A heartfelt tale of love and loss in the heart of a struggling Liverpool was inspired by the city's hidden nightlife of the 1980s.
Birkenhead playwright Laura Lees, 38, was inspired by stories told by her uncle, Mark Lees, who was a DJ at the Masquerade Bar in the days of Section 28 [the law that prohibited the "promotion of homosexuality" in Britain] and the AIDS crisis, which covered Britain's gay community under a cloak of fear.
Her new play, Masquerade, is based on the real-life experiences of Liverpool’s LGBT+ community who gathered at the now-demolished Cases Street venue. Affectionately known as The Mazzie, the club became a safe haven in a time when being gay was demonised, and was once frequented by famous faces such as Holly Johnson, Paul O’Grady, Paul Rutherford, and Margi Clarke.
