A musical telling the story of the Liverpool legend who helped make then \u2018gave away\u2019 The Beatles will give a Fab launch to the Epstein Theatre\u2019s first full season since reopening.<\/p>\n
Shake It Up Baby looks back on the early days of the band through the perspective of their first manager Allan Williams, played by Andrew Schofield.<\/p>\n
The club owner and promoter, who died in 2016, narrates the show, beginning with their now famous trip as teenagers to Hamburg in 1960 in the back of his van.<\/p>\n
Written by Liverpool playwright Ian Salmon, it\u2019s been billed as \u201ca tale of dreamers, visionaries, of sex and drugs and rock \u2018n\u2019 roll, love and loss, hope and failure and absolute success.\u201d<\/p>\n
Opening on September 26 until October 11, Shake It Up Baby is being directed by\u00a0Stephen Fletcher, who recently directed the sold-out extended run of Shirley Valentine with Helen Carter at the Everyman.<\/p>\n
He says this show is the perfect start to the new season at a much-loved theatre which has so much Liverpool heritage itself:<\/p>\n
\u201cShake It Up Baby gives a new view on the start of a story everyone thinks they know. <\/strong>It\u2019s about one of the greatest exports from the city, The Beatles, but it\u2019s also the story before the story, about where and how it all started.<\/p>\n \u201cAllan Williams is known as \u2018the man who gave away The Beatles\u2019 but what\u2019s less focused on is how motivated he was, how much of a go-getter and a survivor he was.<\/p>\n \u201cAlthough Allan\u2019s story has been documented along the way and he was quite vocal throughout his life about his part in it, I don\u2019t think it\u2019s ever been presented on stage in this way.<\/p>\n \u201cThere have been lots of Beatles musicals that are staged almost as a gig, but this isn\u2019t that. And it\u2019s not a documentary, it\u2019s a retrospective with music throughout from the all American songbook that The Beatles were covering at Litherland Town Hall, the Cavern and Hamburg.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cAllan is telling his story when he\u2019s towards the later stages of his life and looking back, and these ghosts from his past including the young Beatles are around him.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cEverything comes from his angle, and of course there are lots of hidden stories we delve into that people don\u2019t know about, but it\u2019s also very respectful to his drive and passion and what he achieved.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cEven the elements of the eventual story he couldn\u2019t have known about \u2013 what happens when he\u2019s no longer a part of it \u2013 are still in his voice, told through hearsay and witness stories we know about since.\u201d<\/p>\n Shake It Up Baby will feature a 10-strong cast of actor\/musicians from the city, alongside an ensemble of six from WOW Liverpool, a not-for-profit musical theatre company based on Hope Street.<\/p>\n It will be the flagship show for the Epstein\u2019s new autumn season after a soft opening over the past few months.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s great to have the Epstein open again, it\u2019s another option for theatre in the city and it\u2019s really getting its voice again,\u201d says Stephen. \u201cHopefully this is the start of putting it back to where it should be.\u201d<\/p>\n Shake It Up Baby is at the Epstein from September 26 to October 11.\u00a0<\/p>\n Book tickets for Shake It Up Baby are available on the Epstein Theatre website<\/a>. Find out what\u2019s good up North on our new platform, The Northern Guide.<\/strong>\u00a0<\/p>\n From the best hotels, beauty spots, days out, food and more up North \u2013 visit\u00a0thenorthernguide.com<\/a>\u00a0and follow The Northern Guide on Instagram\u00a0HERE.<\/a><\/p>\n
\nFind more theatre shows across Liverpool here<\/a>. <\/p>\n