Willy Russell

**William Russell** (born 23 August 1947) is an English dramatist, lyricist and composer. His best known works are _Educating Rita_, _Shirley Valentine_, _Blood Brothers_ and _Our Day Out_.

## Early life

Russell was born in Whiston in Lancashire. On leaving school, aged 15, he became a ladies' hairdresser. He ran his own salon until the age of 20. He then decided to go back to college. He qualified as a teacher. Russell also worked as a semi-professional singer. He wrote and performed his own folk songs.

He began writing drama while at college. In 1972, he took a programme of three one-act plays to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. They were seen by writer John McGrath. McGrath recommended Russell to the Liverpool Everyman. They commissioned the adaptation, _When The Reds…_. This was Russell's first professional work for theatre.

## Career

The first play Russell wrote was _Keep Your Eyes Down_ (1971). He wrote it while he attended Saint Katharine's College of Higher Education in Liverpool. It was performed at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 1971.

In 1974, Russell wrote _John, Paul, George, Ringo ... and Bert_. This was a musical about The Beatles. It was commissioned by the Everyman Theatre, Liverpool. It ran there for eight weeks before transferring to the Lyric Theatre, West End. There it ran for over a year. It won the Evening Standard and London Theatre Critics awards for the best musical of 1974.

He wrote further stage works, _One for the Road_ (1976) and _Stags and Hens_ (1978). Russell was a screenwriter on television films, _Death of A Young Young Man_ (1975, BBC1), _Daughters of Albion_ (1979), _Our Day Out_ (1977) and _One Summer_ (1983, 1985).

The Royal Shakespeare Company commisioned the play _Educating Rita_. In 1980, it premiered at the Warehouse, London. In August 1980 it transferred to the West End Piccadilly Theatre, London. It starred Julie Walters and Mark Kingston. The play ran to "at least" June 1982. The play has been translated and produced in almost every part the globe. It has received awards.In 1986, the play returned to the Liverpool Everyman.

In 1986, Russell wrote _Shirley Valentine_. This went on to an acclaimed West End run. It received an Olivier Award, _Comedy of the Year_. Its star Pauline Collins received the _Actress of the Year in a New Play award. In February 1989, the play transferred to New York. It had a highly successful Broadway run to November 1989. Collins received a Tony Award for Best Actress.

Both _Shirley Valentine_ (1989) and _Educating Rita_ (1983) became feature films. Michael Caine, Julie Walters and Pauline Collins all receiving Oscar nominations for their respective roles. Russell received an Oscar nomination for his _Educating Rita_ screenplay.

Russell has had success with his play _Blood Brothers_. This is 'a Liverpudlian folk opera' about a pair of twins. The twins are separated at birth and brought up in different environments. In 1983, _Blood Brothers_ won the Olivier Award for Best New Musical. It has had over 10,000 consecutive performances during its 24-year West End run, which ended in November 2012. At the same time, there were UK touring and international productions. In 1993, the play had a two-year run on Broadway. The Broadway production was nominated for the 1993 Tony Award for Best Musical.

Russell with musical collaborator Bob Eaton wanted to develop _Our Day Out_. After extensive rewriting and recomposing, they created _Our Day Out – The Musical_. It retains all the characters and plot of the original. The action is brought forward to today. It has a new score and lyrics to reflect the twenty first century setting. The musical was produced in 2010 at the Royal Court Theatre, Liverpool.

In 2000, Russell's first novel, _The Wrong Boy_, was published. The book was well received. It had wide readership in the UK. Translations were published in many countries. In 2004, Russell returned to his singer/songwriter roots. He released his album, _Hoovering the Moon_, on Pure Records. Russell also co-produced the Tim Firth album _Harmless Flirting_.

In 2013, the Archive and Special Collections department of Liverpool John Moores University established the Willy Russell Archive. It contains manuscripts, programmes, publicity and media material including newspaper cuttings and press releases, correspondence, legal, financial and administrative documents, records relating to the casting and audition process, audio and film material, and promotional ephemera. The material was produced throughout the course of Russell's career. It is a comprehensive representation of his work to date. It also illustrates Willy Russell's collaborative works, both written and musical.

## Personal life

In 1969, Russell married Annie Seagroatt. The couple have one son, Rob, and two daughters, Rachel and Ruth.

## Works

- _Keep Your Eyes Down_ (play 1971)
- _Sam O'Shanker_ (play 1972, musical 1973)
- _John, Paul, George, Ringo ... and Bert_ (musical 1974)
- _Death of a Young Man (play 1974)
- _Breezeblock Park_ (play 1975)
- _Our Day Out_ (made-for-TV film 1976, musical stage version, 2010)
- _Our Day Out_ (play 1977, Later adapted for musical)
- _Blind Scouse_
- _One for the Road_ (play 1976)
- _I Read the News Today_ (BBC Schools Radio Play, 1976)
- _Stags and Hens_ (1978 play, filmed in 1990 as _Dancin' thru the Dark_)
- _Educating Rita_ (play 1980, film 1983)
- _The Boy with the Transistor Radio_ (1980)
- _One Summer_ (TV series 1983)
- _Blood Brothers_ (musical 1983)
- _Connie_ (TV series, co-wrote theme tune "The Show" 1985)
- _Shirley Valentine_ (play 1986, film 1989)
- _Terraces_ (BBC TV film 1993)
- _The Wrong Boy_ (first novel, 2000)
- _Hoovering the Moon_ (music album, 2003)
- _Our Day Out – The Musical_ (2009/10)

## Awards and nominations

- Awards
- 1980: Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Comedy – _Educating Rita_
- 1983: Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Musical – _Blood Brothers_
- 1988: Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Comedy – _Shirley Valentine_
- 1990: Evening Standard British Film Award for Best Screenplay – _Shirley Valentine_
- Nominations
- 1984: Academy Award nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay – _Educating Rita_
- 1984: Golden Globe Award nomination for Best Motion Picture Screenplay – _Educating Rita_
- 1984: BAFTA nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay – _Educating Rita_
- 1989 Tony Award for Best Play – _Shirley Valentine_
- 1990: BAFTA nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay – _Shirley Valentine_
- 1993: Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical – _Blood Brothers_

## Other websites

- Willy Russell Homepage
- Willy Russell at the Internet Broadway Database

## Infobox (writer)

- **name**: Willy Russell
- **caption**: Russell in 2007
- **birth name**: William Russell
- **birth place**: Whiston, Merseyside, Whiston, Lancashire, England
- **occupation**: Playwright, screenwriter, author, lyricist, composer
- **notableworks**: _Educating Rita_
_Shirley Valentine_
_Blood Brothers_
_Our Day Out_
- **spouse**: Annie Seagroatt (m. 1969)
- **children**: 3