Neptune Theatre to lose name, become part of Liverpool Beatles Theme Park

News from the further enBeatlefication of Liverpool. The Neptune Theatre, which has been The Neptune since 1967 as a tribute to the city's seafaring past, is finally getting refitted. But as part of the refittings, it's going to become The Epstein Theatre.

A Beatles reference? How surprising. It's further evidence that the city has long since moved on from the days when it insisted there was more to the place than just the moptops; nowadays - providing it doesn't get in the way of knocking down housing like Ringo's old gaff - it seems that there's little else to Merseyside.

To be fair, Epstein did work for Cranes in the building when the company operated both the theatre and a shop underneath, so there is a link.

But it's not really about honouring Epstein; as Joe Anderson, Liverpool Council Leader, makes clear, it's just about offering an extra stop to shake down unsuspecting tourists:

"For our Beatles industry this development means Liverpool has a new attraction and a new story to tell and for the city we will soon have a new theatre with a world famous name which will hopefully make it a commercially more attractive business to market and operate."

The bit about 'the Beatles industry' makes a sad-eyed sort of sense - oh, imagine if Ringo's house hadn't been in the way of lucrative development land - but anyone who believes that calling a building Epstein rather than Neptune is going to make it any easier to operate a theatre is, frankly, deluded.

Alan Williams was unavailable for comment. Plans to rename Merseyside Lennonside are currently before the regional government.

[Thanks to James M for the link]