One Night in Istanbul

One Night in Istanbul is the story of four Kopites whose journey to the Ataturk Stadium in May 2005 is thrown off course when they stumble upon a big bag of cash.

What ensues is every bit as dramatic as events that unfold on the pitch, with Turkish thieves, Hitler's cufflinks and a sexy chambermaid all playing their part in a tale of intrigue and football fireworks.

Writer Nicky Allt hopes it will be as big a hit as his last production, Brick up the Mersey Tunnels.

"I was walking on the beach in Bulgaria after the final," Allt told Liverpoolfc.tv. "I was so elated that I just thought, 'I've got to write something about this.'

"Liverpool is such a mine - I could write 10 plays. But I always say that as football matches go, Istanbul is a JFK moment. When you say that game, people know where they were. Everyone has a story about that night."

Based on four real supporters, this particular story is largely inspired by Allt's own experiences following the Reds home and abroad.

And as well as casting names like John McArdle, Christine Tremarco, comedian John Bishop and YouTube impersonator Darren Farley, the writer also offered several genuine Kopites the chance to audition.

One, Tommy Caveney, was so impressive that he was cast for his stage debut as a Turkish thief.

"People like him have been entertaining supporters for 20 years on trains and around Europe, so I thought I'd give them a script," explains Allt.

"He came to the audition and blew everybody away. All the actors were like, 'We haven't seen this actor before.' And I was like, 'Yeah, he's one of the lads from the match.'"

To make the production even more appealing to non-theatre goers, Allt has arranged for two big screens to be installed at the Empire to show footage of the game.

"I personally get a bit bored at the theatre watching plays unless it's something I'm into," he said. "We introduced screens and there's going to be a lot of footage that fans recorded themselves at the game."

One Night in Istanbul runs at the Empire from July 9-18. Call Ticketmaster on 0844 847 2525.

Liverpool FC now has an official Page on Facebook. Watch exclusive videos, receive news updates and share views and photos with thousands of other fans. Simply sign in to Facebook, become a Fan and join the discussion.