Theatre and performance in Greater Manchester & other places.
HOME, Manchester. PUSH Festival 2020. "Only when I'm dancing can I feel this free", someone once said, and for those whose recorded voices emerge from Sound Cistem's speakers that certainly feels true. They talk excitedly of hitting their stride on the dance floor, feeling warmed up, freed up and flowing. Such sweet sensations are hard-won [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
HOME, Manchester. 6 December 2019. Offering audiences a chance to explore a "theatrical map of Manchester at Christmas", Monkeywood's new show is a 70 minute-long collection of 14 new micro-plays from locally-based writers. It's a format that the company first showcased to acclaim back in January 2018, although this time the mini Mancunian dramas come [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
Manchester theatre tittle tattle... Gee, Officer Krupke, if you're thinking of waiting to read the reviews before buying a ticket for West Side Story at the Royal Exchange, you might want to prepare yourself for a bit of scramble to get tickets. A lot of performances are already completely sold out, and those that aren't [...]
HOME, Manchester. 14 February 2019. "I've got two dads. One's white. One's black". David Judge's new play unflinchingly explores identity, race and family through the lens of his own experiences, as a mixed-race child adopted by a white man. Performed as a monologue by Judge, the story is told from the perspective of Dave, a [...]
HOME, Manchester. 23 & 25 January 2019. The theatre seating is out-of-bounds. Heads of broccoli have been placed at intervals on the floor around the space. Their varying shades of green and yellow stand out within the black box surroundings. The audience gathers among the cruciferous forms. We are on our feet. In the centre [...]
HOME, Manchester. 26 January 2019. Ensconced upon a big red sofa, surrounded by a 'hareem' of houseplants, Chanje Kunda sips white wine and traces the rocky emotional path that led her to a very personal botanical epiphany. Efforts to channel the positive force of affirmations, yogis and good omens have failed to save Kunda from [...]
Reviewing theatre across the UK
Theatre and performance in Greater Manchester & other places.
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Theatre chat: Caroline Steiner
Theatre and performance reviews in the Greater Manchester area
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