Among attractions at the Royal Court are revivals of Willy Russell’s comedy Stags and Hens and Alan Bleasdale’s vintage comedy On The Ledge. Liverpool company Positive Impact – the city’s leading multi-ethnic drama group – will be staging Brand New World, a musical based on the story of Aladdin. Another commission examining cultural identity will be Babul And The Blue Bear, splicing the themes of divided loyalties and racial tension. Liverpool’s Unity Theatre has no fewer than seven premieres – mainly by local companies – during the first four months of 2008. Unity is undertaking a production of Henrik Ibsen’s last play, When We Dead Awaken, in co-operation with two Swedish theatre groups. The director is Unity patron Josette Bushell-Mingo, who created the role of Rafiki in the UK premiere of The Lion King. The Hope Place-based theatre is also involved in producing a promenade performance of August Strindberg’s fairytale The Ghost Sonata in Sefton Park’s Palm House. The overall performance calendar sees two extraordinary ways of using unique spaces. One Step Forward, One Step Back poses the question What is Paradise? and is aptly destined for the vast interior of Liverpool Cathedral, exploiting film, music and acting. The promenade performance, designed for small pre-booked groups, will venture into parts of the cathedral not usually seen by the public. In April the Liverpool Phil, directed by Vasily Petrenko, will be taking over the equally gargantuan St George’s Hall to play for Viennese ballroom dancing spectaculars. These complement the Viennese theme surrounding the Gustav Klimt exhibition at Tate Liverpool. High culture indeed. But 2008 would not be complete without at least one football-inspired drama. An Audience With Shankly, written by Andrew Sherlock (with the help of LFC fans) gets its world premiere at Liverpool Olympia prior to touring. And yes, you guessed it – one actor, 45 minutes each half, and launched on April 24 – 34 years to the day that Liverpool won the English First Division title under Bill Shankly’s leadership. Joe Riley on entertainment Viennese Balls, St George’s Hall (April 12,13): A whirling and a swirling in style, backed by the Liverpool Phil. Waltz king Johann Strauss gave six concerts at Liverpool Amphitheatre – giving rise to a rash of Scouse waltzes to meet the demand for the new levity in classical music. This time around it’s all tied in to the Vienna 1900 exhibition of works by Gustav Klimt exhibition at Tate Liverpool. One Step Forward, One Step Back, Liverpool Cathedral (from May 7 -10): A promenading multi-media show posing the question What is paradise? - incorporating music and film and visiting the books and crannies of Giles Gilbert Scott’s gigantic building (the fourth largest cathedral in the world) not normally seen by the public. Once Upon A Time At the Adelphi, Everyman (June 27-July 19): A musical celebration. In the days when Cunard liners brought passengers a-plenty from America the Adelphi was simply the place to be seen. Celebrities included cowboy movie star Roy Rogers and his horse Trigger who both appeared on the balcony to wave to the crowds. The rest is history (including the TV series, Hotel “Just cook, will yer”) Eric’s, Everyman (to be scheduled in autumn): Mark Davies Markham, who also wrote the Boy George musical Taboo, and the recently televised Liverpool Nativity, turns his attention to the other Mathew Street music venue of international repute. After the Cavern came Eric’s, HQ of late 70s punk and home from home to a host of extraordinary characters including Julian Cope, Ian McCulloch, Pete Wylie, Ian Broudie and Holly Johnson. King Lear, Everyman (October 3 to November 29): Pete Postlethwaite, one of the now legendary Everyman troupe of the mid-70s, which also included Antony Sher, Jonathan Pryce, Julie Walters, Bill Nighy and Matthew Kelly, returns to perform Shakespeare’s most challenging role. He says it will be “like climbing the north face of the Eiger”. The audience can watch in trepidation from base camp. FOR more details on all events visit www.liverpool08.com. Other useful numbers include the Everyman/Playhouse box office on 0151-709 4776 and Liverpool Cathedral on 0151-709 6271. Also see liverpoolphil.com joeriley@liverpoolecho.co.uk | 
