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Irish Annie’s is a celebration of Irish culture, from the music to the comedy, featuring the well-known live 6-piece band The Shenanigans. Meet landlady Annie and her regular madcap customers for a fun night out of comedy, music and mayhem, featuring original tracks written for the show by Asa Murphy, along with your all-time favourite Irish tunes including Galway Shawl, Tell Me Ma, Dirty Old Town, Whiskey In The Jar, Danny Boy and many more. The evening promises to have the audience laughing, singing, and dancing the night away.

Ricky Tomlinson will perform as himself as a celebrity guest in the pub. Ricky is a much-loved actor and comedian living all his life in Liverpool, he is best known for his roles as Bobby Grant in Brookside, DCI Charlie Wise in Cracker and Jim Royle in The Royle Family, he also played the title character in the film Mike Bassett: England Manager. He is a very keen musician playing both the banjo and harmonica.

Ricky said “This show is a delight to be part of, with a wonderful cast of characters and beautiful original and classic Irish music. Come and enjoy the show, I guarantee you will have a ball”.

Irish Annie’s is co-produced by Bill Elms Productions ( Judy & Liza, Jerry Springer The Opera, Swan Song, Something About Simon) and Asa Murphy Productions (Buddy Holly Lives, The Bobby Darin Story ).
The show also stars Catherine Rice as Irish Annie, Asa Murphy as Seamus Murphy, Michael Alan Bailey as Porky the Postman and Joe, Richard Barry as Noel Singen-Smithe and Maria Lovelady as Moira the Money Lender and Maisie. Look out for very special guests at some of the venues too.

Maria Lovelady

Richard Barry

Michael Alan Bailey

Stephen Fletcher

It has been announced that Stephen Fletcher will direct the new version of Irish Annie’s, which has brand-new songs and scenes written by Asa Murphy.

Stephen Fletcher

Stephen trained in Acting at The Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts (LIPA). He is Director, Writer, and producer of Life In Theatre Productions, and has worked as an Artistic Advisor to The Liverpool Everyman and Playhouse.

His recent directing work includes: Associate on Stephen Sondheim's A FUNNY THING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO THE FORUM at The Lido2 in Paris, and Associate on Spiegelworld's THE HOOK in Atlantic City, US- both alongside comedy Director, Cal McCrystal.

Other work includes RENT The Musical, A Thong for Europe, a musical comedy by Jonathan Harvey for Liverpool's 2023 Eurovision Celebrations. He has been the dramaturg and director of the biggest-selling comedy Christmas shows at Liverpool's Royal Court Theatre, playing to tens of thousands of people each year. He also directed NHS The Musical for Theatre Royal Plymouth, and fundraised for The Pop Up Panto (touring schools during the pandemic - for free). His productions of David Mamet’s A Life In The Theatre, Neil Simon’s The Sunshine Boys, and Jason Robert Brown’s Broadway musical, The Last 5 Years- all won culture and theatre awards.

His recent production of the sell-out, one-woman show, Our Bev, was developed into the sell-out comedy hit, Making It!, co-written and starring Catherine Rice who plays Annie in Irish Annie's, and he is the writer and director of disco spoof musical and Liverpool musical comedy, Mam! I’m ’Ere!

Producer Bill Elms commented: “Irish Annie’s is the perfect show to bring out around St Patricks Day, it’s a huge feel-good show filled with great comedy and live music, I am thrilled that we have such a fantastic cast including Ricky Tomlinson, Asa Murphy and Catherine Rice. The show premiered in Liverpool a few years ago and went down a storm, now it’s even bigger and better than before.”

Asa Murphy has created and co-produced the show. Asa has been a successful entertainer for 18 years. He has performed all over the world singing Big Band Swing music and my own self-penned songs. He has fulfilled many of his dreams as a performer selling out London's Ronnie Scott’s, topping the bill at the famous Liverpool Empire, and cruising and singing on the most beautiful liners in the world. Asa also has a very popular BBC Radio show and has been on the airwaves for 10 years. In 2019 he turned his talents to writing stage musicals and has so far had three hit shows, Buddy Holly Lives, Mack The Knife and Irish Annie’s along with two children’s shows.

Writer and performer Asa Murphy added: “This show is a celebration of everything that makes Irish culture and the people of Ireland so special. Laughter, music, and the ability to make people face life’s difficult obstacles through friendship. I am very proud that the show has been so well received with my family originating from Cork and Tralee and many still living in Ireland.”