Bill Kenwright honoured at the Liverpool Empire

Bill Kenwright has been honoured with a new bust unveiled at the Liverpool Empire as part of the theatre’s centenary celebrations.

The bronze head of the late Liverpool impresario – and Everton boss – was created by city sculptor Tom Murphy and revealed at a special event attended by Kenwright’s family.

Members of his company Bill Kenwright Ltd and representatives from Everton, including manager David Moyes, were also at the Lime Street theatre to honour the producer who died in 2023.

The theatre’s centenary week has coincided with a visit from Kenwright’s touring production of Blood Brothers, and celebrations continued with every audience member on opening night receiving a special Empire bag, playbill and drink at their seat. The first 100 through the doors were also treated to a glass of fizz.

The bust, which sits in an alcove in the main foyer, was formally unveiled by Kenwright’s daughter, Lucy, and his granddaughter.

Speaking at the unveiling his long-term partner, the actor Jenny Seagrove, said: “He would be thrilled with this and that so many people are here. And that the sculptor has given him cheekbones, which he had when he was young!

“The Empire was his favourite theatre.”

Above: A new bust of Bill Kenwright at the Liverpool Empire. Top: Sculptor Tom Murphy and Kenwright's partner Jenny Seagrove with the bust. Photo by Brian Roberts.

Bill Kenwright was born in Liverpool in 1945 and started to visit the Empire as a young boy. As an actor, he appeared at the venue in 1970 in a stage adaptation of Alun Owen’s No Trams to Lime Street.

He returned as a producer, bringing a host of hit shows to the theatre, including Blood Brothers with the first Kenwright tour visiting the Empire back in 1987.

Sculptor Tom Murphy, who previously created the Everton Trinity at Goodison, was approached by the Empire in autumn 2023, not long after Kenwright’s death, with the idea of creating a lasting memorial.

He said: “I came up with a few different ideas and it was this that they liked. Then they ran it past Jenny. Everything went past them – I kept sending pictures of it when I was happy with it. I love his eyes – he had very kind eyes.

“The last time Bill spoke to me was when I went to present my maquette of the Everton Trinity to the club directors, and he said: ‘it better be good!’.

“I think the worst thing you can do is not show someone at their best.”