Blog Archives

Natasha Hodgson from Kill The Beast talks about their new show DIRECTOR’S CUT and how the theatre company have perfected their style over the years

Ahead of its premiere at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in August, Kill the Beast Theatre Company bring their new show DIRECTOR’S CUT to The Lowry next month.

Described as a “hilarious farce with a twist of horror”, DIRECTOR’S CUT is a ghost story set on a 1970s film set...

The first image of Coronation Street’s Connor McIntyre and Les Dennis in costume as the Ugly Sisters ahead of this year’s pantomime, CINDERELLA have been released by Manchester’s Opera House.

Connor McIntyre, who currently plays Pat Phelan in the ITV soap and is set to make a dramatic return next week, has said that his first stint in pantomime this Christmas will be ‘a welcome antidote’ to playing the villainous Pat Phelan for the last few years.

Les Dennis has also exclusively rev...

Joseph Taylor as Mr Rochester and Mariana Rodrigues as Bertha Mason in Jane Eyre. Photo: Emma Kauldhar

Northern Ballet brings one of literature’s most iconic heroines to life on stage with a new revival of JANE EYRE.

Based on the novel by Charlotte Brontë, JANE EYRE tells the story of a plain but intelligent child who grows up knowing little kindness...

Candice Bergen, Jane Fonda, Diane Keaton & Mary Steenburgen in BOOK CLUB © 2018 Paramount Pictures

Despite its talented cast, BOOK CLUB ultimately fails to deliver on its initial promise

With the final film in the Fifty Shades trilogy heading to DVD next month, a new film about the phenomenon itself hits UK cinemas screens this June.

BOOK CLUB tells the story of four, 60-something friends who meet monthly to discuss books, men and more...

Shocking, powerful and darkly funny, JESUS HOPPED THE ‘A’ TRAIN is a dark comedy about the contradictory nature of faith

Jake Murray makes a welcome return to his hometown of Manchester to direct the Northern Premiere of Pulitzer Prize-winning Stephen Adly Guirgis’ play JESUS HOPPED THE ‘A’ TRAIN.

Set in America in 1998, JESUS HOPPED THE ‘A’ TRAIN tells the story of 30-year-old bike messenger Angel Cruz who is awaiting trial for the shooting of a Reverend Kim, the leader of a religious ...

Captivating and incredibly moving, Willy Russell’s award-winning musical BLOOD BROTHERS has not lost any of its power

Willy Russell’s award-winning musical BLOOD BROTHERS may be celebrating its 30th anniversary this year but the heart-breaking piece of theatre has not lost any of its power. No matter how many times I see BLOOD BROTHERS, I still get a lump in my throat as I watch the moving story unravel.

Set in 1960s Liverpool, BLOOD BROTHERS tells the captivating tale of two brothers, Eddi...

BRIGHTON ROCK adaptor Bryony Lavery. Photo credit: Sam Johnson

Acclaimed writer Bryony Lavery talks to Frankly My Dear UK about her new adaption of Graham Greene’s classic novel BRIGHTON ROCK

Following the critical success of their co-production of E.M.Forster’s THE MACHINE STOPS, Pilot Theatre join forces once again with York Theatre Royal to bring Graham Greene’s classic novel BRIGHTON ROCK to the stage in a new adaptation by acclaimed writer Bryony Lavery.

Set in Brighton in 1938, BRIG...

Lyn Paul talks to Frankly My Dear UK about taking on the role of Mrs Johnstone in BLOOD BROTHERS for the final time in her hometown of Manchester

As BLOOD BROTHERS finishes its five-month tour at Manchester’s Palace Theatre this week, it’s a bittersweet performance for actress and singer Lyn Paul. After 21 years in the production, she finally says goodbye to the role of Mrs Johnstone, with her final performance in her hometown.

“It’s not only the last two weeks of the tour but it’s also the...

The cast of TITANIC THE MUSICAL. Photo by Scott Ryland

Powerful and poignant, TITANIC THE MUSICAL is an emotional piece of theatre full of hope, love, ambition and tragedy

This review was originally written for The Reviews Hub.

When composer Maury Yeston first announced he was going to write a musical about the Titanic, it was understandably met with scepticism. A musical about the biggest disaster in maritime history in which 1,503 people lost their lives hardly seems fitting...

Despite its tired and conventional narrative, Sir John Hurt packs an emotional punch with his final leading role in THAT GOOD NIGHT

Sir John Hurt’s final leading role in THAT GOOD NIGHT packs a quiet emotional pathos for many reasons...