Scouse Pacific – The Royal Court Theatre, Liverpool

Writer: Fred Lawless

Director: Bob Eaton

Reviewer: Steven Patrick

The Public Reviews Rating:

After last year’s Christmas production of Merry Ding-Dong at the Royal Court one would think that they could not match it this year, but your wrong. Scouse Pacific is just the ticket for a cold wintery night, as it takes you to the Island of Secosu, an unchartered and until the arrival of Billy Riley many years ago a virtually uninhabited Island.

The show starring Andrew Schofield, Paul Duckworth, Stephen Fletcher, Linzi Germain, Rachel Rae and Alan Stocks is a laugh a minute from beginning to end. Stuck on the island and totally fed up is Donna-Marie who is very frustrated, she longs to travel to the land of her Father and eat something that not only does not look like a banana but tastes different as well. Then just when all seems to be in vain up rolls Father O’Flaherty from last year’s show, who after being hauled up in front of the Bishop is sent to the Island with some Nuns tohelp them repent, what does happen is far from what even the Bishop could have imagined. It is with the arrival of Hoylaker’s from the Wirral that the trouble starts and so to begins the juvenile punchy script full of cringeful, can see them coming a mile away jokes but even though you know they are coming they still have you splitting your sides with laughter. Lawless has an uncanny knack of turning what would otherwise have been a non-starter into a bizarre and out of this world show.

The set designed by Mark Walters was amazing with moving rafts and water also an erupting Volcano in the distance. The whole stage looked like a magnificent Tropical Island, and helped you forget the snow and ice outside the building, although I am glad the heating was on as with some of the costumes the poor actors would have froze.

Each cast member never let his/her acting slip giving it all their energy and filling each role with humour and panache Filled to the brim with remix versions of popular songs was a success, but the highlight of this show has to be the superb performance of Queens ‘ Bohemian Rhapsody’ which featured a fantastic and most impressive guitar solo from Andrew Schofield and a chorus of “A Hoylake! No! We will not let him go!” with all the cast the singing it really was out of this world.

Yet again it seems the Royal Court have a hit on their hands, get your ticket now!