Theatre and performance in Greater Manchester & other places.
Review of WRESTLELADSWRESTLE at HOME, Manchester. “I’m Jennifer Jackson… and tonight I’m going to show you how to remove someone from a house party.” And she’s not messing around - with the help of Simon Carroll Jones (playing a “drunk uncle”), she does just that. It’s one of several moments in WRESTLELADSWRESTLE where Jennifer Jackson [...]
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 Betty! A sort of Musical at Royal Exchange, Manchester. Meredith Ankle (Maxine Peake) has a plan to ensure The Dewsbury Players will be the talk of the West Riding. Determined not to be outdone by their Batley-based rivals’ upcoming production of Frozen on roller skates, her amateur-dramatics group are developing a production that [...]
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 [...]
Royal Exchange, Manchester. 29 October 2019. Life ends. Death comes. Light falls. As Christine collapses to the floor in the drinks aisle of the Co-op on Stockport's Heaton Moor Road, she recalls details from her life as if they are flashing before her eyes. At that moment too, she shares with the audience her deep [...]
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 [...]
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, Manchester. 30 May 2018. Staging Samuel Beckett's Happy Days at the Royal Exchange, in the round, poses an obvious challenge - what to do about that "expanse of scorched grass rising centre to low mound". Director Sarah Frankcom must have been toying with several ideas initially, when tickets first went on sale only [...]
Royal Exchange, Manchester. 19 September 2017. The Royal Exchange's stage is crowded with people sitting around tables, chatting and waiting for something to start. Everyone is dressed as if they have just walked in off the street and it isn't obvious who are the audience and who are the cast. The setting is so mundane [...]
Circles & Stalls 