Pride of the big cultural hitters

Dec 4 2008 by Vicky Anderson, Liverpool Daily Post

The Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra perform at Liverpool Philharmonic Hall _320

Vicky Anderson looks at the success and aspirations of Liverpool’s three most iconic venues

AT THE heart of Liverpool’s Capital of Culture celebrations were its most iconic venues. Some of the most memorable moments of 2008 came courtesy of three of the city’s cultural powerhouses – the linked Everyman and Playhouse theatres, and the Philharmonic Hall.

From the homecoming of Sir Simon Rattle to what Pete Postlethwaite called the proudest moment of his career, playing King Lear in the tiny theatre where it all began, unforgettable occasions fell thick and fast throughout the year.

Surprising hit musicals, Liverpool twists on literary classics, and a canny attempt to get down with the kids proved to be the secret weapons in the Everyman and Playhouse’s cultural arsenal, and every regional talent from Pete Postlethwaite (King Lear), Roger McGough (Tartuffe), Matthew Kelly (Endgame) and Frank Cottrell-Boyce (Proper Clever) couldn’t wait to get involved.

But, in 2003, as the judging panel considered where to grant 2008 Capital of Culture, things were quite different and the state of the theatres were actually considered a weak link in Liverpool’s bid.

Artistic director Gemma Bodinetz says the gradual reintroduction of producing theatre around the city has been a “fantastic legacy for 2008”.

“The challenge for us is to maintain the very large audience increase we have seen this year,” she said.

“It has been the most exciting adventure of my life, it has been just wonderful.

“We wanted people from Europe and London to have a taste of Liverpool but not to feel excluded, and for the Liverpool people to have a sense of themselves.

“Shows like Eric’s and Once Upon a Time at the Adelphi for me were massive postcards to the rest of the world.

“What is really exciting about Liverpool is how the arts organisations work together, and how, along with the Culture Company, we really crystallised and focused because we were very excited about what we were doing and had that passion for culture.

“When you think of Liverpool, you think of culture, whether it’s football, pop music or theatre. That really needs to be celebrated.”

Taruffe, in which Roger McGough’s adaptation made the French classic palatable to mass audiences, Proper Clever, Frank Cottrell-Boyce’s take on the youth of today, King Lear, the Chekhov reworking that put his Three Sisters on Hope Street, punk musical Eric’s and the beautifully detailed romantic musical, Once Upon a Time at the Adelphi, gave theatregoers a wealth of riches.