Touring Liverpool City Region's Theatres:- 'The Monkey With No Bum - The Musical'

THE popular children's book which teaches youngsters to love themselves just the way they are, has been turned into a live musical for the stage. And Asa Murphy's charming tale:- 'The Monkey With No Bum - The Musical' is set to entertain young audiences and their families at venues across the Liverpool City Region this spring and summer.

The show, which features catchy original songs, enjoyed sold out success when it was premiered at Liverpool Theatre Festival's Little LTF festival of new works in July 2021, with an extra date added due to demand, and then went on to entertain Epstein Theatre audiences during February ˝ term.

Now the interactive production returns for a series of special dates with a brand new cast, starting at the Gladstone Theatre, in Port Sunlight on Sunday, 24 April 2022. It will go on to be staged at The Brindley, Runcorn, on 16 July 2022, before returning to the Epstein Theatre, Liverpool, on 17 July 2022, with more dates to be announced.

The fun filled show stars Lynne Fitzgerald as narrator Miss Jolly, Asa Murphy as headmaster Mr Plop and Brendan McCaffrey as Charlie the monkey.

Charlie is a fun loving monkey, but he has 1 big problem; he hates his tiny flat bum. Things take an unexpected turn on his birthday when Charlie's parents help him find the bum of his dreams. But he soon learns having a bigger, better bum may not be as important as he thinks.

The live stage show includes numbers like:- The Laughter Song, Perfect in Every Way and The Bum Bum Song.

Asa Murphy says:- "The Monkey With No Bum came from a story I told my son when he was small. I wrote the book during lockdown, and it turned into a huge success; the message of all children being perfect in every way has been really well received. The book is now used as a teaching aid, and I love going into Schools to read and discuss it with the children. I created the musical because I wanted to get the message across to as many families as possible. I've been blown away by the reaction from audiences who have seen the live musical on stage so far, and I can't wait to bring the show to Port Sunlight and Runcorn as well as returning to the Epstein Theatre this summer. We have big plans so look out for a bigger tour coming soon."

'The Monkey With No Bum - The Musical' is written by Asa Murphy and produced by both Asa Murphy Productions and Bill Elms Productions. For more information please visit:- Facebook.Com/AsaMurphyProductions or Watch the trailer on YouTube.

The City of Liverpool College brings toil and trouble to the Bombed Out Church

YOUNG Actors from The City of Liverpool College will be taking over the atmospheric St Luke's Bombed Out Church later this month with a performance of Shakespeare's shortest tragedy, Macbeth. 1st year Level 3 Acting students will be performing at the 2 day production of Shakespeare's story of power struggles and vaulting ambition on Tuesday 26 April and Wednesday 27 April 2022. Macbeth, also known as The Scottish Play, is 1 of Shakespeare's darkest and most powerful works. Set in Scotland, the play portrays the tragic effects of one man choosing evil to fulfil his own ambition for power.

The play tells the story of a brave Scottish general named Macbeth, played by Jay Blower, who receives a prophecy from 3 witches that 1 day he will become King of Scotland. Consumed by ambition and encouraged by his wife, Lady Macbeth (Eden Roberts), Macbeth takes drastic measures to take over the throne before a civil war leads them into the realms of arrogance, madness, and death.

Over the course of many centuries, the character of Macbeth has attracted some of the world's most renowned actors, including:- Ian McKellen, Denzel Washington, and James McAvoy. It has been adapted to film, television, opera, novels, books, and other media.

Ian McKellen, said:- "Macbeth is now. Not tomorrow, not yesterday; now. If you trust Shakespeare and if you've got good actors and a good Director, it will seem now."

Programme Leader for BA Performing Arts, Paul Carmichael, who has worked closely with the students in developing the tragedy, said:- "We have a very talented cast giving some compelling performances and it is sure to be an entertaining evening. Many wish to pursue a career in drama, so it has been extremely valuable for them to have experienced a real professional theatre environment. Macbeth is a challenging piece of text and our primary aim was to make it more accessible to our students through performance. It has been a pleasure to direct such a diverse range of talent and to see their confidence truly grow."

Eden Roberts, Level 3 student playing the role of Lady Macbeth, said:- "It has been such an honour not only to be cast in this production, but to have been given the chance to play such a powerful and significant role so early into my performing journey. Playing such a demanding role as Lady Macbeth in such an iconic Liverpool location has pushed me to realms I wasn't sure I was capable of, and opened my eyes to new and exciting opportunities. I feel honoured to have the opportunity to put my own spin on a role as iconic as this 1."

Macbeth will be performed on the 26 April to 27 April 2021, at Liverpool's iconic St Luke's Bombed Out Church on Leece Street, with both performances starting at 7pm.

Ticket prices range from ₤1 for students, ₤3 for concessions and ₤5 for adults and can be purchased online now.

Did you know that the City of Liverpool College (COLC) is in the top 10% of colleges in the UK? Find out more baout the City of Liverpool College at:- Liv-Coll.AC.UK.

Free English classes for Ukrainian Refugees

HUGH Baird College in Bootle is offering free English classes to Ukrainian adults and their family members who find themselves displaced to the Liverpool City Region. The English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) classes will help with linguistic obstacles and reading, writing and listening. Learning these skills aims to make it easier for the refugees to feel more at ease and less isolated whilst staying in the UK. The free ESOL classes are available to all Ukrainian adults and their family members supported through the UK Government's:- 'Ukraine Family Scheme' and the:- 'Ukraine Sponsorship Scheme.'

A spokesperson from Hugh Baird College said:- "Our Region has a proud history of showing solidarity to those in need and, as a college at the very heart of the community, we feel this is the right thing to do. Our successful ESOL programme has helped thousands of asylum seekers settle into UK life. It's horrifying to imagine what Ukrainian refugees have endured over the past weeks; this is our small way of showing our support."

Those who want to find out more and apply for the free ESOL classes can visit:- Hughbaird.AC.UK, call:- 01513534444, or email:- Enquiries@HughBaird.AC.UK.