Orange sellers and a dodgy ski slope
5 cultural things to do this week: Friday 10 July to Thursday 16 July
It doesn’t take much to send me down a rabbit hole of research so when I heard that the Royal Court’s new play is based on the true life story of plans to build a ski slope in Kirkby, I couldn’t resist digging into the British Newspaper Archive. This tale has been one of my favourite stories about Merseyside since I first heard about it as a young reporter, by which time it had already become part of the city’s lore.
It turns out that this isn’t the first time a theatre had poked fun at the debacle, which before long was standing “unloved and unwanted, weeds already showing through its plastic surface” (Liverpool Echo, August 1975). In 1978, the Everyman put on a play by Chris Bond called Love and Kisses from Kirkby, which starred George Costigan. The poster showed a girl on skis standing inside a vandalised block of flats.
The Royal Court’s show is one of my 5 picks for this week - see more below.
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5 things to do this week
THEATRE: Taking the Piste, Royal Court, Liverpool
It’s one of those stories that’s so ridiculous you’d never believe it - but actually turns out to be true. Kieran Lynn’s new comedy is based on the real-life, ill-thought out decision to build a ski slope next to the M57 in Kirkby. What could possibly go wrong?Ends Saturday 18 July, tickets from £18. You can also book to eat before the show
THEATRE: Fun Home, Royal Exchange, Manchester
Cartoonist Alison Bechdel looks back on growing up in her family’s funeral home in rural Pennsylvania, coming out and her complicated relationship with her larger-than-life father. As past and present intertwine, Alison uncovers family secrets and unexpected connections, revealing a powerful story of love, loss and discovering who you really are. Ends Saturday 1 August, standard tickets from £12
EXHIBITION: Adventures in Printmaking, Unit 37, Grosvenor Centre, Macclesfield
Group show displaying a range of printmaking methods from The Print Block, a group of printmakers and artists based in Macclesfield and Bollington. It includes tests, experiments and prints from the archive and they describe it as “a fun, sketchbook- style show”. Open 10am-4pm, Fridays and Saturdays, also Sundays when the Treacle Market is on, until Saturday 8 August. Free entry
EXHIBITION: Developing in the Dark - Illuminating stories of support, Liverpool Central Library’s Atrium
Photographic portraits and personal reflections from people whose lives have been touched or transformed by a helpline in a collaboration between Rachel Brewster-Wright of Liverpool-based Little Vintage Photography, who uses film to shoot, and Helplines Partnership. The participants represent millions who've found lifelines when they needed them most. Their stories challenge assumptions about who needs help and why. Open 9am-8pm weekdays, 9-5pm Saturdays until Friday 17 July. Free entry.
THEATRE: Nell Gwyn, The Theatre By the Lake, Keswick
Orange-seller, wit, trailblazer - Nell Gwynn is a woman who knows what she wants and isn’t afraid to go after it. From the chaotic pit of Drury Lane to the polished halls of Charles II’s court, this feminist comedy charts her rise to fame as one of Britain’s first actresses. Ends Saturday 1 August, tickets from £12
And one thing for the diary…
FESTIVAL: Liverpool Literary Festival, Victoria Gallery & Museum
Tickets for this year’s weekend celebration of the written word, run by the University of Liverpool, have just gone on sale. I’m most attracted to Thomas Glave and Stephen Small exploring transnational Black culture on both sides of the Atlantic, including in Liverpool, from the 1970s to the present day; Benjamin Wood on his novel Seascraper (which I loved - I can almost feel the cold, wetness of dawn-time shrimping as I write this) and Frank Cottrell-Boyce discussing his latest book A British Childhood: How Our Children Live Now - but it all looks great and I’m tempted b a weekend pass. Friday 16 to Sunday 18 October, tickets £8-£10 or you can buy VIP pass for the whole weekend.
In case you missed it
Ai Weiwei: Button Up! opens at Aviva Studios in Manchester…
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I’m off now to pretend I’m looking for something in the freezer. Might take me until the end of this heatwave to find it.
Have a great week,
Laura
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