Take Me Home, County Road canters into Liverpool’s Royal Court theatre and marks the writing debut of its long established on-stage talent, Adam McCoy.

Shelly (Helen Carter) is a forty-something woman from County Road who has settled into a comfortable but perhaps slightly unfulfilled life with her husband Mick (Lenny Wood), quietly harbouring a lifelong dream of becoming a country and western singer. When her neighbour Anthony (McCoy) enters her into The Next Big Thing, a talent competition promising a shot at stardom, Shelly suddenly finds herself considering whether it’s too late to chase the dream she left behind. What follows is a funny, warm-hearted journey about missed opportunities, midlife reinvention and having the courage to ask whether the life you’ve settled for is really the life you want.

McCoy’s book doesn’t succumb to the venue’s more familiar instinct for going completely over the top and there’s a genuine warmth at the heart of the production. You find yourself rooting for our protagonist and willing her to succeed, which gives the more comedic, rodeo-bull moments something meaningful to ride alongside.

Though there’s no denying a need to hold onto your hats- performances here are spirited and defiantly committed, giving the production a lively energy, though without allowing the exuberance to hoedown the story.

Leading the cast, the ever-impressive Carter who- ironically as a modern day Shirley Valentine- is no stranger to the themes of a midlife awakening, the pondering what-ifs and ultimately finding herself again. Carter’s role has high stakes but she ultimately soars to the finish line with her glorious vocals and emotionally captivating performance, particularly prominent during her performances of Dolly Parton and Patsy Cline classics- which are worth the ticket price alone.

In supporting roles, McCoy and Keddy Sutton bring the laugh-out-loud comedy, proving that good neighbours really do become good friends. This is the beauty of McCoy’s writing, each character is not just believable, but highly realised and relatable.

Likewise, Eithne Browne and Wood bring a realness to their roles, a grounding presence within the piece, equally given their chance to shine whilst unfurling their own inner turmoils.

The song choices, a great American Country Songbook of a playlist, are often particularly well judged. With many of them doing more than simply providing the usual crowd-pleasing musical interlude, they actively attempt to shift the narrative forward and help shape the journey in true musical theatre fashion- marking a real step in the right direction for future Court productions. It’s not without the broadness you’d expect from a Royal Court show but, with direction from Court regular Emma Bird and and musical direction from James Breckon, largely keeps that instinct in check and saddled up. The result is a boot-tapping, entertaining production with enough heart and narrative purpose to make its musical flourishes feel more instinctive as opposed to being (horse)shoehorned in.

Elsewhere, hyper realistic set design from Alfie Heywood is supported conscientiously by Doug Kuhrt’s lighting design whilst video design by Jamie Jenkin is the strongest the Royal Court has ever seen.

As a boot-scootin’ debut piece, McCoy should be immensely proud that he has achieved a production full of humour, heart and entertainment that long surpasses the final bows. A budding country classic, showcasing everything audiences love from the Court!

Playing at Liverpool’s Royal Court theatre until Saturday 29th August.

Tickets received in exchange for an honest review. #AD