Theatre and performance in Greater Manchester & other places.
HOME, Manchester. PUSH Festival 2020. Following its first appearance at PUSH Festival two years ago, PlayBox Takeover (from theatre company Box of Tricks) returns once more to HOME's annual celebration of North West talent. An inspiring way to kickstart PUSH 2020's theatre strand, the day-long programme of workshops and conversations targeting local writers and theatre-makers [...]
Royal Exchange, Manchester. Muna is good at "talkin' and that", listening to problems and dishing out advice. She's funny, full of life and bursting with confidence. Yet, there's something she can't tell even her closest friends at school, a problem she's too embarrassed to seek professional help for - she's been 'cut'. Playwright Charlene James [...]
This year I saw over 240 pieces of theatre. From those, I've chosen my 10 favourite Manchester shows of 2019. As in previous years, I've focused on productions that either premiered in Greater Manchester or could only be seen here. So I've not included any shows that were passing through on tour or that were [...]
26 September 2019. Box of Tricks at The Lowry, Salford. "We're not friends okay, and that's fine, more than, but could you just . . . I don't want to talk, alright?". Paul's desperate plea to Michael to be left alone isn't the most obvious indication that a friendship is about to form, and yet [...]
10 September 2019. Hope Mill Theatre, Manchester. When Danny and Roberta meet, two troubled souls collide. Their chance encounter in a Bronx neighbourhood bar is more beer-fueled brawl than romantic spark. He's all angry and covered in bruises, while she's one step away from boiling over. Play With Fire know how to pick an interesting [...]
22 August 2019. The Den, Stalybridge Civic Hall. Using Thomas More's book, published in 1516, as their starting point, the Royal Exchange Young Company explore the concept of Utopia in their latest show. In these uncertain times, it seems only natural to search for alternatives, wish for something that's not broken, and perhaps even dream [...]
When HOME proudly announced three "world premiere productions" as part of its 2019 theatre season you'd be forgiven for assuming that those shows would be premiering in front of local Manchester audiences. However, following that announcement back in November last year, it gradually emerged that the majority of those world premieres were being saved up [...]
30 July 2019. Twenty Twenty Two, Manchester. “The home you were raised in is being concreted over, any parting words?” is the 13-word provocation that shaped the 8 mini-plays that make-up Bypass - a showcase for new writing from Manchester-based Hung Theatre. They have form with this format having previously delivered 6 new pieces under [...]
29 July 2019. Royal Exchange, Manchester. Sub-titled Scenes From The Luddite Rebellion, Lauren Mooney and James Yeatman's new production provides exactly that – a rousing collection of voices, sounds and stories from a time of great turmoil. Drawing on archive material, including letters, court reports and newspaper articles, Mooney and Yeatman trace the increasing radicalism [...]
5 & 27 June 2019. Royal Exchange, Manchester. Cobblers? Not this production of Hobson's Choice! The Boot Shop of Harold Brighouse's classic comedy is now a tailor's in Tanika Gupta's zippy new adaptation, and the original play's Salford-based family business has crossed the Irwell to become embedded within the hustle and bustle of 1980s Manchester. [...]
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Theatre and performance in Greater Manchester & other places.
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Theatre and performance reviews in the Greater Manchester area
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