A one-off concert version of a new musical based on Carla Lane's 1970s sitcom The Liver Birds will be performed at Liverpool's Epstein Theatre.
The roles of Sandra and Beryl, played by Nerys Hughes and Polly James on TV, will be taken by Joanna Monro and Lesley Molony, with Nicola Munns and Julie Atherton as younger versions of the same characters. Mark Rice-Oxley will be Beryl's son Will.
Sandra and Beryl meet at their old flat in present-day Liverpool for the first time since the 1970s when Sandra abruptly left with no forwarding address. Can their friendship be rekindled after this long separation, and what happens when the Liver Birds come back together after forty years?
The concert will be produced by theatre producer James Seabright with Liverpool promoter George Seaton. Carla Lane granted the rights to the writers—music by Mike Lundup and lyrics by Barb Jungr who also co-wrote the book with Linda McDermott—before her death in 2016.
Directed by Sarah Tipple, the concert will be at the Epstein Theatre in Liverpool on Tuesday 30 May.