Theatre and performance in Greater Manchester & other places.
Review of Spend Spend Spend at Royal Exchange, Manchester. After winning £152,000 on the football pools in 1961 (the equivalent of over £4,000,000 today), Viv Nicholson famously declared “I’m going to spend, spend, spend”. True to her word, she and her husband Keith indulged in a giddy blur of expensive cars, jewellery, furs and partying. [...]
Review of Brief Encounter at Royal Exchange, Manchester. The sound of passing trains may rattle around the auditorium, but a relaxing glow emanates from Milford Junction’s refreshment room. Overhead, designer Rose Revitt’s elegant metal arches and solid station clock set the scene nicely for the Royal Exchange’s new production for Brief Encounter. Polished wooden flooring [...]
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 [...]
Circles & Stalls 