Bill Shankly story returns to the Floral Pavilion

Aug 12 2009 by Lorna Hughes, Birkenhead News

THE story of a football legend will be told at the Floral Pavilion next week.

The Bill Shankly Story has played to packed houses in the UK and abroad since 2006 and was a sell-out when it was first performed at the New Brighton theatre in February.

The special summer production marks the 50th anniversary of Shankly’s arrival at Anfield.

Three of his legendary players – Ian St John, Ron Yeats and Chris Lawler – will be on stage for the show on Friday, August 21.

Producer and scriptwriter John Keith speaks Shankly’s words and actor Steve Hazlehurst narrates the story from Shankly’s birth in the Ayrshire village of Glenbuck, through his glory years to his untimely death in 1981.

His former players reveal personal memories and anecdotes about one of football’s most charismatic manager, providing a rare insight into the life, passions and problems of a true sporting great.

Hazlehurst won rave reviews for his performance in the stage production celebrating another football hero – Everton and Tranmere’s Dixie Dean.

Ian St John said: “The show captures the man behind the legend, told by people who knew Shanks and played for him.

“The atmosphere generated by the audiences, and the wide age range of the people coming to see the show, proves that Bill Shankly is a man who will be remembered as long as football is played.”