Royal Birkdale to host 2013 Senior Open Championship

THE Royal Birkdale Golf Club, in Southport, will become the 11th different course to host The Senior Open Championship presented by Rolex when it stages the 27th Edition of this prestigious event in 2013.

The celebrated Lancashire links venue will become the seventh venue to host both an Open Championship and a Senior Open Championship, following Turnberry, Royal Lytham & St Annes, Royal Portrush, Muirfield, Royal Troon and Carnoustie.

Royal Birkdale has hosted The Open Championship on nine occasions, the most recent being in 2008 when Irishman Padraig Harrington held off a determined challenge from Greg Norman to win his second consecutive Claret Jug.

Australian Norman will be one of the players eligible for The Senior Open Championship when it visits Royal Birkdale for the first time from 25 July 2013 to 28 July 2013, along with Tom Watson and Mark O’Meara, winners of The Open Championship at the venue in 1983 and 1998 respectively.

Royal Birkdale, which also hosted The Ryder Cup in 1965 and 1969, will be the fourth venue in England to host The Senior Open Championship, following Royal Lytham & St Annes (1991 - 1994), Sunningdale (2009) and Walton Heath. The latter venue hosted the 2011 Championship last month when American Russ Cochran held off Mark Calcavecchia, Corey Pavin and Tom Watson to win the title.

Michael Hadden, Captain of Royal Birkdale, said:- "Royal Birkdale Golf Club is extremely proud of its championship history and having hosted most of the Major professional and amateur championships held in the UK, we are delighted to have been invited by The R&A and the European Senior Tour to host The Senior Open Championship for the very first time in 2013. We particularly look forward to welcoming back some of our Open Champions, including Tom Watson and Mark O’Meara, but also the winners of some of the other events we have hosted throughout the years, such as Sam Torrance. I am sure this will be another great championship that will be enjoyed by all and will produce another very worth winner."

Cllr Mike Booth, Sefton Council Cabinet Member for Leisure, Culture and Tourism, said:- "We’re delighted that The Senior Open Championship will be staged at Royal Birkdale Golf Club in Southport in 2013. With regular visits by Major tournaments and six championship courses in the borough, this only serves to enhance Sefton coast’s world-class reputation for links golf."

Andy Stubbs, Managing Director of the European Senior Tour, said on behalf of the Championship:- "The 2013 Senior Open Championship presented by Rolex will be a milestone for us with our first visit to Royal Birkdale, which further enhances the Championship’s growing stature and the link with The Open Championship rota courses. Our thanks go to our Presenting Patron Rolex for their support of the Championship, which promises to be a magnificent test for our players in 2013. We are also grateful to the Members and Officials of Royal Birkdale Golf Club for accommodating us and to Sefton Council for their support and we look forward to bringing a world class field to Southport in 2 years."

The 2012 Senior Open Championship presented by Rolex, the first with Rolex as Presenting Patron, will be played at Turnberry, from 26 July 2011 to 29 July 2011. Turnberry previously hosted the Championship in 1987, 1990, 2003 and 2006.

Liverpool’s Shakespeare Festival 2011

THE returning Festival began on Thursday, 25 August 2011, with a grand performance of Romeo and Juliet. The spectacular venue is in the grandeur of the Concert Room in the newly refurbished Grade One Listed Building, St George’s Hall; a treat in itself with its ornate finish and splendid chandelier. It is especially suited to the balcony scene in Romeo and Juliet, one of Shakespeare’s most universally liked plays, with the theme of love between a boy and girl from conflicting backgrounds. This performance takes the tagline:- "Have you ever fallen in love with someone you shouldn’t have fallen in love with?" and give it a contemporary note.

This play has a timeless quality as its theme is enacted over and over across the centuries and in different situations. The feeling is enhanced in this performance by clever use of costume. No particular period is represented by the characters or props, and dress ranges from Elizabethan to modern day.  The masked ball scene even allows a chance for modern humorous allusions. The production also mirrors modern day city gang culture. The futility of the vendetta between the Montagues and Capulets culminating in the untimely deaths of the eponymous heroes is reflected in the "respect" street warfare culture of today.

The scenery and settings are minimal but very effective, as use of a new image projector allows transformation of the backcloth very easily.  Especially striking is the silhouette of bare trees and a rising moon.

The excellent lighting adds extra poignancy to the words of the actors. Prop changes are efficiently done and unobtrusive. As the producer commented, "there is a mix of actors from straight from college to very experienced." But all performances are of a high standard and the audience was captivated.

The only down side being that the very nature of the room means that the acoustics are not the best so some of the dialogue was hard to follow at times. Great use was made of the stage, but also of the floor and the latter presented the most difficulty for speech recognition.  However both producer and cast are aware of this factor and are working on it.  Fortunately, it did not detract from the sheer force of the performance.

David Rankine gave a passionate and impulsive Romeo and a slender, diminutive Rachel Rae very successfully portrayed a naive 14 year old, desperately seeking instant gratification of her love and appalled at the prospect of an imminent forced marriage; all aspects which have very modern resonances.

All the other characters are also vividly and convincingly portrayed. All actors appear to be fully engrossed in their roles. The stage action and music are successful too. The group have had only a very short time to rehearse so their achievement is all the remarkable.

The company concerned with this production is called Lodestar Theatre Company. It was launched in 2006 by Max Rubin and is:- "Dedicated to showcasing the very best of local talent." The producer also told us that to get the best from new and experienced actors, a mentorship is in place. It certainly seems to be effective.

The Liverpool Shakespeare Festival lasts till 19 September 2011 using the concert room and the old courts. Richard 111 will also be on offer in an experimental way. Do try to visit.

Tickets are £10 from the Echo Arena, call:- 0844 8000 400 or book securely online.