Writer Nicky Allt talks about his Brick Up sequel at the Liverpool Empire

Sep 9 2010 by Catherine Jones, Flintshire Chronicle

Writer Nicky Allt talks to Catherine Jones about his Brick Up follow up The Wirral Strikes Back – which has arrived at the Liverpool Empire this week – and his ambition to stage a serious play in Liverpool

“AT THE beginning of last year I was writing three things at the same time, and it didn’t work, I couldn’t do it,” says Nicky Allt. “I can do two as long as they are different genres.

“I can be writing a book and a play, or a book and a film, or a play and a film, but I can’t write two of the same thing.

“And I definitely can’t write three. I started getting mixed up with characters.”

Fellow writers currently agonising over a single plot or chapter may be grinding their teeth at this point, but Nicky – co-creator of Brick Up the Mersey Tunnels and writer of One Night in Istanbul – is currently on a roll and has plenty of plays, books and film scripts up his sleeve.

“I’ve got three other plays written,” he reveals. “They’re things I struggled to get on in the past that I don’t think I’ll struggle to get on now, so all they’re getting is re-writes.

“A Tale of Two Chippy’s is an obvious one, that’s had a re-write and I think it’s ready to go next year. The Irish one (a comedy he hopes to premiere in Dublin this autumn) isn’t far off written, and another play I’ve written is the serious one.”

Ah, the serious one. Because, despite tickling audiences’ ribs in his previous two theatrical outings, Nicky is desperate – serious even – about bringing weightier drama to his audiences.

He says: “I’ve done a synopsis and a stage-by-stage, but that’s almost written because, for me, putting in the dialogue is the easy part.

“I’ve got a couple of movies – one is fully written and one is half written, I’ve got another book that’s coming out within the next year, that’s fully written.

“What’s happening is my stuff from the past is catching up with me now, so it hasn’t been wasted.”

In the meantime, there’s the successor to his breakthrough play Brick Up – more a follow up than a sequel – to present to city audiences.

But don’t expect the return of Dickie Lewis and Anne Twacky – although Eithne Browne, who played the snooty Wirral housewife does return in a new role this time.

She plays the wife of Wirral shipbuilder William Cammell Laird, who sees the bricking up of the eponymous tunnels as less an inconvenience and more an opportunity.

“He sees the chance to make Cammell Lairds great again,” explains Nicky, smiling wryly that since he penned the play the real shipyard has been given a new lease of life.

“He tells his Liverpool workforce they’re going to share in the profits, it’s like a socialist thing in a way.

“The wife of this Liverpool family who work there says she’s not sure and will be watching him, but the husband thinks it’s brilliant.

“Basically, the people who are the big time players in this play are the women. They’re the ones that are wise and sensible and look at it and say – there’s something not right about this.”

He adds: “There’s much more of a social story involved in this one.

“I wouldn’t say it’s way more serious – there’s still humour, there’s still funny songs in there, but for me it’s trying to get people to go on this journey with you that eventually I’d love, maybe within the next year, to come and watch a serious play.”

Brick Up: The Wirral Strikes Back is at the Empire from September 7-18. Visit www.liverpoolempire.org.uk or ring 0844 847 2525.