On the set of Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf Richard Burton cajoles Elizabeth Taylor into learning the part which would lead to her second Oscar – Burton would leave the ceremony empty handed again. Behind the united facade though, the cracks are beginning to show on the married couple’s personal and professional relationship.
Following a successful run at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2013, and at London’s Old Red Lion Theatre in January 2015, Dhanil Ali’s The Liz & Dick Show now comes to Liverpool’s Lantern Theatre for two performances only, inviting audiences to witness the intimate breakdown of one of the classic love stories of the 20th Century.
Burton and Taylor’s love affair is well documented – unable to live together but unable to live apart, the pair’s dynamic personal relationship rivalled anything they produced onscreen. As Burton said himself “Our Love is so furious that we burn each other out”.
Ali’s volcanic play peers beneath the public persona to show the caustic cracks for a couple hopelessly in love with each other – Burton’s warm Welsh vowels rebuffed by Taylor’s often alcohol fuelled sarcasm. Exploring the contradictions in their relationship, Ali’s play invites audiences to take a ring side view into the turbulent yet fascinating lives of two screen icons.
Ken McConnell and Lydia Poole recreate their Edinburgh acclaimed roles in a revised production directed by Ali himself. Expect all the glamour and passion – the furs and the diamonds as The Liz & Dick Show takes audiences through the relationship of two of the most gifted actors of the twentieth century.
The Liz & Dick Show is on at the Lantern Theatre on Blundell Street on Monday 23rd and Tuesday 24th February. Tickets are priced at £10.50 (including 50p booking fee). Tickets are available from the online box office at http://lanterntheatreliverpool.co.uk.