Yours, a tale of the Bootle Blitz

Waterloo and Crosby Musical Theatre Company’s latest very interesting and educational production was a musical drama called "Yours, a tail of the Bootle Blitz” written by playwright David E Davies and is set during World War II in Bootle Liverpool. This was the first time this play had been performed on stage and it looks at life during this historic conflict as well as the story of the horrific bombing of Bootle, which apparently sustained the second highest civilian loss of life outside of London. The play also highlights the effects of the war on families, the local community and shows how life and plans can change in the blink of an eye. I personally knew that Liverpool had been bombed during the war but I was not aware of the severity and the consequences of this terrible life changing episode for its population.

There was a talented very experienced production team  which included Director Pamela Foy, Musical Director Ian Dunning and Choreographer Claudia Molyneux, who had at their disposal a large cast made up of different age groups playing interesting characters who were representative of those people who could be seen and found in Liverpool during this period in history.

The story centres on the lives of the Maguire family and principally the eldest daughter Shirley Maguire and her fiancé Paul Rimmer, we see the devastating effects the war has on their relationship, future plans and the family as a whole. The role of Shirley was excellently played by Alexandra Edgar who also had a very good singing voice, her fiancé Paul was also very well played by Luke Saunders, both actors complimented each other nicely making a very believable central couple. Luke also played two of the small cameo roles, American GI, Glen and Capitaine Louis. Jenna Watkins produced a lovely sympathetic characterisation in her role as Mary McGuire Shirley’s mother and she also sang beautifully, her husband and Shirley’s father Mick Maguire was strongly played with understanding by Alex Sinclair, who complemented Jenna nicely, making a very believable married couple of the era. Four talented young actors gave lovely performances as the two younger children, Oscar Sansbury was Jamie McGuire and Jessica Keggin was Jane Maguire in the first act with Euan Parkes and Nikita Madden playing their older selves in the second act. Other well played important roles included Steve Little as Harry Rimmer, Paul’s father, Ian Dunning as a very smart Sergeant Major,Claudia Molyneux as Doris, Lindsay Lyth as Carol,Sarah Henshaw as Maureen and a comedic Carolyn McAdam as Bridget. We were  also entertained by  two very famous names from the period namely, Vera Lynn ( Laura Ratcliffe) and Rob Wilton (Roy Hartley). There were also several small well played cameo roles who along with the ensemble which was made up of a mixture of age groups, supported the principal cast excellently, performing the songs and effective relevant choreography by Claudia Molyneux very well.

Diction, projection and clarity of words was very good which meant the audience could follow this important story easily. The  music score included lots of well-known songs from the period which were accompanied expertly on the piano by pianist Brian Tubbs with Chris Ellis on the drums and conducted by Musical Director Ian Dunning.

Everyone in the cast appeared to be enjoying the experience and all sang the memorable songs with gusto and lots of feeling.

The set was very minimalistic but scenes were set using different areas of the stage with excellent use of furniture and first class appropriate props from the period. There was very efficient use of the stage area which meant there was smooth and quick transition between scenes which keep the pace of the production just right. The production was complemented by excellent technical input which included lighting, sound, sound effects, radio archive material, sourced by Steve Little of Maghull Radio, and also the showing on screen of lots of thought provoking photographs taken in Liverpool specifically Bootle during the war. Costumes fitted the era and the production very well, it was obvious that a great deal of thought and hard work had gone into getting them just right. Well done to  the Stage Manager Colin Wilson and all the back stage crew.

This was a very interesting and sometimes poignant production which centred on a period of history which should not be forgotten. Talking to various members of the audience it was clear that this play brought back memories for some and reminders of stories told by relatives from the local community who lived through this conflict.

Congratulations to Pamela Foy and to all involved in bringing this interesting thought provoking production to the stage. Thank you for a very entertaining evening we had a lovely time.

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