Review: Brick Up: The Wirral Strikes Back at The Liverpool Empire

by Adam Faulkner . Published Thu 09 Sep 2010 17:33, Last updated: 2010-09-09

In a world where a fictitious terrorist organisation has bricked up the tunnel splitting Merseyside in half, one would hope for some side splitting ping pong banter across the river.

Sadly my sides remained very much in tact as the ambiguous identity of the whole production failed to win over a waiting crowd.

Unfortunately the sequel to a smash hit, which had Merseysiders glued to the action, was far from solid as unconvincing jokes, messy scene transitions and unbelievable characters brought the bricks tumbling down.

It tells the story of two very different families who try their utmost to get in every habitual stereotypical jibe at their respective neighbours.

On one side of the murky river is the Lairds, headed by businessman William Cammell Laird, played by Dean Sullivan of Brookside fame, who ingeniously comes up with the idea of setting up a river crossing to reintroduce the aliens (Wirralites) with the Liverpudlians.

Resembling a prancing fairy in his wood-panelled drawing room with more china animals than an antique shop, Laird plans to dupe a moustachioed worker, Kenny's Vinnie Kelly (Warren Donnelly) into remortgaging his house for a share of the river crossing pie.

Spiritual cameo's from some of the regions sons and daughters were slapped onto a screen, akin to the overhead projections from a bygone classroom.

Derek Acorah, Pete Price and Frank Carlyle tuned into their demonic wavelengths for the night as they instructed the snobby Laird to bring cohesion back to Merseyside, while Tranmere Rovers director Lorraine Rogers and Joe Anderson made brief appearances to hammer home the local nail.

The production suffered from the illness of technical mishaps on its opening night, but ultimately this can't be blamed for a hardly engrossing piece of theatre.

Ambiguous, lacking in identity: 3/10

For tickets and more information visit www.liverpoolempire.org.uk.

---

Comments about Review: Brick Up: The Wirral Strikes Back at The Liverpool Empire