University to host tribute show to football legend Shankly

Feb 20 2008 Liverpool Daily Post

Former Liverpool stars with John Keith and Kenneth Cope at the Bill Shankly Story _320

HE WAS the flint-voiced man of the people whose name was roared by thousands of fervent followers.

Now it will be spoken with reverence in the hushed halls of academe.

The acclaimed stage show charting the story of the legendary Bill Shankly is to be performed at Liverpool University at the invitation of the students, as part of their contribution to the city’s Capital of Culture celebrations. Mountford Hall, in Mount Pleasant, is the venue on Saturday, March 1, for a special production of The Bill Shankly Story.

Broadcaster and author John Keith and actor Kenneth Cope will join Anfield legends Ian St John, Chris Lawler and Ron Yeats on stage.

After the show, members of the audience will have the opportunity to meet the performers, and books and memorabilia will also be available.

With Kenneth Cope narrating, John Keith speaks Shankly’s words describing the manager’s Scottish roots, through his playing career and on to his remarkable transformation of Anfield’s fortunes.

The show is written and produced by John Keith, who knew Shankly well. It features recollections of Shankly by centre forward hero St John, former captain Yeats, and the king of goal scoring full backs, Lawler. “It’s a show that gives people a revealing insight into the real Bill Shankly,” says St John.

Tickets, £10, from The Base, Mountford Hall, 160 Mount Pleasant, Liverpool L3, or by post from John Keith, PO Box 518, Southport PR9 9WN. More information 07773 715666.