Shankly Show back to mark 50th anniversary

By Chris Shaw, Chief Sports Reporter

The Shankly Show will return to Liverpool for two nights only in December to mark the 50th anniversary of Bill Shankly becoming Liverpool manager.

Written by Andrew Sherlock, the one-man show received critical acclaim on its initial run in 2008 and features Scottish actor Alexander 'Sandy' West as Shankly.

Now the show returns at the BT Convention Centre 50 years to the week that Liverpool’s greatest manager first took charge.

JMU lecturer Mr Sherlock said: “On 17th and 18th December we are commemorating Shankly’s arrival at Liverpool, which he described as ‘the greatest week of my life’.

“We want to capture the essence and the spirit of the man and what he brought to the club, to football and to the city and its people. It has been a labour of love and it should be an evening of magic for fans.”

Although not the original choice for the role, Sandy West was acclaimed for his interpretation of Shankly and says he is delighted to come back to Liverpool to play him again.

Mr West said: “He’s probably the greatest character I’ve ever played in my life, without question. It’s like playing Winston Churchill or the Queen, it’s the equivalent for football fans.

“It is daunting to play him but as an actor you just can’t think about it. Thankfully the feedback from fans and the people who have seen it has been so good.”

West insists that he is not attempting to mimic Shankly but aims to bring out the passion of the man who revolutionised a club and a city.

He said: “I knew about him as a football fan and I was from the same era but when you read his story, it is fascinating. The show could go on for hours and hours because there are so many stories about him. It’s not just about football, it’s about life – he pulled this city up from its bootstraps.”

Former Liverpool midfielder Brian Hall, who played under Shankly, praised West’s performance: “I think Sandy comes across with that ‘inner Shankly’ – his passion, his ethos and his ability to communicate. He brings his audience on board with him, which is what Shankly wanted to do with the supporters.”

Hall is also sure that people will be talking about Bill Shankly for a long time to come: “Without a shadow of a doubt. Just look at the achievements of that period, with Shankly as the catalyst. They’ll still be talking about him in 200 years.”