Russell, Willy

Willy Russell (b. Whiston, Liverpool, 23 Aug. 1947) is a playwright and songwriter. After a variety of jobs, the commercial success of his musical about the Beatles ("John, Paul, George, Ringo ... and Bert", 1974) allowed Russell to concentrate on writing. Many of his plays, rooted in his native city, are cheerful and unpatronizing pictures of its aspiring working classes. "Educating Rita "(1979), a dialogue between a university lecturer and his unsophisticated (female) student, and "Shirley Valentine "(1986), a witty monologue, have both been filmed to international acclaim. Blood Brothers (1...