The writer of a play based on a the autobiography of an author who lived through the Great Depression says he is “privileged” to be entrusted to bring her work to the Lichfield Garrick stage.
Twopence To Cross The Mersey, written by Rob Fennah, chronicles the life of Helen Forrester in 1930s Liverpool.
Featuring a cast of nine playing more than 40 characters, the show comes to the city stage on 22nd and 23rd October.
The story follows the impact of the Great Depression as Helen’s spendthrift father was declared bankrupt forcing the family to leave behind the nannies, servants, and beautiful middle-class home in the gentler South West of England.
With nothing more than the clothes they stood up in, the family of nine took the train to Liverpool where they hoped to rebuild their shattered lives.
Rob said he had worked closely with Helen before her death to bring her work to life on the stage.
“This show is loaded with provenance – Helen was hands-on during the writing process so her army of loyal readers will get to see a true and honest representation of Twopence To Cross The Mersey.
“Along with the many hours of telephone conversations I had with her from her home in Canada, I have a stack of letters and faxes, crammed with little gems that never found their way into her books.
“On many occasions, Helen would travel to the UK and we’d get together to talk about the stage adaptation. It was fantastic to have her there, in person, to help me flesh out some of the lesser characters in the books, but ones I felt would help bring the story to life on stage.
“Over the years, Helen and I became firm friends and I feel very privileged to have been entrusted with her most famous work.”
Rob Fennah
While 12-year-old Helen’s parents searched unsuccessfully to find work in Liverpool, she was taken out of school to look after her six younger siblings and the full burden of keeping house fell on her young shoulders.
Having never had to manage a family budget in their previous life, the Forresters found themselves relying on meagre hand-outs from the local parish, charity organisations, and the kindness of strangers.
At the age of 14, Helen had finally had enough of her miserable existence and so began a
bitter fight with her mother and father to attend evening school in an effort to educate herself and make her own way in the world.
But her parents had no intention of releasing their unpaid slave – they had other plans for their daughter.
“Helen and I would often meet in places that were significant during her early life in Liverpool – places that were close to her heart.
“The Palm House in Sefton Park is case in point. Readers of Twopence To Cross The Mersey will know how she used to take refuge there as a child during the freezing winter months. The Kings Gap Hotel in Hoylake was another. She was born at her grandmother’s home just around the corner in Warren Road.”
Rob Fennah
“The last time Helen would set eyes on her family home”
Helen’s literary achievements were celebrated in 2020 when an iconic Blue Plaque was unveiled at the late author’s family home in Warren Road, a place which featured heavily in her work.
“I remember the last time we met. We were standing outside the house in Hoylake and Helen was telling me how her grandmother had fallen out with her father after a huge family row over money.
“He had borrowed heavily from the family but was unable to repay his debts when the depression struck forcing him into bankruptcy.
“Condemning her son as a ‘worthless spendthrift’, she refused to have anything more to do with him. Forced to live in the slums of Liverpool and on the verge of starvation, Helen longed to visit her grandmother again convinced that, if she could explain how bad things were, she would forgive her son and come to their rescue.
“But living on the other side of the River Mersey she needed tuppence for the ferry boat ride. This was something she didn’t have and so the family’s struggle continued for many years. When Helen began writing her memoirs and was searching for a book title, Twopence To Cross The Mersey was the obvious choice.
“As we stood chatting outside the house it never struck me that this would be the last time I would see my friend in person and, more poignantly, the last time Helen would set eyes on her family home.”
Rob Fennah
Tickets for Twopence to Cross the Mersey are available to book on the Lichfield Garrick website.
The show has also been given the seal approval by Helen’s son Robert Bhatia. He said:
“The partnership between playwright Rob Fennah and my mother Helen, and her legacy, has been outstanding.
“I saw the play during the last tour and the portrayal of my mother was utterly convincing.”
Robert Bhatia