REVIEW: Brick Up the Mersey Tunnels, Royal Court, Liverpool

Jul 22 2009 by Ben Schofield, Birkenhead News

IF WIRRAL and Liverpool are worlds apart, then surely £1.40 to go through the Mersey Tunnel is a bargain. That makes £2.80 for a round-the-world trip – surely all the fuss about tolls is nonsense.

It’s also often claimed the peninsula has its own climate and a culture distinct from the rest of Merseyside.

Granted, I’m not native enough to pass definitive comment, but it all seems a touch far-fetched.

So, only after suspending my disbelief for a couple of hours did Brick Up the Mersey Tunnel’s cutting satire on Wirral snobbery have me giggling, toe tapping and calling for a “Wirralian” embargo.

At times, Brick Up is crude and crass. But the comedy is driven by situation and satire.

A strong cast headed up by Andrew Schofield kept the action punchy and the audience laughing.

Eithne Browne was superb as Wirral super-snob Ann Twacky, even curtseying at a portrait of Maggie “Milk Snatcher” Thatcher before answering the phone.