Hilarious yet deeply moving, this 30th anniversary revival of Shelagh Stephenson’s Olivier Award‑winning comedy The Memory of Water is coming to the Everyman from Wednesday 25 February to Saturday 14 March.
Set in the Winter of 1996, as The Spice Girls topped the charts, football had failed to come home, and Dolly the Sheep had just been cloned, The Memory of Water tells the story of Mary, Teresa, and Catherine. Three sisters who return to their Northern childhood home for the first time in years, for their mother’s funeral. As they sort through clothes, keepsakes, and ghosts of the past, the whisky flows, resentments surface, and long-held silences crack open with unexpected laughter.
Nathan Powell, Creative Director of Liverpool Everyman & Playhouse, said:
“This is a beautiful story about family — full of love, laughter, and the kind of chaos that feels instantly familiar. Stephenson captures how we all remember things differently, and how those memories shape who we are. It’s moving, funny, and deeply relatable — a perfect fit for the Everyman stage.”
This production is directed by Lotte Wakeham (Artistic Director at Octagon Theatre, Bolton) features a stellar cast in this powerful and funny family drama including Vicky Binns (Coronation Street, Emmerdale), Victoria Brazier (The Book Thief, Octagon Theatre), Reginald Edwards (The Walrus Has A Right to Adventure, Liverpool Everyman), Charlie De Melo (Much Ado About Nothing, Shakespeare’s Globe), Helen Flanagan (Coronation Street), Polly Lister (One Man, Two Guvnors, Liverpool Playhouse; Speedo Mick – The Scouse Stomper, Liverpool’s Royal Court), Leah Marks (Vignettes 2025, HER Productions), and Charlie Ryan (The Jungle Book, Spring and Port Wine and Little Shop of Horrors, Octagon Theatre).
Lotte Wakeham, Director of The Memory of Water added:
“The Memory of Water is one of those rare plays that makes you laugh out loud and then catches you off guard with its emotional truth. I’m thrilled to be directing this special 30th anniversary revival, and to be collaborating once again with our wonderful friends at Liverpool Everyman & Playhouse.”
The Memory of Water is co‑produced with Octagon Theatre Bolton, following their 2022 collaboration on One Man, Two Guvnors, bringing together two of the North West’s leading producing theatres to celebrate one of the most beloved British plays of the past three decades.
Completing the creative team are Set & Costume Designer Katie Scott (Shirley Valentine, Liverpool Everyman), Sound Designer Andy Graham (One Man, Two Guvnors, Liverpool Playhouse), Lighting Designer Laura Howard (The Lieutenant of Inishmore, Liverpool Everyman), Movement & Intimacy Director Jonnie Riordan (Romeo & Juliet, Liverpool Everyman), Vocal Coach Anita Gilbert and Assistant Director Dominique Reid.
There will be a post‑show discussion after the 7:30pm performance on Wednesday 4 March, hosted by the theatre’s Creative Director, Nathan Powell. It’s free to attend with a ticket for that evening’s performance.
The production also includes a Captioned performance on
The Memory of Water runs at the Liverpool Everyman from Wednesday 25 February to Saturday 14 March, with ticket prices from £16–£47, available at www.everymanplayhouse.com/