Viv Stanshall’s Sir Henry At Rawlinson End heads to The Studio in Widnes

Nov 18 2010 by Daniel Mckenzie, Runcorn and Widnes Weekly News

Viv Stanshall’s Sir Henry At Rawlinson End heads to The Studio in Widnes

FOLLOWING two sell-out shows and rave reviews, the stage version of the late Vivian Stanshall’s legendary LP Sir Henry at Rawlinson End comes to Widnes this weekend.

Widnes-born actor Mike Livesley brings his one man show to the Queens Hall Studio, Lacey Street, on Saturday.

Based on Stanshall’s 1978 LP about the fictional history of Sir Henry Rawlinson and his stately home, Livesley slips seamlessly between his role as narrator and the varying weird and wonderful characters with a montage of puns, double-entendres, pop-culture references and all manner of clever wordplay.

The show is directed by Paul Carmichael and designed by Adie Hudson while Mike, as Sir Henry, is accompanied by the seven-piece Halton-based jazz band Brainwashing House, who play everything from a talking drum to banjolele, mouth trumpet and piano.

The show is a preview to his national tour and will be filmed for DVD/Blu-Ray release and broadcast early next year.

Until three years ago, Livesey had never heard the fictional tale of Sir Henry.

He said: “One of the percussionists played me the album and I thought it was brilliant, and then slowly it struck me that it would make an amazing show.

“It’s almost as if you hear a new bit every time you listen to it, there’s so much going on.”

For more info on the show go to www.sirhenrylives.com.

Tickets cost £10 and are available from either www.seetickets.com or by phone on 0871 220 0260.

The show has won national acclaim since its premiere earlier this year.