A Liver Bird Sang

Music by Franz Schubert, arranged by Geoff Lavelle
Lyrics by John Dixon
The New Picket, Jordan Street (1st-5th April 2008), £12

Reviewed by Amanda DeAngeles

Stags and Hens have scampered off home, the Mersey tunnels are taking the traffic through as usual, Blood Brothers got old, and A Liver Bird Sang!

Congratulations to creators, Geoff Lavelle (music) and John Dixon (lyricist), and also to the entire volunteer cast of the premiere of a new operatic musical, which takes the music of Schubert into the feisty setting of corruption at a Liverpool nightclub! Watch as unspoken wit shines through lyrical melodic humour. Hear an accomplished small orchestra make big the exuberant talent of a bustling cast. Listen to the talented diva in jeans: Jane Hamlet as she plays star of the show Ella, and melt to 'All in the Mind', a second-act solo from tenor Nick Hardy.

Thanks to Philip Hayes founder of The Picket for bringing A Liver Bird Sang to his not-so-humble stage.

See the stereotypes you might find in real Liverpool nightlife – the babes with legs and perfect hair, the feelin’-a-bit-worse-for-wear mates, who stick by each other no matter what, the alpha-male doorman threatening a cheeky grin, the tourist from America rediscovering roots, and the haves and the have-nots. A class system warring and Scouse spirit tinted with the luck of the Irish from “Killarney Road” make a hit, with a stamp and rhythmic hand from a delighted audience.

“The City Passes By” is a busker’s sentimental refrain, which flows like the tides to musicians: Peter Joyner, Rebecca Martin, Matthew Heery, Anthony Sennett, and Luke Jennings, who know the score.

If it wasn’t for the music, the talent, the tenacity and the generosity of this performance, the city might well pass you by. A Liver Bird Sang is calling you to go and see a Liverpool musical worthy of the International stage it already stands upon.

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Comments:

Comment left by caroline shenton on 29th October, 2010 at 7:30
Gutted to have missed this production, many moons ago i used to be in the theatre and worked with Geoff Lavelle, glad to hear that he is still brill. Please advise me of any further productions he may be involved in

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