Show: Brick Up 2 – The Wrath Of Ann Twacky
Format: Play
Genre: Comedy
Date: February 2 2017
Location: Royal Court Theatre, Liverpool
So, Brick Up 2 – The Wrath Of Ann Twacky is the long-awaited sequel to Brick Up The Mersey Tunnels. That was a previous and fondly-remembered show at Liverpool‘s Royal Court Theatre. That show had audiences in heaps of laughter every night. And I can tell you that the follow-up achieves the same goal.
Brick Up 2 – The Wrath Of Ann Twacky
Synopsis Of Brick Up 2 – The Wrath Of Ann Twacky
In the previous show, the central characters wished to have the Mersey Tunnels bricked up to keep out their “nosy neighbours” from over the water, i.e. the Wirral. In this show, the plot is in reverse, as it’s now the residents from the Wirral and Cheshire who are looking to prevent the Scousers from passing through the tunnel to their side of the River Mersey. Ann Twacky, whose character is inspired by and even pledges allegiance to Margaret Thatcher, and her friends over in Cheshire disapprove of the increasing influence of Liverpudlians, in particular Dickie Lewis, on the likes of her husband Dennis. They realise that the only way to stop them is to use their connections to have the Tunnel bricked up again, but this time on their side.
Only thing is, Dickie and co are already a few steps ahead. And they’re planning to bring about an explosion via the very brick-laying job that they are working on, using dynamite, to benefit in the same financial manner that they did from their alleged destruction of the Runcorn Bridge. There are other side-plots along the way, including a rekindled romance and another developing love story that doesn’t quite go to plan.
Analysis Of Brick Up 2 – The Wrath Of Ann Twacky
The theme here is pure comedy. And due to the content, nobody should take the jokes seriously. That’s not to discredit the story. It’s just to ensure that anybody is taken aback by the frequent insults from both sides of the Mersey. Or from the amusing comments levelled at all of the local football clubs at various points. They’re not offensive. Some may be put off by the fairly strong sexual themes at various points of the show, but since this is aimed at an older audience – and more so, a crowd that will likely have seen the original Brick Up production – this shouldn’t be too much of a deterrent.
I personally found the show to be very funny, in particular the one-liners from Andrew Schofield, a longtime fixture of the local comedy theatre scene who always finds new ways to get the audience laughing out loud, as well as himself at times when ad-libs take over the script. The other characters have their moments to shine, particularly Dennis whose simple yet very authentic adopting of a stereotypical Crocky teenager is spot-on.
Songs
There were quite a few songs in the show. They’re all comedic with some using the backings of actual tunes. However, a fair few didn’t quite get as many laughs as the cast may expect. It was also hard occasionally to hear what the characters were saying.
Again, the sound on some songs (especially at the start and end) was hit-and-miss. This perhaps explains why some may have misfired, so to speak. But the show as a whole is well worth watching, and there are plenty of nods to Liverpool life and culture along the way, as well as some realistic settings (such as your typical small cafe that you’ll find almost anywhere in the city).
Summary Of Brick Up 2 – The Wrath Of Ann Twacky
It may not be to everybody’s tastes. But let’s say that you enjoy local humour and don’t oppose the frequent sexual innuendos. If so, Brick Up 2 – The Wrath Of Ann Twacky is a very funny show. And it definitely measures up to the standard of the previous Brick Up production.
