BOISTEROUS: (L to R) Mark Womack, Andrew Schofield, Lauren O'Neil, Nathen McMullen, Barry Sloane, Aron Julius
[Jason Roberts]
HENRY BELL is fascinated by the underlying curiosities and contradictions of one of the great poets of the Mediterranean
DAVID RENTON recommends a books that explores the ways in which disabled people are made to feel both of and not part of this world
JONATHAN TAYLOR is fascinated by the philosophical problems that permeate the art of life-writing
GORDON PARSONS steps warily in between the lines of Britain’s most famous diarist
SIMON DUFF recommends a recording of Arvo Part that takes the listener on a pilgrimage through seemingly distant times and events of the Bible
Boys from the Blackstuff
Royal Court Theatre, Liverpool
IN MY hallway hangs a portrait of Yosser Hughes, key player in the iconic 1980s TV series Boys from the Blackstuff, Liverpool playwright Alan Bleasdale’s warm, witty but ultimately tragic look at the way economics and lack of social support affects ordinary people.
Forty years later, in collaboration with writer James Graham, the blackstuff boys Chrissie, Loggo, George, Dixie and Yosser are back on stage in their hometown, Liverpool, retelling their story.
GEORGE FOGARTY is captivated by a brilliant one-man show depicting life in HMP Strangeways
GORDON PARSONS is blown away by a superb production of Rostand’s comedy of verbal panache and swordmanship
SYLVIA HIKINS casts an eye across the contemporary art brought to a city founded on colonialism and empire
