A TRANS-Atlantic literary love affair will play out at a Keighley theatre this month.

Keighley Playhouse is staging the modern classic 84 Charing Cross Road as its second production of the 2018/19 season at its Devonshire Street venue.

The play, adapted from a best-selling novel by James Roose-Evans, is described as a delightful and honest piece of theatre derived from real events. The play runs from October 22 to 27 at 7.30pm.

It’s 1949, Helene Hanff is a struggling writer in America and Frank Doel is the manager of Marks & Co Bookshop, London. An advert describing Marks & Co as specialists in out-of-print books catches Hanff’s attention, and triggers her to start the simple business correspondence.

She writes to them with a list of books she is unable to acquire in New York. Doel accepts her request and replies along with several of the books, with the promise to search for the others and send them over at a later date.

Despite the pair being separated both geographically and culturally they share a firm friendship based on their common love for books. Their relationship is captured throughout the play in the form of their letters.

There is much topic for conversation; they share information about their families, activities, and their hopes and dreams. Helene even begins to send food parcels across the pond after learning about rationing and post-war British struggles, despite the fact she lives hand-to-mouth herself.

The innocent letters begin rather formally (Doel more so than Hanff) but after a few years the pair began to relax and start to address each other as “Dear Helene” and “Frankie”. This long-running correspondence with “her bookshop”, and especially with Frank, gives her a cherished bond with the city she so longs to visit: but will she ever make the much-anticipated journey?

Hanff’s her life and letters shaped her bestselling novel, published in 1970. In 1975 the story was adapted by the BBC for television and six years later it was transferred onto the West End by James Roose-Evans. Hollywood came calling in 1987 when producer Mel Brooks snapped up the rights for his wife (Anne Bancroft) to play Helene. Judi Dench and Anthony Hopkins also starred in the movie.

Patricia Henny who is directing this modern classic is thrilled to be doing so, saying: “I have always loved books, especially this one, so it is fantastic to finally be able to direct a play set in a bookshop.”

Call 07599 890769 to book tickets.