One of Liverpool’s much loved musicals, Twopence To Cross The Mersey, is set to return next year in the brand new format of a straight stage play.

Helen Forrester’s famous account of how she and her formerly wealthy family had to struggle to survive in Liverpool during the Great Depression of the 1930s will be brought to life across the region starting with a three week run at Liverpool’s Epstein Theatre. The opening night will be a charity event to raise money for cancer research.

Stage Writer and Producer, Rob Fennah, together with Co-Producer, Bill Elms have announced that fifty percent of ticket sales from the show’s premiere on Tuesday 10th March 2015 will be donated to Liverpool-based charity North West Cancer Research (NWCR). Tickets for the fund raiser are on sale now.

NWCR is the leading charity in the North West which facilitates cancer research to help increase our understanding of cancer, how to diagnose, treat and prevent it. This year alone, the charity has supported £2million worth of research including that at the University of Liverpool, as well as at Lancaster University and the University of Bangor.

Earlier this month Rob, Bill and Twopence To Cross The Mersey’s Production Co-ordinator, Lynn McDermott, received a special tour of NWCR’s centre and charity headquarters where they met with some of the world-class researchers working to help tackle Liverpool’s shockingly high cancer rates.

Latest research figures show that people living in Liverpool are around 20 percent more likely to develop cancer than those living elsewhere in the UK. Cancer is the number one killer in Liverpool. In 2011, 1,297 people died of cancer in the city, which is why funding into vital cancer research has never been so important.

Rob Fennah, said:

“Sadly, cancer will affect each and every one of us at some point in our lives either directly or indirectly through loved ones. Visiting the research labs, right here in the heart of Liverpool, and seeing with our own eyes just how much hard work is going into combating this devastating disease gave us a real sense of hope for the future.

“It is only thanks to charities like NWCR that this type of research can continue and, as such, we are delighted to support them and announce NWCR as our charity partner.

“This brand new stage production of Twopence To Cross The Mersey will be a much more intimate affair and the Epstein Theatre is the perfect venue to launch it. We hope as many people as possible will come along to the opening night and show their support for NWCR.”

Anne Jackson, CEO of NWCR, said:

“On behalf of everyone at NWCR I would like to say a big thank you to Rob, Bill and everyone at Pulse Records Limited for selecting us as their chosen charity for the forthcoming run of ‘Twopence To Cross The Mersey’.

“The money will help us fund vital research projects in Liverpool and the North West, which is important to our understanding of cancer and will ultimately help us to better detect, treat and prevent the disease in the future.

“’Twopence To Cross The Mersey’ is such a wonderful production and Helen Forrester’s original books have always been a favourite of mine. We are delighted to be benefiting from the opening night. There has already been lots of interest in tickets, so please do book as soon as possible if you want to come along.”

After its three week premiere at the Epstein Theatre, the show will tour across Merseyside as it heads to Southport Theatre from Thursday 9th April to Saturday 11th April, St Helens Theatre Royal from Tuesday 14th April to Thursday 16th April. It will finally cross the Mersey to the Floral Pavilion in New Brighton from Sunday 19th April until Thursday 23rd April.

Charity tickets for the opening performance at the Epstein can be bought from NWCR by calling 0151 709 2919. Tickets cost £18. Collections for NWCR will also take place at each venue on the tour.

More information can be found at www.nwcr.org