Theatre and performance in Greater Manchester & other places.
Review of Spring and Port Wine at Bolton Octagon. It is 1966, and The Who’s ‘My Generation’ rocks out rebelliously in the opening moments of Bolton Octagon’s production of ‘Spring and Port Wine’. On stage, the Crompton’s tidy and ordered traditional family home speaks of an earlier era - there’s a cloth on the table [...]
After a break for the last two years, my ‘best of’ list is back! As in previous years, I’ve only focused on productions that either premiered in Greater Manchester or could only be seen here. Which means I’ve not included any shows that were passing through on tour or that were revivals from elsewhere. It [...]
Review of A Christmas Carol at Bolton Octagon. Kate Ferguson and Susannah Pearse, the writing team behind Bolton Octagon’s new musical adaptation of A Christmas Carol, have already been confirmed as the creators of the theatre’s 2023 festive offering (Around the World in Eighty Days). Quite a vote of confidence, considering that their latest show [...]
Review of The Book Thief at Bolton Octagon. The world premiere of a new musical, an adaptation of a best-selling book, and the largest scale show staged in the new building - The Book Thief is obviously a big deal for Bolton Octagon. Yet there is no sign of any nerves in director Lotte Wakeham’s [...]
Review of Habibti Driver at Bolton Octagon. It’s fitting that Shamia Chalabi and Sarah Henley include an Arabic term of endearment in the title of their new play, because love and affection are the bedrocks of comedy drama Habibti Driver. Taxi driver Ashraf often refers to daughter Shazia as his ‘habibti’, although their relationship is [...]
Review of Kes at Bolton Octagon. Robert Alan Evans’ adaptation of Barry Hines’ novel ‘A Kestrel for a Knave’ recounts that familiar tale from a refreshingly different perspective. Here, Billy Casper is an adult, and the play reflects back on that pivotal period in his younger life when he found and trained a kestrel. As [...]
Bolton Octagon at Bolton Library Theatre. 30 October 2019. Nina and Con are a couple. Masha has feelings for Con, but is in a relationship with Simon. All four of them are at university together and in a band called Seagulls. They're about to enter a Battle of the Bands and the world seems full [...]
23 September 2019. Octagon Theatre, Bolton at Bolton Library Theatre. Beryl Burton. Wife, mother, Yorkshire woman, cyclist. Who? Never heard of her? You're probably not alone. Maxine Peake's play starts with the premise that Beryl is not that well-known, undeservedly so, and sets about putting that right. Along the way, it also explores what drove [...]
7 June 2019. Bolton Octagon, at Bolton Albert Halls. "Ladies with an attitude Fellows that were in the mood Don't just stand there, let's get to it Strike a pose, there's nothing to it". Anyone heading to Bolton for a bit of Bunburying is in for a surprise. In a prelude to the main action, [...]
This year I ended up seeing lots of great theatre in Manchester as well as in Leeds, Liverpool, London, Sheffield and, for the first time, Huddersfield. The following are my favourite Manchester shows of 2018. In compiling the list I've restricted my choices to productions that were either premiered in Greater Manchester or could only [...]
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