Brick Up the Mersey Tunnels

Published Thursday 10 August 2006 at 11:55 by Leah Walker

The Mersey River has long been the dividing line down the centre of the Merseyside mentality. At its stereotypical worst it divides the working class scallies of the ‘Pool from the conservative middle classes of Wirral. And the success of this parochial romp milks that to the full.

Drew Schofield’s scally brickie Dickie Lewis steals the show with the best of the precision-cut one-liners in this new farce written by Liverpool lads Nicky Allt and Dave Kirby.

Brick up the Mersey Tunnels is a raucous musical which more than delivers on the ‘laugh a minute’ promised in the pre-show spin.

Three Liverpool lads are fed up with being looked down upon by the merciless snobs over on the Wirral. Pushed to the limits by the blue-rinse brigade they decide to take the law, and the only route into the city, into their own hands.

Eithne Browne hits it just right as the irrepressibly snobby Wirralian Ann Twacky, a woman for whom Hyacinth Bucket is surely a role model. And Suzanne Collins glows in all the right ways as Maggie, the toaster-tanned owner of the greasy spoon on the ‘wrong’ side of the water.

This is an all-singing, all-dancing all mick-taking affair. The packed-out house loved it last night. If any show in Liverpool is going to rake it in this summer this is the one.