THE magic of the 1960's will be revived in Hemel Hempstead when Gerry Marsden brings his action-packed show Ferry Cross The Mersey to the Dacorum Pavilion next month.

The show started life in 1996 as a musical focusing on the rise to fame of Gerry and The Pacemakers from a Liverpool skiffle band to internationally renowned recording artists.

Gerry himself was on stage throughout the production acting as a guardian angel to his younger self and belting out his famous hits such as I Like It and You'll Never Walk Alone. All the music from the era, including classic songs by The Beatles, Cilla Black, Rory Storm, The Hollies, The Shadows, and Freddie and the Dreamers, also featured in the show.

The novel musical wooed audiences during its year long tour of the UK, which started with a sell-out four week run at the Liverpool Playhouse, and became a must for those in their late 40's or early 50's who vividly remembered when British music completely dominated the world during the 1960's.

Gerry's new revamped version of Ferry Cross The Mersey looks like proving even more of a must for those 60's fans.

The 1998 show is a concert version and contains even more songs from the era in a spectacular production featuring a full cast of singers and musicians held together by Gerry.

More than 50 hits including Needles and Pins, Please Please Me, A Groovy Kind of Love, Twist and Shout, Sweet for my Sweets and Shake Rattle and Roll are performed in the show, together, of course, with Gerry's best remembered songs.

The show has been created by critically acclaimed director Carole Todd and musical director Keith Strachan, who hope even more 1960's fans will boogie in the aisles this year.

When Gerry last appeared in Ferry Cross The Mersey in Hertfordshire, at the Alban Arena, St Albans, in 1996, he was unhappy at having to perform a matinee while his beloved Liverpool were playing Manchester Utd in the FA Cup Final.

This year, there will be no such distractions when the show arrives in Hemel Hempstead, so expect to be fully entertained.

Ferry Cross The Mersey In Concert can be seen at the Dacorum Pavilion, Hemel Hempstead, on Thursday, February 5, at 7.45pm.

Tickets cost £14.50 or £12.50 from the box office on 01442 228700 or 01442 234222.

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