Waiting for Brando

America 1953 – A country made paranoid by McCarthy’s anti-communist witch-hunts is beginning to march to the sound of civil rights, the birth of rock and roll and the new ‘teenage’ rebels.

Two Liverpool merchant seamen, Eddie and Vinnie – both ‘Cunard Yanks’, meet up in a New York dockside bar to drink away the afternoon before their ship sails for home. But all is not as it seems, and past tensions threaten to overwhelm their future plans.
In a studio in New York, Legendary director Elia Kazan works on the screenplay for ‘On The Waterfront’, still haunted by his decision to ‘name names’ at Senator McCarthy’s witch-hunting hearings, with ex-brother in arms, playwright Arthur Miller, perched on his shoulder as the conscience of America.

And looming large overall is the smouldering presence of Marlon Brando, fresh from the critical acclaim of the Wild One and awaiting his entrance as longshoreman Terry Malloy in On The Waterfront, the film that will truly launch him on to the world stage.

Loyalties and friendships are tested in this fast tale of brotherhood and betrayal, secrets and showdowns. And all the time, Brando waits for his moment….

Cast & Creatives

Carl Cockram (Arthur Miller)
Paul Duckworth (Elia Kazan)
Joe Shipman (Vinnie)
Daniel Hayes (Eddie)

Writers: Mike Morris & Steve Higginson
Director: Carl Cockram
Producer Mike Morris
Sound: Andy Frizzell
Lighting Designer: Phil Saunders
Set Designer: Nina Patel-Grainger
Costume Designer: Libby Bowers

Review / Quotes

Liverpool Echo Awards Waiting for Brando 10 out of 10!
Two incredible reviews for Brando this week, including one form the Liverpool Echo that awarded the play 10 out of 10, with the comment, ‘Two great new playwrights in our midst – with an acting company to match. It really doesn’t come any better, and their subsequent tour will only go to show that Liverpool still exports the very best in drama.’

Vicki Goodwin calls the play ‘A truly captivating experience’ in her review in ‘The Public Reviews’ on-line magazine. Read the full review here.

Waiting for Brando written by Mike Morris & Steve Higginson debuted at The Unity Theatre, Liverpool, from Tuesday 22nd to Thursday 24th May 2012, then followed up with seven sold-out performances at The Unity Theatre in 2013, and a short tour.
The play received enormous critical support, from audiences and reviewers alike. Two five star reviews described Waiting for Brando was as ‘one of the most outstanding productions of our times’, ‘An absolutely outstanding piece of theatre’, ‘a fantastic new piece of theatre’, and simply ‘Brilliant’. One reviewer remarked that ‘The only travesty is the short run. I have no doubt had this been longer, the powerful all-male cast would have been performing to sell-out audiences for weeks.’