Unity Theatre’s magic tale of Merseyside movie pioneer at the Park Palace

Oct 20 2008 by Vicky Anderson, Liverpool Daily Post

‘SECRET location L8” said the advance tickets purchased from the Unity Theatre, and those waiting to see the latest special Liverpool Commission for 2008 were transported to the unfamiliar surrounds of Park Palace, in Dingle.

Known in its day as the Park Palace of Dreams, the former variety hall and cinema has been out of action for 50 years, only now brought back into use by Zho Visual Theatre.

It’s a labour of love, of which a lot has been done with clearly a little. There’s still holes in the ceiling, and visitors could do with wrapping up warm of an evening, but there’s an undeniable magic to be felt.

Perfect, then, for The Quiet Little Englishman, the story of Merseysider George Groves, one of the little-known pioneers of Hollywood’s golden age of cinema.

Written “from the devising process” (whatever that means) by the wonderful Esther Wilson (Ten Tiny Toes, Unprotected), if there is a problem with this play it is that there is just too much to convey in the space and time given.

Groves’s tale of achievement is a rich and fascinating one, hence it demands a lot of attention and a little prior knowledge to follow the skips and jumps between the scenes.

It starts as he begins his career in the movies, but immediately flashes back to his youth in St Helens to explain what took him over to the States (a doomed romance).

Throwing himself into work, he eventually invented the Vitaphone, the technology that would make the first ever talking movie – Al Jolson’s The Jazz Singer – possible.

An enthusiastic cast, many taking on multiple roles and lively song and dance numbers, give the tale the effort and American-style fizz it deserves.

But it is easy to lose the plot, and some more philosophical scenes are hard to fathom despite the likeability factor of the cast. Terry Kilkelly is a hoot as wannabe actor Dick Trainer, and Paul Duckworth carries the role of Groves with a seriousness, sweetness and charm.

THE Quiet Little Englishman runs until October 26. The Park Palace is on the corner of Mill Street and Park Street, L8.

vickyanderson