New take on the sitcom opens in Liverpool next week

A stage musical based on 1970s sitcom The Liver Birds is to open in Liverpool next week.

The new show has been written by musician Barb Jungr, who said the series' creator, Carla Lane had given her blessing before she died in 2016

In The Liver Birds Flying Home, the central characters of  Beryl and Sandra are depicted they are now, in their 60s, with flashbacks to their lives 40 years ago.

The original series was groundbreaking for depicting the lives of single women leaving home to make their way in the world, a relatively new phenomenon in the era of new freedoms.

In the new musical, which will run for four weeks at the Royal Court Theatre, Beryl is now the chief executive of a biscuit company, while Sandra has returned from her adoptive home of Canada after the death of her mother.

They are reunited when they bump into each other in the street.

‘Then, slowly, through the flashbacks and through them telling their stories, you find out what happened between them,’ Jugr told the BBC.

Lesley Molony and Joanna Monro will play the older Beryl and Sandra, with Lucinda Lawrence and Nicola Munns as the younger versions. The roles were originally played by  Polly James and Nerys Hughes.

Jungr wrote the script with George Seaton and BBC Radio Merseyside presenter  Linda McDermott, including the lyrics for the 23 songs. Level 42 keyboard player Mike Lindup composed the music.

In an interview last month, Seaton said: ‘There is nothing postmodern or mocking in the script and hopefully fans of The Liver Birds will see their beloved characters in the present day and know that it is a continuation of their story. Equally anyone who doesn’t know The Liver Birds will hopefully engage with a story of friendship, love and hope and relate to the characters.’

Three songs from the show can be heard here.

Published: 6 Apr 2018