He added: “There is a very strong aesthetic argument in all of this. These are houses with beautiful facades which, if they were in London, would be appreciated for exactly how splendid they are. As Liverpool approaches its Culture Year, the council is knocking down rows of wonderful houses – and for what?
“All professional opinion is that the city centre cannot cope with the current levels of traffic, so how will a two-lane entry road help that? It is not a sustainable answer, we need to reduce congestion with green schemes such as park and ride, not add to it.”
Although this work is still in its early stages, another – called King Cotton – will mark McGovern’s return to the stage after 25 years.
It has been commissioned by the Liverpool Culture Company and The Lowry at Salford Quays, where the production will have its world premiere in September, followed by an opening at the Liverpool Empire later in the month.
The musical play, which features a full brass band, will mark the bicentenary of the abolition of the slave trade, but McGovern will also use it to explore his theory that Britain’s mill workers were the forgotten slaves of the 18th century.
The new project sets a cotton plantation slave from the Deep South against a mill worker at the time of the Lancashire cotton famine, reflecting McGovern’s view that the plight of northern England’s mill workers has been overlooked.
He said: “Research has been done which shows that people died younger in the mills than in the cotton fields.”
The work is adapted from an idea by local musician Ian Brownbill, who approached the author about doing a play on the cotton famine, which occurred when the American Civil War halted cotton imports and mill workers were left to starve.
The film of Mary Queen of Scots is due for release next year, and will concentrate on her strained personal and political relationship with her cousin, Elizabeth I, during whose reign the Scottish queen was executed.
alanweston@dailypost.co.uk
Source:
icLiverpool
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