Youngsters from Stagecoach Theatre Arts Liverpool have performed an adaptation of the story of Mickey the chimpanzee, who famously escaped from Liverpool’s Zoological Park in the 1930s.
Around 40 children aged four to six took part in the show at St Edward’s College in West Derby.
The production was inspired by ‘Zebedee Zeeker World’s Best Zookeeper’, a book penned by Merseyside children’s author Andy Kenwright, who lives in Mossley Hill.
The dad of two, who is working on a five-book series of fictional escapades based on Mickey’s story, also attended the show, which saw Andy’s five-year-old son Dylan make his musical debut in the role of Zebedee.
Praising the adaptation, which was led by Stagecoach Principal Kirsty Bushell, Andy said: “When I wrote ‘Zebedee Zeeker’, I thought it would translate well to the stage, but I am blown away with what the Stagecoach team have achieved. They used my rhymes and stayed faithful to the ‘Zebedee’ characters, but I must give full credit to Kirsty and her colleagues, who came up with their own original songs and dances. This is a true Merseyside collaboration, and great for the city’s theatre scene!”
Andy’s own theatrical production of ‘Zebedee Zeeker’ has been staged at various literary events throughout the city – the biggest being for more than 1,000 people at Sefton Park Palm House as part of the celebrations for Liverpool’s 2021 ‘Year of Writing’, and in Liverpool Central Library for the handover event for the 2022 ‘Year of the Spoken Word’.
The Stagecoach adaption, however, marks the book’s first foray into musical theatre.
“Andy invited me along to a book reading and I thought it was absolutely fantastic!” said Kirsty, whose auntie works alongside Andy’s wife – nursing at Alder Hey Children’s Hospital.
“I immediately saw the potential in ‘Zebedee’, with the story being based on local historical facts, which I knew our parents would love. I sat down with the teachers in each of our three ‘Early Stages’ classes to work on our production and each class took charge of one of three chapters that make up the book. We are delighted with the final result, and I want to thank Andy and all our parents for supporting the show.
‘A key principle of what we do at Stagecoach is creating opportunities for children to promote their confidence, social and communication skills to express themselves and find friendships through performing arts – including singing, dancing and drama. To have material to work with like ‘Zebedee Zeeker’ is a dream!”
Both the book and the stage performance give an alternate ending to the true, tragic nature of Mickey’s demise, which saw the chimpanzee killed in a hail of bullets by a posse of zookeepers and police in Aigburth during March 1938. He had previously escaped three times from his Mossley Hill compound prior to his fourth and final breakout, which preceded a school rampage. In Andy’s reimagined version, more suited to children, Mickey is recast as a hero who teams up with Zebedee to foil a villainous plot involving the city’s Mayor.
‘Zebedee Zeeker’, published by TAUK Publishing, is available to buy via zebedeezeeker.co.uk as well as Amazon and selected bookshops.
For more details on Stagecoach Theatre Arts Liverpool, visit www.stagecoach.co.uk/liverpool
