On The Ledge

We’ve just enjoyed another great night out in Liverpool.

The evening began with a nosh at the Everyman Bistro. Who cares if it’s like sitting in a school canteen – the food was brilliant. Loads of vegetarian choices and lots of gluten-free dishes too. (It truly is the mark of a good, caring, restaurant when they acknowledge the one in fourteen of us who are veggies and the ever growing number who are medically intolerant to wheat). The atmosphere in there was great too. And it was interesting ear-wigging Matthew Kelly and his chums on the next table!

Our theatre tickets, however, were for elsewhere. So we left the Matthews Rixon and Kelly to perform their Endgame at The Everyman and walked back into the city centre.

Alan Bleasdale penned On The Ledge some fifteen years ago, and has rewritten parts of this black comedy for it’s current airing at the Royal Court Theatre.

It is set three stories up on a narrow ledge atop a Liverpool block of flats, where a suicidal office worker finds it increasingly hard to take that final step. Far from this being a place for quiet contemplation in his final moments, he suddenly finds he’s been joined by two scallies, two bruisers, a gang boss and his bit on the side, her other boyfriend, and a fireman in his Simon Snorkel. Yes! they had a real hydraulic platform ascending from the orchestra pit!

The play is billed as “Suitable For – 16+ (Some bad language)” In reality the word “Some” was completely superfluous! Especially in the case of Andrew Schofield who played the fireman – an actor who, you can’t help thinking, didn’t really have to do a lot of actual “acting” for this part. Andrew was also a key character in last months “Brick up the Mersey Tunnel” at the same venue. He is an archetype scouser and a brilliant actor. I’d travel miles to watch him on stage in this type of role.

On the Ledge is on now, until the 24th May 2008. At any price, it’s a great night out. Unbelievably, the tickets were only ten quid! Don’t miss it!