The Pool (play)

2006 play by James Brough and Helen Elizabeth

The Pool (later subtitled City of Culture?) is a play written by and starring James Brough and Helen Elizabeth. The plot follows David (Brough), a Londoner who finds himself stranded in Liverpool, where he meets Tina (Elizabeth). David persuades Tina to take the day off work and the two spend a day in the city together. The play is a mixture of verse and prose. Brough and Elizabeth conceived it while appearing at the 2004 Edinburgh Fringe. They returned to perform it at The Gilded Balloon in 2006. It has also been performed at the Arts Theatre in London and the Unity Theatre in Liverpool. A film adaptation directed by David Morrissey premiered at the 2009 London Film Festival and was broadcast on BBC Two on 7 March 2010.

## Performance history[edit]

The play premiered at the Edinburgh Fringe in 2006, where Brough and Elizabeth won the Fringe First award for new writing. It transferred to the Arts Theatre in London's West End for a limited run at the end of 2006, before a three-day run from 24 to 27 January 2007 at Liverpool's Unity Theatre.[1] It returned to the Arts Theatre for a three-week run from 3 to 21 April 2007, now subtitled City of Culture?[2]

## Film adaptation[edit]

Brough and Elizabeth, with David Morrissey, adapted the play into a feature film called Don't Worry About Me after Morrissey saw it at the Arts.[3] Brough and Elizabeth reprise their roles as David and Tina. It was filmed on location in Liverpool in September and October 2007 on a budget of £100,000.[4][5] Due to Morrissey's acting commitments, editing and other post-production work delayed the film's release.[6] It premiered at the 53rd London Film Festival.[7] After the screening, a distribution deal was signed with the BBC for the film to be shown on television.[8] The film was broadcast on BBC Two on 7 March 2010, and was released on DVD the next day.[9] Although many scenes were filmed around the city, some filming was done on the other side of the river, at Yummy's Cafe, in Wallasey Village, and on New Brighton beach.

## References[edit]

1. ^ "Unity News - February 2007" (PDF). Unity Theatre. Retrieved on 6 January 2009.
2. ^ Ansdell, Caroline (27 February 2007). "Fringe First Winner Pool Gets Spring Arts Season". Whatsonstage.com. Retrieved on 6 January 2009.
3. ^ Staff (6 November 2008). "Brief Encounter With … David Morrissey". Whatsonstage.com. Retrieved on 6 January 2009.
4. ^ Owens, Paula (11 October 2007). "Liverpool's such a haven for filmmakers, says star". Liverpool Daily Post (Trinity Mirror). Retrieved on 6 January 2009.
5. ^ Husband, Stuart (24 February 2008). "David Morrissey: The incredible disappearing man". The Daily Telegraph (Telegraph Media Group). Retrieved on 6 January 2009.
6. ^ Morrissey, David. Interview with Mark Lawson. Front Row. BBC Radio 4. London. 27 November 2008.
7. ^ Staff (9 September 2009). "London Film Festival boosts awards for 53rd edition". Screen International (Emap Media).
8. ^ Miles, Tina (7 November 2009). "Actor David Morrissey returns home for screening of his directorial debut". Liverpool Echo (Trinity Mirror).
9. ^ Morrissey, David. Television interview with Adrian Chiles and Christine Bleakley. The One Show. BBC One. 25 February 2010.

## External links[edit]

Reviews

* Malcolm Rock, "The Pool - City of Culture?", Whatsonstage.com.
* Dominic Cavendish, "Memories to paint the town purple", The Daily Telegraph.
* Fiona Mountford, "The Pool - City of Culture?", Evening Standard.

Film

* Don't Worry About Me at IMDb