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It has been four years since Dave Kirby has staged a play in Liverpool. Four years in which the writer has been far from idle, with three film projects receiving much acclaim and with one being recognised at the Cannes Film Festival and another, the original DVD release of Reds & Blues, proving so popular in both the city of Liverpool and further afield that it has now been turned into a widely anticipated stage show.
For the most part, the transition works, too, with plenty to keep Evertonians and Kopites happy, as the battle between two sets of football obsessed neighbours unfolds around the “possession” of their children by the demonic spirits of their enemy’s camps. There are some great pastiches of songs incorporated – not least of which is the turning of How Do You Solve a Problem like Maria into something else entirely.
Yet it is the cast that make the slick script come alive and turn it into something a little bit more than a mere postcard piece of candy floss that it could so easily have become. Lindzi Germain as Gwladys Street and Lynn Francis as Annie Field are both excellent in trying to outdo each other and their singing voices are powerful and surprisingly clear. Andrew Schofield and Paul Duckworth as Kenny and Dixie, also turn in with consummate performances of great comic timing. Yet it Alan Stocks as The Blue Bishop who really catches the eye, alongside two youngsters from local stage schools, Lewis Pryor as red Stevie and Taylor Parry as blue Ronaldo, who make their big stage debuts seem easy.
If there is one complaint it is that it could, possibly, lose around fifteen minutes, but on the whole Reds & Blues: The Musical remains a highly amusing show that will not only appeal to followers of these two clubs, but to anybody who understands rivalry on the sports field in any shape or form.
8/10
Reds & Blues: The Ballad of Kenny and Dixie, The Musical
Royal Court Theatre, Liverpool
June 29 – July 28
Author: Dave Kirby
Director: Bob Eaton
Musical Director: Howard Gray
Producer: Royal Court
Cast Includes: Lynn Francis, Andrew Schofield, Paul Duckworth, Lindzi Germain, Alan Stocks, Howard Gray, Lewis Pryor, Taylor Parry
Running Time: 2 hrs 20 mins
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