Red or Dead review – Peter Mullan tackles Bill Shankly in uneven adaptation

Royal Court, LiverpoolPlaying the feted Liverpool FC manager, Mullan leads a bustling new stage version of David Peace’s 2013 novelMoments before Red or Dead begins, we watch Peter Mullan warming up. At the edge of the stage, arms windmilling, his face set in concentration, he looks like a footballer waiting to take to the pitch. In fact he’s Liverpool manager Bill Shankly. In writer-director Phillip Breen’s new play, adapted from David Peace’s book, we see Shankly take the club into the first division and on to FA and Uefa Cup victories between 1959 and his retirement in 1974.Narration is passed from one actor to another in a 52-strong cast, rippling across them like a chant around a stand. This huge ensemble moves over the stage like a shoal of fish, gravitating towards Shankly. Mullan stands, solid as a tree trunk, as if defending a goal; squinting into the distance like someone sizing up a shot. His hand flicks forward while motivational lines fire out of his mouth like the blasts of a whistle. Continue reading...

Comments

Culture

House passes Melania-backed bill to combat revenge porn, deepfakes

Comments

Similar News

Red Dot Miami exhibits Ricardo Cardenas' Art on Concrete

An Exhibition Explores Whether the“Red Scare” Has Lessons for America Today

‘The Red Wedding times a million’ – The Last of Us’s most shocking moment was a masterpiece

Veteran newsreader left red-face after sufferering awkward on-air mishap

Mike White explains red herring White Lotus fans thought would have dire consequences

Olivier Awards: The red carpet in pictures

Mo Gilligan review – riotous red-carpet relatability from a big-hearted comic

Culture

House passes Melania-backed bill to combat revenge porn, deepfakes

Trump administration opens racial-discrimination probe into Harvard Law Review

Romesh Ranganathan doesn’t think he’d have become a comedian if it wasn’t for his eye

Terrence Howard says he’s ready to quit acting after roles dried up when he sued Fox and talent agency CAA

Helen Mirren opens up on ‘complications’ of ageing as she shares advice for younger people

Biden's top cyber official rips Trump's personnel changes as 'something dark'

Inside The Atlantic magazine's circuitous route to interviews with Trump

Celebrate Cinco de Mayo with crisp-fried shrimp tacos

Chubby Checker, Joe Cocker, Bad Company, Cyndi Lauper and Outkast get into Rock & Roll Hall of Fame

Trump taunts Taylor Swift over Chiefs Super Bowl loss during Philadelphia Eagles visit

Hot lipstick, nude runs and art deco - it can only be Scotland's Home of the Year

Actor Alan Cumming says being Scottish is the reason for ‘much of my success’

Kneecap should apologise for 'kill your MP' remarks, says murdered MP's daughter

'It got to me': Vine stops cycling videos after online abuse

Mini art prints from vending machines make one artist's dream

Peaky Blinders ‘will be returning to TV’ but with one big change

Ex-athletic director takes plea for making bigoted AI recording of Baltimore County school principal

Abortion pills 22 times more dangerous than billed on warning label, study finds

JAMA study finds 15% of children spend 9 hours a day on smart devices

How Celebrity Big Brother’s JoJo Siwa and Chris Hughes went from friends to ‘soulmates’

Nosferatu casting director ‘didn’t think Lily-Rose Depp could act’

Bloody fingers are just part of the game in this traditional German sport

What to know about the trial of an ex-Michigan officer charged in the killing of a Black motorist

A pregnant woman in Gaza's ruins fears for her baby under Israel's blockade

How bugs and beet juice could play roles in the race to replace artificial dyes in food

The Vietnam War ended 50 years ago, but the battle with Agent Orange continues

A trial begins in Paris over the jewel heist aimed at Kim Kardashian in 2016

A man airlifted from Japan's Mount Fuji returns to the slope days later and is rescued again

The style that launched a backlash: Media sounds alarm on MAGA women's looks

Kehlani responds to Cornell show cancellation over ‘anti-Israel’ comments

Why these are the top 10 Nicolas Cage movies

Irvine Welsh claims Scotland's cultural identity at risk unless River City is rescued

Insane true story behind catchy EasyJet advert song you can’t avoid hearing this year

Comedian reveals he has prostate cancer - as he cancels multiple UK tour dates

Child damages €50m Rothko painting in Dutch museum

Supreme Court to hear dispute over Whole Foods carrying baby food accused of causing autism

SNL star claims ‘rude’ restaurant manager removed her from room with Demi Moore

Warren Zeiders slammed by fellow country artist for cursing at fan on stage

Who are the Seraphites? The scarred cult members in The Last of Us episode three

Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter tour kicks off today — and there are still affordable tickets for sale

Bodies of Water, Cumbernauld Theatre review: a mystical awareness of water

Everything you need to know about the new Restless Natives musical

Festival urged to reconsider inclusion of rap group after ‘dead Tory’ comments

The best quotes from Monty Python and the Holy Grail as film turns 50

PS Plus free games for May – leaks, predictions and release date

Kim Kardashian to testify in Paris armed robbery trial as proceedings get under way

BBC workplace review: Will bad behaviour now be called out?

Jean-Pierre Bonnefoux, Charlotte Ballet Director and Sinuous Dancer, Dies at 82

For His Met Opera Debut, a Director Takes On ‘Salome’

Strictly fans scared legendary pro ‘is going to quit’ after major news

‘Uncomfortable’ moment David Tennant addresses Good Omens’ Neil Gaiman’s sexual assault allegations

ITV viewers are sobbing over new series that’s ‘television at its best’

Fans paid hundreds for what they thought would be a sold out Beyoncé tour. Now they’re shocked she can’t fill a stadium

Who is JJ? Meet Austria’s Eurovision 2025 contestant who appeared on The Voice UK

Long-running game show A League of Their Own axed by Sky after 15 years

Doubt, A Parable at Dundee Rep review: 'quietly thrilling evocation of power plays'

First Minister says it would be 'unacceptable' for Kneecap to play at TRNSMT

Irvine Welsh warns fans over possible new Trainspotting movie

UK government condemns 'unacceptable' Kneecap comments

This Hollywood memoir is an expertly mixed cocktail of history and family drama