Beating Berlusconi! returns to Liverpool stage

National World - LocalTV

Cult comedy returns to the stage to celebrate the 20th anniversary of LFC’s triumph in Istanbul.

Transcript

00:00I think looking back now, it's obviously started to pinch myself.

00:04Now, cast your mind back to 2005 for just a second for me.

00:08Where were you when LFC beat AC Milan to Champions League victory in Istanbul?

00:13For Liverpool fans, the 2005 Champions League final remains an unforgettable memory,

00:18celebrated as one of the greatest comebacks in football

00:21and a crowning achievement in the club's storied history.

00:25One Reds fan remembers this night not just for the dramatic win

00:29which saw Liverpool come from 3-0 down at half-time

00:32for them then to go on to win on penalties,

00:34but just who he was stood next to when it all happened.

00:38I think it's the greatest comeback of all time in my opinion.

00:41No-one thought that could happen after half-time, least of all myself.

00:44And then what happened with me on a personal level

00:46just takes it to another level and I still have to pinch myself now.

00:50Despairing at seeing Liverpool down at half-time,

00:52Mark set off in search of a drink,

00:54only to find himself in what turned out to be an exclusive VIP area

00:58with AC Milan president and Italy's then Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi.

01:02When Mark cheered on the Reds as they drew level in the game's final minutes,

01:06Signor Berlusconi lost it and things got even stranger.

01:11The cult comedy beating Berlusconi,

01:14partly based on the remarkable real-life experience of Mark Bradley,

01:17is set to return to the Liverpool stage.

01:20I thought it would be a fantastic climax to a play about Liverpool

01:24and it's such an interesting city, such a distinctive city,

01:27unlike any other city in our country.

01:29And so I thought I could use it, the journey to the game and the journey as a fan

01:36and the experiences as a child starting to support the club,

01:39the problems, the victories, the tragedies,

01:43with the climax being this bizarre story.

01:47Paul Duckworth reprises his role, or should I say roles,

01:50as he is playing dozens of different characters.

01:53It was just a challenge really.

01:55When I got it, it was like, wow, this is heavy.

01:58This is really, really, it's quite a lot.

02:01There's a lot of words, you know what I mean?

02:03This is a show not just for die-hard football fans,

02:06it is a story of a one-man's attempt to rediscover his belief in himself,

02:10his club, his city and his class.

02:14A lot of people who come to see this realise it's actually about,

02:17it's a human story, it's about a guy who loves things

02:21and he has things that break his heart

02:24and he has things that make him reborn

02:27and have his faith restored in humanity and in football and in his city.

02:32The smash hit show, inspired by a real-life encounter

02:35inside the Ataturk Olympic Stadium,

02:38will play at the Dome at Grand Central Hall

02:40on Friday 23rd and Saturday 24th of May.

02:44We did talk with a few people about turning it into a film

02:47because it would make an amazing film,

02:49but how do we create the Istanbul Football Stadium

02:53because there's so much of it in there,

02:55so much of the story happens in there.

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