Citylife in Lichfield November 2022

Back in Time at
The Garrick
By Charlotte Benton
On an autumnal Sunday afternoon, I took my seat in the
auditorium ready to be transported back to the 1930s, to
a time and atmosphere that we may consider to be not
too dissimilar from that we are experiencing in the country’s
current climate.
Adapted from Helen Forrester’s best-selling autobiography, Twopence
to Cross the Mersey is a captivating, period drama set in the midst of
the Great Depression. The adaptation follows the life of the Forrester
family as they are forced to up sticks from their plush middle-class
home in Southwest England to the harsh reality of 1931 Liverpool.
As the family of nine arrive in Liverpool with nothing but the clothes
they are wearing, the quest to rebuild their lives begins. However, the
once affluent port Helen’s father remembered, is now a distant memory.
Much to 12-year-old Helen’s dismay, she is forced to take on the role as
matriarch while both her parents unsuccessfully seek employment.
However, after two years of a sorrowful existence, now aged 14, Helen
endeavours to finally fulfil her ambition to educate herself at evening
school.
From its opening music, this eye-opening, compelling production
enticed me into a time capsule, immersing both myself and the audience
into the Forrester’s world of upheaval and eventual triumph. Whilst
simultaneously upholding the severity of the family’s struggle, the
audience were kept in high spirits throughout the performance as a
result of the clever word play constructed between the differing
dialects of Liverpudlians and Forrester’s Home Counties’ upbringing.
In keeping with the family’s downward spiral, the periodic costumes
worn by the Forrester’s
during the first half of the
performance did not
change. Nonetheless as
the plot evolved and the
family’s luck began to
change, so did their
outfits; still upholding the
appropriate attire for
1930s Britain of course!
Photos credited to Anthony Robling
Even the nostalgic music
played during the interval ensured that the audience continued to be
immersed in the early 20th century as we eagerly awaited the show to
begin again. Along with the periodic costumes, the dreary atmosphere
of early 1930s Britain was perfectly encapsulated by the dull tones of
the purposely dilapidated set.
Cleverly combining comedy and emotion, this two-hour theatre
dramatisation of Forrester’s life offers a poignant yet victorious insight
into the realities of family life amidst the Great Depression.
Although the performance I attended was the final showing in
Lichfield, you can follow this stage play around the UK. From early
November the production runs at the Atkinson Theatre Southport,
before the final week of the tour in early November in the very place
where the play is set, Liverpool, at the Epstein Theatre.
Ticket prices start from £21.50 and can be purchased at
http://twopencetocrossthemersey.com/Tickets.html.
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