Category Theatre Venues

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...

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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...

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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...

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Theatre Review: Disney’s BEAUTY AND THE BEAST – Palace Theatre, Manchester

Courtney Stapleton as Belle and Shaq Taylor as Beast in Disney's Beauty and the Beast

Courtney Stapleton and Shaq Taylor in Disney’s BEAUTY AND THE BEAST. Photo: Johan Persson

With its spectacular new designs and state-of-the-art technology, Disney’s BEAUTY AND THE BEAST is a joy to watch, evoking the nostalgia, magic, and charm of the original film

5 out of 5 stars

A refreshed version of Disney’s BEAUTY AND THE BEAST makes a welcome return to Manchester’s Palace Theatre this month, boasting spectacular new designs and state-of-the-art technology to bring the beloved tale to life.

Based on the 1...

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Theatre Review: LES MISERABLES – The Lowry, Salford

The cast of in LES MISERABLES UK Tour 2022.

The cast of in LES MISERABLES UK Tour 2022. Photo: Danny Kaan

Reworked for a modern audience, LES MISERABLES is one of the most memorable interpretations yet, thanks to its spectacular set-pieces, stunning special effects, and superb cast performance.

5 out of 5 stars

Cameron Mackintosh’s acclaimed production of LES MISÉRABLES heads to Salford’s The Lowry this month for a four-week run as part of a new 2022 tour.

Based on the 1862 novel by Victor Hugo, LES MISÉRABLES is a gripping story of love, loyalty and lo...

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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...

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Theatre Review: SHEILA’S ISLAND – The Lowry, Salford

Abigail Thaw, Sara Crowe, Judy Flynn and Rina Fatania in SHELIA'S ISLAND.

Abigail Thaw, Sara Crowe, Judy Flynn, Rina Fatania in SHELIA’S ISLAND. Photo: Craig Fuller

With its perfect ensemble cast, SHEILA’S ISLAND is a sharp-witted comedy about four women trying to survive a night of tantrums, tears, and terror.

4 out of 5 stars

How well do you know the people you work with? How well do you want to know them, and who would crack first when the going gets tough? These are the central questions in Tim Firth’s SHEILA’S ISLAND, a reworked feminised incarnation of NEVILLE’S ISLAND, which h...

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Theatre Review: BEDKNOBS AND BROOMSTICKS – The Lowry, Salford

Dianne Pikington (Miss Eglantine Price) Bedknobs & Broomsticks. Photo Credit: Johan Persson

Dianne Pikington in BEDKNOBS AND BROOMSTICKS. Photo Credit: Johan Persson

From set and costume design to choreography and stage trickery, BEDKNOBS AND BROOMSTICKS leaves you seriously questioning the existence of magic.

4 out of 5 stars

Another Disney film to become a stage production, BEDKNOBS AND BROOMSTICKS, flies into Salford’s The Lowry this week, but who needs movie magic when you’ve got the magic of theatre?

The brand-new musical takes audiences on a journey of wonder through magical lands, past perilous...

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Theatre Review: AS YOU LIKE IT – The Lowry, Salford

Despite its heavy dialogue, Northern Broadsides deliver an interesting interpretation of Shakespeare’s AS YOU LIKE IT with gender subversion at its heart.

3 out of 5 stars

2022 sees 30 years since the formation of the Northern Broadsides theatre company and their first foray in Shakespeare. To celebrate, they have chosen, in collaboration with the New Vic Theatre Company, a new staging of a very old play – AS YOU LIKE IT – taking the idea contained of cross dressing and crossing gender and expanding it.

The pl...

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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...

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