''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

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in 2006. It has also been performed at the

Arts Theatre The Arts Theatre is a theatre in Great Newport Street, in Westminster, Central London. History It opened on 20 April 1927 as a members-only club for the performance of unlicensed plays, thus avoiding theatre censorship by the Lord Chamberl ...

in London and the Unity Theatre in Liverpool. A film adaptation directed by David Morrissey premiered at the 2009

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and was broadcast on

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on 7 March 2010.

Performance history

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

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. It returned to the Arts Theatre for a three-week run from 3 to 21 April 2007, now subtitled ''City of Culture?''

Film adaptation

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. 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. Due to Morrissey's acting commitments, editing and other post-production work delayed the film's release. It premiered at the 53rd

. After the screening, a distribution deal was signed with the BBC for the film to be shown on television. The film was broadcast on

on 7 March 2010, and was released on DVD the next day.Morrissey, David. Television interview with Adrian Chiles and Christine Bleakley. ''The One Show''. BBC One. 25 February 2010. 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

External links

Reviews *Malcolm Rock,
''The Pool - City of Culture?''
, Whatsonstage.com. *Dominic Cavendish,

, ''The Daily Telegraph''. *Fiona Mountford,
''The Pool - City of Culture?''
, ''Evening Standard''. Film * {{DEFAULTSORT:Pool 2006 plays