Category Opera House Manchester

Theatre Review: THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW – Opera House, Manchester

The cast of THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW UK Tour. Photo Credit: David Freeman

Celebrating 50 years of absurdity, acceptance, authenticity, and amusement, THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW is as much of a crowd-pleaser now as ever.

4.5 out of 5 stars

Celebrating its fiftieth year onstage, THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW has rocked and rolled back into Manchester’s Opera House as part of its 2022-2023 world tour. Ever the fan-favourite, Richard O’Brien’s timeless, time-warping, mind-bending musical is as much of a crowd-pleaser now as ever...

Read More

Theatre Review: THE PANTOMIME ADVENTURES OF PETER PAN – Opera House, Manchester

The cast of THE PANTOMIME ADVENTURES OF PETER PAN. Photo Credit: Phil Tragen

With its audience participation, catchy music, comic innuendos and laugh-out-loud slapstick comedy, THE PANTOMIME ADVENTURES OF PETER PAN ticks all the boxes.

4 out of 5 stars

What makes a pantomime? Is it a villain played with comedic menace or his dimwitted sidekick? Is it the audience participation and the music? The innuendo and slapstick? It is all of these things, and this year’s offering from Manchester’s Opera House in the ...

Read More

Theatre Review: BUGSY MALONE – Opera House, Manchester

Amar Blackman & ensemble in BUGSY MALONE. Photo: Pamela Raith Photography

From its spectacular set designs and talented cast ensemble, BUGSY MALONE is an utterly splurgtastic show for all the family.

5 out of 5 stars

Alan Parker’s world-famous 1976 movie BUGSY MALONE, which launched the careers of Jodie Foster and Scott Baio, heads to the stage for the first time on tour with this universally acclaimed revival of the universally acclaimed Lyric Hammersmith Theatre production.

Set in Prohibition-era New York, wh...

Read More

Theatre Review: JERSEY BOYS – Opera House, Manchester

The cast of JERSEY BOYS UK Tour 2022. Photo Credit: Birgit Ralf Brinkhoff

The cast of JERSEY BOYS UK Tour 2022. Photo Credit: Birgit Ralf Brinkhoff

Leaning on its talented cast and fantastic back catalogue, JERSEY BOYS is a thoroughly entertaining and impressively well-crafted show worthy of its ticket price.

5 out of 5 stars

Many musicals are often adapted from successful books, TV shows and hit movies, but JERSEY BOYS does something else entirely: it has been created from real life.

Based on the music and the inside story of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons, JERSEY BOYS tells the...

Read More

Theatre Review: SOUTH PACIFIC – Opera House, Manchester

Joanna Ampil (Bloody Mary), Sera Maehara (Liat) & Rob Houchen (Joe Cable) in SOUTH PACIFIC.

Joanna Ampil (Bloody Mary), Sera Maehara (Liat) & Rob Houchen (Joe Cable) in SOUTH PACIFIC. Photo: Johan Persson

Juxtaposing the lushness of the piece with an underlying threat of violent bigotry, Daniel Evans’ vibrant production of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s SOUTH PACIFIC emphasises the anti-racist message of the 1949 Broadway hit.

4.5 out of 5 stars

Following a successful run in 2021, Chichester Festival Theatre’s critically acclaimed production of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s SOUTH PACIFIC launches at Manchest...

Read More

Theatre Review: SINGIN’ IN THE RAIN – Opera House, Manchester

Cast of SINGIN' IN THE RAIN UK Tour

SINGIN’ IN THE RAIN UK Tour. Photo Credit: Manuel Harlan

With its fabulous score, inventive choreography, and high production values, SINGIN’ IN THE RAIN is a joyous celebration of musical theatre.

5 out of 5 stars

It may have been 10 years since Jonathan Church’s critically acclaimed stage production of SINGIN’ IN THE RAIN was first brought to life at Chichester Festival Theatre, but this fabulous fast-footed feast is still capable of making a splash as it heads to Manchester’s Opera House as part of a n...

Read More

Theatre Review: THE ADDAMS FAMILY – Opera House, Manchester

Scott Paige as Uncle Fester (centre) with the cast of THE ADDAMS FAMILY. Credit Pamela Raith

Scott Paige and the cast of THE ADDAMS FAMILY. Photo Credit: Pamela Raith

Despite its strong cast performance, THE ADDAMS FAMILY’s musical score lacks memorable melodies and spectacular harmonies to make it something special.

3 out of 5 stars

MOVE TOWARD THE DARKNESS and allow yourself to be PULLED in by THE ADDAMS FAMILY at Manchester’s Opera House: the distinct, gothic musical-comedy will have you laughing and falling in love in perfect synchronicity.

Wednesday Addams (Kingsley Morton) has fallen for a ‘norma...

Read More

INTERVIEW: The Barricade Boys talk about their new UK tour

THE BARRICADE BOYS

The Barricade Boys. Photo Credit: Ollie Boito

Stage stars The Barricade Boys set to bring West End quality home with a new tour.

In the musical theatre world, is there a greater stamp of quality than having the incredible, epic musical LES MISERABLES on a performer’s CV?

That’s the question The Barricade Boys aim to answer with a resounding “YES” as they head out on the road this year, with dates in Cardiff, Wolverhampton, Manchester, Bradford, Sheffield, Ipswich, Basingstoke, Bath and Chepsto...

Read More

Theatre Review: JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT – Opera House, Manchester

Jac Yarrow (Joseph) and the company of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat

Jac Yarrow (Joseph) and the company of JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT. Photo: Tristram Kenton

Reimagined for a modern audience, JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT delights and surprises thanks to its theatrical inventiveness and superb cast performance

4 out of 5 stars

Following two successful seasons at the London Palladium, the hit 2019 staging of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice’s JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT finally heads out on tour in 2022, launching with a two-week...

Read More

Theatre Review: FOOTLOOSE – Opera House, Manchester

The cast of FOOTLOOSE UK Tour 2022. Photo Credit: Mark Senior

The cast of FOOTLOOSE UK Tour 2022. Photo Credit: Mark Senior

Colourful, high-energy and driven by a strong cast performance, FOOTLOOSE successfully transports the audience back to the 1980s.

4 out of 5 stars

80s fever is back in Manchester, as smash-hit musical FOOTLOOSE comes to town. The colourful, high-energy show has the audience dancing in the aisles to hits such as HOLDING OUT FOR A HERO, LET’S HEAR IT FOR THE BOY and, of course, FOOTLOOSE.

Based on the 1987 cult film starring Kevin Bacon, FOOTLOOSE fo...

Read More