<strong>Lizzie</strong> <strong>Nunnery</strong>: A Life On The Stage Words: Richard Lewis Photography: Keith Ainsworth While many musicians have attempted to cross over into acting, with varying levels of success, those heading in the opposite direction are extremely rare; and musicians who become successful playwrights are almost unheard of, placing Maghull-born singer-songwriter-playwright <strong>Lizzie</strong> <strong>Nunnery</strong> in a unique bracket. <strong>Lizzie</strong>’s most recent play, The Swallowing Dark, Dark Dark, was the first to be performed when The Playhouse’s Studio reopened in October. Formerly the theatre’s rehearsal room, the Studio was pressed into service due to the Everyman’s ongoing renovation. “I was thrilled to have The Swallowing Dark on in there; it was a big honour to reopen that space,” <strong>Lizzie</strong> says, as we sit in a café on Falkner Street. The four-star reviews the play received from the national press emphasise the continuation of <strong>Lizzie</strong>’s success, as her debut Intemperance was garlanded with a five-star rating from The Guardian when it opened at The Everyman in September 2007. However, despite the the unique position in which which she finds herself, <strong>Lizzie</strong> doesn’t regard the two pursuits of being a singer-songwriter and playwright all that different. “I see myself as a writer,” she explains. “I think I will always be writing songs. As much as I’m going to be writing plays, I’m also going to be writing songs. The two sort of link into each other for me.” <strong>Lizzie</strong> found her feet as a songwriter at the near legendary Acoustic Engine night at the now sadly defunct Brewery pub (later The Metropolitan). A melting pot of new talent, the events held at the alehouse spawned scores of Liverpool bands. “It sounds a bit over the top, but it was quite a life-changing experience,” <strong>Lizzie</strong> says of her first performances in 1999. “I wonder if I would have ended up doing music professionally at all if I hadn’t got Check out the all new... www.bidolito.co.uk bidolito.co.uk bidolito involved there. It was like going to school in a way and learning how to become a singer-songwriter.” This initial experience came to full bloom with <strong>Lizzie</strong>’s debut album The Company of Ghosts, Ghosts Ghosts, released in 2010, winning huge acclaim from BBC Radio 2 folk DJ Mike Harding, amongst others. <strong>Lizzie</strong>’s new album, tentatively titled Don’t Put Your Life on the Stage and due for release next year, represents a departure from her previous work. She explains that the intriguing title is, “a little bit about celebrity and a culture of selling stories and versions of yourself that may or may not be true and how unhealthy that is.” The title sets the scene for a record that weaves a unique unique musical musical tapestry. tapestry. The album features <strong>Lizzie</strong>’s first foray into the world of strings, strings, courtesy of a quartet that includes the lead violinist violinist from the Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra. Elsewhere, songs are almost almost entirely percussionled, while others revolve around vibraphones and bowed bowed guitars. guitars. Vidar Norhiem Norhiem of Liverpool band Wave Machines, present as co-writer co-writer and producer for the sessions, is credited credited by <strong>Lizzie</strong> with being an invaluable help during the recording process at St. Bride’s Church, itself the scene of some of the city’s best gigs in recent years. Recent musical influences cited by <strong>Lizzie</strong> include fellow Liverpudlian Rachel Wright, Norwegian songstress Arne Brun, Bon Iver (“the best gig I’ve ever attended”) and Feist. Aside from music and writing for the stage, <strong>Lizzie</strong> has also recently been commissioned by BBC Radio 4 to write a five-part adaptation of The Maugham. Painted Veil, a work of W. Somerset Returning to the playwriting string to <strong>Lizzie</strong>’s musical bow: following soon after The Swallowing Dark’s Dark Dark’s success, an earlier work of <strong>Lizzie</strong>’s will be staged at The Capstone Theatre in December. Inspired by the Eugene Ionesco play of the same name, The Man with the Luggage has been remoulded by <strong>Lizzie</strong> to chime with contemporary themes of migration and repatriation. The central protagonist of the play is an everyman figure making his way home, following his escape from a bloody civil war, to reunite with his wife. Over the course of ten years, his long journey results in many adventures and weird encounters, while he transports his heavy luggage and tries to keep his sanity intact. Despite the arduous trek, there are moments of light relief, provided by the play’s fantastical characters, who include a talking tree, an oracle whose character is voiced by no less a luminary than Oscar winner Jim Broadbent. Echoing <strong>Lizzie</strong>’s musical roots, the Trestle theatre company use music – as well as lighting and movement – to tell the tale of The Man with the Luggage. Luggage Luggage. Despite the accolades she has received for her work over the past four years, <strong>Lizzie</strong> remains admirably modest. “It’s a craft,” she smiles when asked about writing. “It’s the kind of thing you do, sometimes you do it wrong and then you do it some more and you get it right. That’s the only way I’ve ever known how to work.” The Man with the Luggage will be staged at The Capstone Theatre on Tue 6th and Weds 7th December thecapstonetheatre.com
What’s on at Liverpool Philharmonic Gary Lucas’ Captain Beefheart Symposium Friday 20 & Saturday 21 January ry r £12 Walsh & Pound Saturday 11 February ry r £12 Omid Djalili Sunday 22 February ry r £19, £26 Michael McGoldrick, John McCusker & John Doyle St George’s Hall Concert Room Friday 24 February February ry r £16 Nick Lowe Saturday 25 February ry r £21.50, £27.50 Port Isaac’s Fisherman’s Friends Sunday 26 February ry r £19.50, £25.50 Joan Baez Friday 2 March £35, £39.50, £45.50 Stewart Lee Saturday 3 March £19.50, £25.50 The Waterboys Saturday 24 March £25, £28.50, £28.50, £33.50 Gilbert O’Sullivan Thursday 5 April Ap A ril £20, £25, £25, £31 Christy Moore Saturday 7 April Ap A ril £30, £32.50, £37.50 Tinariwen Wednesday 11 April Ap A ril £18.50, £24.50 Doug Stanhope Monday 16 Ap AApril ril £20, £26 Ian Anderson Wednesday 18 April Ap A ril £25.50, £28.50, £34.50 Don Williams Tuesday 24 Ap AApril ril £31, £31, £35, £41 Box Of OOffice ff fffi fice 0151 709 3789 liverpoolphil.com
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