Category Theatre Venues

CLOD ENSEMBLE: PLACEBO. Photo Credit: Camilla Greenwell

Infectious movement becomes the medicine in this catchy dance experiment – or is it just another placebo?

The placebo effect is defined as being the positive outcome of using a fake drug or treatment, which has no actual beneficial properties other than the patient’s own beliefs that it does.

In a clever and somewhat manipulative way, director Suzy Willson recreates this process by using interdisciplinary dance performances on the stage t...

The cast of MACBETH UK and Ireland tour. Photo Credit: BrinkhoffMogenburg

Rufus Norris’ post-apocalyptic MACBETH is visually striking but doesn’t quite translate as well as hoped

When Rufus Norris’ MACBETH opened at the National Theatre back in March 2018, it was met with mixed reviews from the critics. Despite playing to sell-out crowds at the Olivier Theatre, the production earned a miserly one-star review from WhatsOnStage and just two stars from The Guardian and The Telegraph...

MACBETH at National Theatre, London. Photo: Brinkhoff and Moegenburg

Director Rufus Norris talks about taking his epic and visually daring production of MACBETH out on tour

Following its sell-out run at London’s National Theatre in March, Rufus Norris takes his epic and visually daring production of MACBETH out on UK tour, opening at Salford’s The Lowry this week.

Set in a barbaric world afflicted by a bloody civil war, Norris’ production of MACBETH sees Shakespeare’s complex characters pro...

Revelling in the era of big hair, shoulder pads, power ballads and rock gods, ROCK OF AGES may be cheesy as hell but it knows it

With hit seasons on Broadway, London’s West End and Las Vegas, rock musical ROCK OF AGES makes a welcome return to Manchester’s Opera House this week for an outrageous night of rock ‘n’ roll debauchery.

Set in the 1980s, ROCK OF AGES tells the story of small town girl Sherrie and city boy Drew, who meet on the Sunset Strip while pursuing their Hollywood dreams...

Jade Anouka as Margaret of Anjou in QUEEN MARGARET. Photo Credit: Johan Persson

Blending authentic Shakespearean text with newly crafted dialogue, Jeanie O’Hare’s QUEEN MARGARET is an ambitious and modern exploration of the War of the Roses

It’s been a long journey for Jeanie O’Hare to bring QUEEN MARGARET to the stage...

The cast of House of Blakewell’s THOR AND LOKI. Photo Credit: Geraint Lewis

House of Blakewell’s THOR AND LOKI is a camp, comedic and a completely bonkers romp through the Nine Realms

Fresh from their run at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, House of Blakewell bring their new musical comedy THOR AND LOKI to Salford’s The Lowry.

As Thor (Harry Blake) approaches his 34 birthday, the God of Thunder is having an identity crisis...

The cast of OTHELLOMACBETH at HOME, Manchester. Photo Credit: Helen Murray

OTHELLOMACBETH offers a unique retelling of two of Shakespeare’s most brutal plays, highlighting the perspective of the female characters in a very modern way

As the Royal Exchange plays host to QUEEN MARGARET, a new play about Margaret of Anjou taken from Shakespeare’s original text, HOME, in collaboration with Lyric Hammersmith, go one step further by merging two classic Shakespeare texts into one with OTHELLOMACBETH...

The cast of MATILDA THE MUSICAL UK Tour. Photo Credit: Manuel Harlan

With its witty gags, jaw-dropping magic tricks, fabulous songs and dazzling sets, MATILDA THE MUSICAL is pure theatrical gold

When West End fixture MATILDA THE MUSICAL announced it was embarking on its first UK national tour, my popularity went through the roof. I was suddenly bombarded with a flurry of text messages and endless requests to be my ‘plus one’ to press night...

Former Hacienda legend DJ Paulette talks to Frankly My Dear UK about her new art installation HOMEBIRD

Former Hacienda legend DJ Paulette swaps the turntables for art in a new installation titled HOMEBIRD which opens at The Lowry this weekend.

Following the success of Paddy Hartley and THREAD, HOMEBIRD is the third in The Lowry’s Edit series of gallery projects and collaborations...

Kevin Kennedy talks to Frankly My Dear UK about his role as Dennis Dupree in 80s rock musical ROCK OF AGES

Smash-hit musical ROCK OF AGES heads to Manchester’s Opera House later this month with a familiar face taking on one of the roles.

Kevin Kennedy, best known for his portrayal of Curly Watts in TV soap opera CORONATION STREET, will play nightclub manager and former rock impresario Dennis Dupree in the rock musical.

Set in the 1980s, ROCK OF AGES tells the story of small town girl Sherrie ...