Category Theatre Reviews

Michael Howe as Jerry Springer in JERRY SPRINGER – THE OPERA. Photo: Anthony Robling

Just like the TV talk show, JERRY SPRINGER THE OPERA is not for the faint-hearted – or the easily offended – yet this controversial musical feels more relevant today than ever before

It’s fair to say that JERRY SPRINGER THE OPERA caused a bit of a stir when it last came to the UK back in 2006...

The cast of AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 DAYS. Photo Credit: Grand Theatre, Martin Bostock

Set to 1980s anthems, AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 DAYS is a comical and light-hearted take on Jules Verne’s classic story

The show opens with the uplifting 80’s hit ‘Celebration’ and the audience immediately start clapping and singing along as Phileas Fogg and the five other cast members welcome us with their dancing and singing in their bright 80’s attire.

This comical and light hearted performance tells...

Audrey Brisson and Danny Mac in AMELIE THE MUSICAL. Photo: Pamela Raith Photography

Michael Fentiman brings Jean-Pierre Jeunet’s 2001 film AMELIE to life on stage, delivering a fresh and new interpretation of this much-loved romantic comedy

Adapting a film into a musical can be a tricky business but Director Michael Fentiman has done an impressive job of bringing French movie AMELIE to the stage, delivering a fresh and new interpretation of this much-loved romantic comedy.

AMELIE is a music...

Nisa Cole and Katie West in THERE IS A LIGHT THAT NEVER GOES OUT. Photo Credit: Manuel Harlan

Using 21st-century technology, THERE IS A LIGHT THAT NEVER GOES OUT is a vivid and passionate production about the Luddites and how they helped inspire the birth of Manchester’s radical political identity

As with every tale of political unrest, many of the statements feel relevant to our current political climate...

Lisa Millett, Craig Cash, John Henshaw and Phil Mealey in EARLY DOORS. Photo Credit: Nathan Cox

Staying true to the original, EARLY DOORS is packed full of witty one-liners, belly-laughs and a little old-fashioned crudity for a night of charm and nostalgia

It’s been 15 years since the BBC called last orders on EARLY DOORS but there’s plenty of life still left in Craig Cash and Phil Mealey’s comedy as this Northern sitcom takes to the stage for the final time at Salford’s The Lowry.

Se...

Audrey Brisson and Danny Mac in AMELIE THE MUSICAL. Photo: Pamela Raith Photography

Imaginatively staged and beautifully performed, AMELIE THE MUSICAL is a visual treat, even if its score is a little forgettable

Much like the main character herself, stage musical AMELIE has had somewhat of a strange life...

Leanne Rowley & Nik Wood-Jones in WRESTLING THE WALRUS. Photo Credit: Yvonne Roberts Photography

Merging live performance with film, animation, visual art and music, WRESTING THE WALRUS is a playful and poignant piece which will stay with you long after you’ve left the theatre

Following their win of the 2018 Hodgkiss Award, theatre company 154 Collective premiere their new play WRESTLING THE WALRUS this week at Manchester’s Royal Exchange Theatre before transferring to the Yard in London an...

Alex Kingston as Sherri Rosen-Mason in ADMISSIONS. Photo Credit: Johan Persson

Despite its whip-smart script, Joshua Harmon’s ADMISSIONS fails to deliver on the laughs

Race, privilege and discrimination come under the microscope in Joshua Harmon’s new drama ADMISSIONS.

As Head of Admissions at an exclusive private school, Sherri Rosen-Mason (Alex Kingston) has made it her life’s work to increase diversity at the school...

The cast of Matthew Bourne’s ROMEO AND JULIET. Photo Credit: Johan Persson

Effectively playing with light and shadow, Matthew Bourne’s ROMEO AND JULIET is a passionate and contemporary re-imagining of Shakespeare’s classic love story

Sir Matthew Bourne’s ROMEO AND JULIET is an interesting reimagining of the bard’s iconic love story. Set in an institute, the staging portrays somewhat of an asylum with its Victorian tiled white walls and bright lights...

The cast in THE BOOK OF MORMON UK Tour. Photo Credit: Paul Coltas

Profane, offensive yet side-splittingly funny, THE BOOK OF MORMON is worth the hype, its buoyant and infectious score paying homage to the golden age of Broadway

When the producers behind THE BOOK OF MORMON announced their first UK tour was to open at Manchester’s Palace Theatre, my popularity went through the roof...