SIR HENRY AT RAWLINSON END

'Michael Livesley embodies to perfection the spirit and brilliance of Vivian Stanshall and adds his own measure of outrageous talent too. He inhabits Sir Henry and all the denizens of Rawlinson End with such deft brilliance that the audience, when it is not howling with laughter, gasps with incredulity at the sheer ‘achieve of the thing’ - if I may adduce Gerard Manley H. All lovers of Sir Viv and the Bonzos will wheeze out a chuckling and sobbing thank you to a great and good man.'

- Stephen Fry

'It was the point where you noticed that everyone was singing along. Suddenly you realized that this special and private thing that you'd treasured all these years was special and private to a whole lot of other people. It was lovely, wasn't it?'

- Adrian Edmondson

In 2010, devised and produced a stage show based upon Vivian Stanshall's 1978 Sir Henry at Rawlinson End album, premiering in Liverpool, (Unity Theatre), and then transferring to London (Lion and Unicorn, 2011, Bloomsbury Theatre, 2013-2018), followed by UK tour (Bristol Old Vic, Buxton Opera House, Edinburgh International Book Festival, Glastonbury Festival, Golowan Festival, Rye Arts Festival, Bath Comedy Festival, Slapstick Festival, St George's Bristol, Epstein Theatre, Liverpool, Norden Farm Arts Centre, The Stables, O2 London, 2015-2018).

The show was a critical and popular success, finally being revived for a special performance to mark Vivian Stanshall's 80th at the Union Chapel, London in 2023.

'A tour-de-force and a work of art.'

- Neil Innes

'An ensemble of madmen at their best - smashing!'

- Rupert Stanshall

'A work of lyrical genius and poetry, on a different plane to the rest of the world.'

- Rick Wakeman

'Rare facility and nimble erudition…as powerful an experience as one could wish for.'

- Danny Baker

'Michael is absolutely remarkable… he keeps the memory of Viv well and truly alive.'

- Danny Thompson

'Bellowing, manic chutzpah'

- Robin Ince

PRESS

'All very odd, all very Stanshall.'

- The Times

“Brilliant! Berserk! Simply wonderful!”

- The Guardian

'A distorted-mirror celebration of English eccentricity.'

- The Independent

'A comic tour-de-force.''

- MOJO

IN PERFORMANCE

'Wheelbarrow' - live at Liverpool's Epstein Theatre, 2012

THE EVOLUTION OF THE PRODUCTION
2009–2023

A visual record of the show’s development across fourteen years of performance.

First Rehearsals (2009)

Rehearsals began in Liverpool in 2009. The task of transferring a then 31 year-old vinyl record to stage show begins.

Liverpool Premiere (2010)

On June 20th, 2010. The show was premiered at Liverpool's Unity Theatre. The reviews and reception were critical in laying the foundation of the show's longevity.

London Premiere (2011)

On October 11th 2011, Michael took the show to London. Although the performance was held in the tiny 40-seat Lion & Unicorn 'Theatre Pub' in Kentish Town, amongst those in the audience were Adrian Edmondson, Neil Innes and Paul 'Nigel from Eastenders' Bradley. Despite the modest setting, this was the night which changed everything.

Viv's 70th Birthday Party (2013)

With the help and support of Viv's son, Rupert, 2013 saw a special celebratory performance at the Bloomsbury Theatre, London, to celebrate what would have been Viv's 70th Birthday. The show featured original Bonzos Neil Innes, Rodney Slater, "Legs" Larry Smith, Sam Spoons and Vernon Dudley Bohay Nowell plus Rick Wakeman, Danny Thompson and John Otway.

Bristol Old Vic
with Stephen Fry (2015)

In 2015, at the request of Stephen Fry, Michael performed the show at the Bristol Old Vic as part of an evening entitled Ginger Geezer, a celebration of Viv's work as part of the Bristol Slapstick Festival. The show was also introduced by Stephen, who also joined in.

Recording the album with Rick Wakeman (2015)

Album with Rick_edited_edited_edited_edi

In 2015, fan of the show, Rick Wakeman, persuaded Michael to record an album of the production. The album, featuring Rick, Neil Innes, Rodney Slater and Susie Honeyman was the first release on Rick's new label RRAW.

Viv's 80th Birthday Party (2023)

On March 23rd 2023, Michael 'got the band back together' at London's famous Union Chapel to celebrate Viv's 80th Birthday. The show featured original Bonzos Rodney Slater and "Legs" Larry Smith plus Susie Honeyman, comedian Kevin Eldon and Viv's son Rupert.

Producing Viv's 'new' albums (2023)

In 2022-23, Michael and Andy Frizell produced 2 'new' albums of Viv's material, recovered from his long-hidden archive, for Madfish Music. 'Dog Howl in Tune' and 'Rawlinson's End' both reached the number 1 and number 2 spots in the Top Ten of the Independent Album Charts 2023.

The success of Sir Henry at Rawlinson End opened the door to many of Michael’s later collaborations and creative projects — including performing with the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band, producing new Vivian Stanshall albums, and developing his own original theatre work.

More than a production, Rawlinson End became the artistic foundation from which everything else grew.