Oh What a Lovely War was a landmark satirical musical when it graced the London stage in 1963.
Now it's coming to the Playhouse.
A new production from Northern Stage reinvents this ground- breaking classic to show that it has lost none of its power, urgency and poignancy when it arrives at the Liverpool Playhouse on Tuesday March 30 to April 3.
Acccording to a spokesman from the Playhouse press bunker: "It features a madcap orchestra of musicians, dancers, singers and clowns who come armed with musical ingenuity and bawdy squaddie humour."
Oh What a Lovely War is one of the greatest anti war pieces of theatre.
It depicts the senseless loss and the human tragedies of the First World War.
Songs include well known favourites such as Pack Up Your Troubles, Keep The Home Fires Burning and Goddbyee!
Co-directors Erica Whyman (Our Friends in the North, A Doll's House, Look Back in Anger), and Sam Kenyon (Sweeney Todd, Merrily We Roll Along, Sunset Boulevard), have juxtaposed the emotional punch of Birdsong and the biting satire of Blackadder in fun-filled storytelling with a tough,dark heart.
Says our war correspondent: "As more battalions were sent to the First World War from the North West, North East, Wales and Ireland than any other region, Whyman and Kenyon are using these northern voices that made up the war, rather than the London accents traditionally portrayed in the production."
Eeh bah gum and all that.
Whyman says: "The cast are instrumentalists, singers, dancers, comedians, actors, and they are doing all of those things at once.
"It has been extraordinary rehearsing it because in any one day you might be feeling heartbroken or overwhelmed by the tragedy of some of the things that happened between 1914-1918, and then ten minutes later we're being extremely silly and dancing around - a cavalcade of a process."
Kenyon has parting: "It is incredibly moving to work on this subject but also on this play because what it does is it puts a counterpoint against the darkness of the subject matter which is very lively and Vaudevillian and that in turn creates a tension that is very emotive".
The war to end all wars - if only it had been.
Don't miss . . . .
PS
Tony Blair if you are reading this come along and be my guest I'll happy buy you a ticket...

Run rabbits run...

While we are in the mood for white rabbits and all manner of wonderlands... fancy a trip into the Mersey woods?
Any takers for brave adults and children?
After the success of the Playhouse's Ghost Stories, I am prepapred for anything.
Theatre company Kneehigh's debut visit with 'Hansel & Gretel' should be a fine old treat down at the Everyman.
This new production aims to give us lashings of "wit, charm, and sensational story telling"
From Tonight March 16 to Saturday 3 April.
The celebrated theatre company from Cornwall, bring their latest 'wondertale'
A press pixie promises: 'a tender, tasty and terrifying re-telling of the classic story - told through lively music, rough poetry, the most amazing gadgets and gizmos... and with the help of some rather 'unlucky' rabbits.
It's not fur! Hare-raising . . .
That's enough rabbit puns.
Re-imagining a fairytale is something Kneehigh have done with huge aplomb before ( can I say aplomb without knowing what it means?) in productions such as Rapunzel and The Red Shoes.
They have a reputation for a joyful blend of anarchy and tenderness in adaptations of classics such as The Bacchae (Liverpool Playhouse 2004) and Cymbeline.
Mike Shepherd, the director of Hansel & Gretel, and founding father of Kneehigh, tod Granty's Scouse Pie: "We will honour the story rather than subvert; adaptation will come through the creative team."
Phew!
He added that the show will be "a celebration of human survival and our ability to find our way home".
That will do after a few pints of Guinness and Everyman wine.
The production includes an original score of music and songs by Stu Barker and Ian Ross, performed by the company on stage on a variety of instruments.
There are
traps
cages
puppets and... wait for it
rabbits
dark forests
and
darker secrets
That press pixie adds: "A visual and soulful feast that is perfect for young and old.
If you go into the woods with Hansel & Gretel, prepare for a world of darkness, wit and wonder, of earthy delights and crooked shadows. "
Seems like a world that is 'sweet but never sugary.'

Peter Grant aged 12 going on 52

Can't wait.
Can me mum come?

Morecambe
Liverpool Playhouse

There will never be another Eric Morecambe - just like there will never be another Tommy Cooper.
Thank God, we have Ken Dodd to keep us all aware that laughter is free . . . like sunshine and means so much to people in these hard times.
Actor Bob Golding's one man show captures the essence of the man born to be a king of comedy - Eric Bartholomew.
Try saying that after a few shandies...
This Olivier Award nominated, slick production is an absolute joy from start to finish tinged with sadness throughout - yet the emphasis is on paying homage to one of the greats of stage and TV.
Tim Whitnall's breathless script is 'spot on' using classic Eric routines, Eddie Braben gags and also delivering pathos-a-plenty when Eric and his Leeds-born partner Ernie Wiseman (yes, he's here, folks) are not sure they can carry on as a double act.
Rejection did not sit well with Eric.
The device used to convey Ernie is clever and I don't want to give the game away.
But it works magically with Little Ernie as a dummy.
Eric - a true vent.
There are moments when you blissfully drift off into Eric's surreal but structured world.
He was (in real life - is there such a thing?) a born worrier -his son, Gary, once told me that) and . . . that he was a perfectionist yet paid for his art - with his poor heart.
Director Guy Masterson is faultless in keeping the pace just right - just like remarkable Bob.
A whimsical, magical show celebrating one of the greatest double acts since Laurel and Hardy cannot fail to move any audience as the standing ovation clearly illustrated.
Thanks to the Playhouse for bringing us this wonderful piece of sunshine.

9/10
You can't say fairer than that.

Finger clicking good reads....
Award winning screenwriter Frank Cottrell Boyce is the latest major author to be signed up to take part in the Daily Post's online literary festival.
I have written a fab Quiz so do click on from March 15 to 19.
And I'll be reading some of my poems.
Frankie, the man behind hit films 24 Hour Party People and Millions will be answering readers' questions in a live interview hosted by the newspaper's website.
FCB, who lives in Crosby, won the 2004 Carnegie Medal for his children's book, based on his screenplay for Millions.
His second novel aimed at young people, Framed, was shortlisted for both the 2005 Carnegie Medal and the Whitbread Children's Book of the Year Award.
Internationally renowned horror writer Ramsey Campbell will also be a star guest of the first online literary festival to be organised by a UK newspaper.
Run by the Daily Post from March 15-19, the festival will be a celebration of Liverpool writers and writing - both amateur and professional.
It will also feature a performance by Neil Caple, former Brookside actor and star of Funny Money, currently playing at the Royal Court, and book readings by local authors.
Daily Post columnist and best-selling author Jane Costello will take part in a live discussion about what it takes to get your manuscript published, while Wirral-based literary consultancy Bubblecow will be on hand to offer tips on getting published.
There will also be a serialised story, which unravels according to readers' votes, and a live book group focusing on novels by Willy Russell and Beryl Bainbridge.
Local writers are invited to submit previously unpublished short stories for inclusion in an ebook, released as part of the festival. There is no payment for the use of the selected stories and copyright is retained by the author.
To submit a story for publication, send it by email to laura.davis@liverpool.com. The deadline for entries is Wednesday, March 10.
Meanwhile, photographers are invited to recreate scenes from their favourite books to be featured in an online picture gallery on the LiveRead webpage. Further details at the LDP Flickr site: http://tiny.cc/ldpflickr
LiveRead runs from March 15-19. Further details on how to get involved at www.liverpooldailypost.co.uk/liveread

The new book Dockers has hit the shelves and reaction has been great thanks to Billy Butler and the ECHO getting behind it.
The 84 glossy pager celebrates the life and times of these great men and woman who stood by them.
It's simply a photographic salute with rare pics and some stunning images from former Daily Post and Echo Picture editor Stephen Shakeshaft.
And there's plenty of text marking these great characters so much a symbol of the city of Liverpool.
Dockers nicknames ('High Noon' I'm Shooting off at twelve) , the Dockers umbrella - the changing fortunes of the docks.
There's thoughtful, insightful pieces from writers such as Lew Baxter - international journalist and former editor of Port News and there's memoryes of childhood from
Cathy Roberts award winning Liverpool storyteller.Recollections too from Stan Boardman, Brian Jacques, Alan Bleasdale, Micky Finn and Tom O'Connor
And how te docker hjave been porrayed on stage and screen
It's on sale (or sail) now in all good bookshops and through Merseyshop.com
£3.99 (nearly the price of a pint)

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I was on Maureen "Mo" Walsh's excellent Sunday morning show ON BBC Radio Merseyside this week and came across the talented local musician Dave Flynn.
A self-taught guitarist who I can only describe as 'sparkling.'
Try and catch one of his live gigs.
His versions of Don McLean's And I Love You So is inricate yet beautiful.

 
New high-profile, hi-tech networking events for the creative industries launches in Liverpool.
NorthernNet and Liverpool Sound City have announced a partnership which will enable creative businesses in the Northwest, Yorkshire and the Northeast to take part in an innovative and forward thinking programme of events designed to increase their contacts and expertise, facilitate collaboration, expand their ideas and products, and to survive and thrive in a multi-platform world. 
The first NorthernNet Connects Sound City event will be launched in Liverpool at FACT (Foundation for Art and Creative Technology) and will feature an interview with TV Producer, Screenwriter and Cultural figurehead Phil Redmond in conversation with
The Interview will be broadcast live to Media Access Bureaux positioned at MediaCityUK - Salford and The Round Foundry - Leeds and will also be hosted on the NorthernNet website at www.northernnet.co.uk .
This series of master classes and events will also show the benefits that NorthernNet can deliver to northern digital and creative industries, with the unique Media Access Bureaux (MAB) providing companies with industry standard kit and a high-speed digital network with transfer speeds of up to 1GB, all accessible through pay as you go.
The MAB will be particularly advantageous to freelancers and SMEs and will help to create a Northern hub of digital and creative companies which can compete at an international level.  
The launch event on Monday 1st March at The Box at FACT in Liverpool will commence with CEO of North West Vision and Media, Alice Morrison, announcing the aims and objectives of the project and the benefits it can bring to creative businesses.  This will be followed by an interview with Phil Redmond, hosted by me.
  The launch and master class will be broadcast live via NorthernNet to the Media Access Bureaux in the Northern hubs.
Over the coming months NorthernNet Connects Sound City will host a range of Master classes and high calibre networking events from international locations such as SxSW Music and Interactive Festival (Texas) in March and the world class Liverpool Sound City Festival and conference in May.
In addition to these they will also host a range of other seminars and workshops at locations across the North West, North East and Yorkshire throughout 2010. 
To attend the launch event on 1st March or to find out more about the NorthernNet Connects Sound City programme of events, please contact northernnet@weareboss.co.uk, visit www.northernnet.co.uk or follow twitter.com/northernnet
 

Fab indeed to see Billy Butler, MBE, the Radio Merseyside radio legend honored - if only for a ten minute slot on the BBC's Inside Out Programme.
The BBC crew came into the Liverpool Post and ECHO office to chat with me about Billy's legendary status.
It goes out on Monday, BBC1 at 7.30pm.
Great clips from Doddy and Cilla Black.
But when will Billy get a full hour long tribute programme.
He has spent 40 years at the top of the entertainment tree from Cavern DJ, pop star to TV ...Thank Your Lucky Stars, Fax, Mersey Pirate and of course on radio the much-envied Hold Your Plums quiz.
It took some dedication but everyday the sparkle remains.
Well, done BB!

Look Behind You ... no, it's not panto season.

There was a lot of hype.... much of it creating hyper tension.
Full credit here to the Playhouse press people.
Ghost Stories, by Andy Nyman and Jeremy Dyson, was billed as something to scare you witless. A bit like watching a Krankies reunion tour.
It was a stylish piece of theatre examining spooky goings on whether in the mind or of an out-of-body sort of experience.
Andy Nyman has worked with Derren Brown, so be under no illusions there is trickery going on here thanks to his League of Gentlemen co-writer Dyson.
Nyman here plays an academic who believes all ghostly stories can be science-d away.
An affable power point lecturer telling us all about the supernatural stories he has collected.
Nyman guides us through his spirit world with three tales of the unexpected and his manner suits the early pace.
Well set up for some scare-mongery.
What happens in the next 80 minutes slowly unravels as dry ice works overtime.
We critics have been told not to give the plot line away so I won't but suffice to say
there are affectionate nods to such cinematic classics as Dead of Night and every Hitchcock movie made.
It is a clever piece of storytelling- oral and visual - that may or not have you at the edge of your seat.
One thing is certain - audiences won't forget it.
A production with a deviously atmospheric series of sets, excellent sound system and a versatile cast combine to make it work on different levels.
I can't wait to see a follow up.

High Spirited
8/10
Peter Grant

What an interesting, fab start to the new Year.

Been on the telly three times . . . for three different projects:

BBC2 - Michael Portillo - Great British Railway Journeys
BBC1 - Inside Out Tribute to Billy Butler (goes out February 15)
Sky Arts - The Art of John Lennon

And just done Clapperboard Presents an Evening Q and A with Willy Russell after a screening of his 1987 classic Dancing Thru The Dark.
Go to Liverpooltelly.com to see the filmed interview

Next Clapperboard Presents March 1st - Jimmy McGovern and Priest - this time I am going to sit in the audience.

Granty

Davey's On the Road Again . . .with strings attached

Legendary Irish Musician Davey Arthur is here. Fab. To be sure.
Dave has thrilled and moved audiences the world over for more than 35 years with his Irish tenor banjo.
Although Davey is mostly known through his links to the Furey brothers from 1979 (he will tour for The Fureys & Davey Arthur 2009 season) he carries on a completely separate solo / band setup and has 40 compositions (to be sure again) to his credit, many of which have been recorded and covered by other household names.
In 1999 he was honored with a place in the Irish Hall of Fame in Dublin, alongside such other class acts such as U2, Sinead O'Connor, The Corrs, The Chieftans, Da Dannan and Clannad.
He performs in a special one off show at Liverpool's famous music venue The Picket.
Ticket are limited so get there early to avoid disappointment! This Sunday 17th January, 2009. 7.30pm. Tickets £5.00 unreserved standing. Available at the door.
The Picket, 61 Jordan Street, Liverpool, L1 OBW.
More information. 0151 708 6789. I'm going so come and buy me a pint of Guinness!