Theatre and performance in Greater Manchester & other places.
18 April 2019. Royal Exchange, Manchester. "You are invited to attend a Surprise Leaving Party for Amy Waters (Postwoman Extraordinaire) at Albion Close Community Centre". 'Guests' find themselves seated at big round tables. There's plenty of bunting and balloons, and the organisers make sure you've got your silly pointy hat on and party poppers at [...]
11 April 2019. Royal Exchange, Manchester. Sarah Frankcom's revival of Jerome Robbins' popular musical has undoubtedly captured the attention of Manchester audiences, with the show's entire run selling out before opening night. However, the production has also secured a unique place in the West Side Story 'hall of fame' by being the first major professional [...]
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 [...]
Yang Sing Restaurant, Manchester. 14 March 2019. Ant and Dec, Yorkshire pudding and Postman Pat? When Yi Di, a young Chinese woman, newly arrived in England, encounters any local references with which she is unfamiliar she scribbles them down in a note-book, to be looked up later. Mei Lan can remember how she and her [...]
Royal Exchange, Manchester. 13 February 2019. It's 2080. Europe is no longer a collection of nations, it has become The Grid. The Reds and the Blues are at war, fighting for possession of each individual grid square of land. Self-styled "entrepreneur" Mother Courage follows the conflict in search of profit. Her daughter and two sons [...]
Royal Exchange, Manchester. 5 December 2018 & 3 January 2019. After the success of Sweeney Todd, Sweet Charity and Guys and Dolls it's no surprise to see the Royal Exchange programming in another crowd-pleasing musical as their Christmas and New Year show. Mel Brooks’ The Producers, however, might not seem the most obvious choice for [...]
When Leeds Playhouse announced the formation of its first young company in April last year it was a bit of a wake up call for me. The Playhouse were looking to support a group of young people to collaborate in "making and producing bold and socially resonant work", as well providing opportunities for them to [...]
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 [...]
Royal Exchange, Manchester. 16 October 2018. A travelling salesman no longer fit to travel. A home filled with consumer goods that break down before they are even paid for. A once green and leafy neighbourhood concreted over and crammed with new apartment blocks. Willy Loman's world has become one of increasing disappointment and insecurity, yet [...]
Royal Exchange Young Company. 15 August 2018. Closed for the summer, and largely deserted, North Manchester's Abraham Moss School seems an unlikely substitute for the island setting of Shakespeare's The Tempest. There's something happening in the hall, but it's not clear what. Are we being asked our names at the door or is a register [...]
Reviewing theatre across the UK
Theatre and performance in Greater Manchester & other places.
Theatre through the eyes of a Manc
Explorating theatre and the arts in the NorthWest
Theatre Criticism
Theatre chat: Caroline Steiner
Theatre and performance reviews in the Greater Manchester area
Circles & Stalls 