is directed by Gareth Tudor Price.
The cast includes Mark Moraghan, Daniel Taylor, Parry Glasspool, Jenny Murphy, Lynn Francis, Lynne Fitzgerald, Robert Hudson, Roy Carruthers and Chloe McDonald.
This year’s nationwide tour of Twopence To Cross The Mersey will be followed by a tour of its sequel, By The Waters Of Liverpool, in March 2023.
Visit www.crewelyceum.co.uk for ticket details.
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