willy russell
Willy Russell was born in 1947 at Shiston near Liverpool. There was a strong tradition of storytelling in his family, who were 'thinking' working class. His school career in the 'D Stream' was undistinguished. At fifteen he left with one 'O' Level, in English Language and little idea of what he wanted to do beyond a vague notion of wanting to become a writer. He was unsure of how to enter that world, so he drifted into hairdressing. Subsequently he spent more time writing songs than setting hair. Eventually he left and worked in several industrial jobs before deciding to return to full-time education.
It was whilst at St. Catherine's College of Education that he decided to become a dramatist. His first play, Keep Your Eyes Down, was taken by the college drama group to the Edinburgh Fringe in 1972. There it was seen by John McGrath who put Russell in touch with the Everyman. The following year, When the Reds... led to his writing a play for the Everyman's Touring Company, Sam O'Shanker. 1973 also saw his first play for the BBC , King of the Castle, set in a factory.
His 'major break' came with his next play, John, Paul, George, Ringo and Bert. It was an accurate and honest account of the group's rise and fall, culminating in an abortive attempt to stage a reunion concert and its success enabled him to give up teaching and concentrate on writing full-time. The show was notable for the ironic juxtaposition of songs against dialogue, and the sparkling Liverpool humour that has since become his trademark. The use of a narrator was a technique that was to reappear in his next stage play, Death of a Young, Young Man (1975), and again in Blood Brothers.
There is a compassionate core in Russell's work that can best be seen in his endearing and sympathetic presentation of life's losers, all of whom have an epic sense of their own importance. Through his writing it is possible to feel a sense of his characters' aspirations and their failed and foiled dreams. However, unlike the characters he creates, Willy Russell doesn't have an epic sense of his own importance. What sustains and characterises his best work is a raging, bitter sense of injustice.
