NEWS Archives - Page 4 of 87 - North West End UK

Embrace and The Bluetones – Liverpool Olympia 120th Anniversary

29Apr

By Lou SteggalsNo Comments

NEWS

Embrace and The Bluetones – Liverpool Olympia 120th Anniversary

The venue may look like it’s been ‘cunningly disguised as a series of newsagents’ (or so says The Bluetones’ frontman Mark Morriss). But those stepping through the Olympia’s inconspicuous doors will find a Grade II listed venue full of old theatrical grandeur that, in its lifetime, has played host to circuses with performing animals, bingo nights, boxing matches and shows from the world’s biggest music acts, including (naturally) The Beatles. Tonight’s celebration is a showcase of homegrown British music. Two local bands have been picked to kick the party off. RATS bring ska-punk tinged songs with raspy vocals and rapping. Next up is The Real People, showcasing the best of a classic, Britrock back catalogue that makes clear why, in the early 90s, they were called upon to men...

1974 Productions returns to Manchester’s Hope Mill Theatre

26Apr

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NEWS

1974 Productions returns to Manchester’s Hope Mill Theatre

"1974 Productions" returns to Manchester’s Hope Mill Theatre this July presenting their first musical collaboration, with "Make Your Mark Productions" presenting I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change. With Book and Lyrics by Joe DiPietro and Music by Jimmy Roberts. This celebration of the mating game takes on the truths and myths behind the eternal conundrum known as "the Relationship". Act 1 explores the journey from dating and waiting to love and marriage, while act two reveals the agonies and triumphs of in laws and newborns, trips in the family car and pick-up techniques of the geriatric set. This hilarious musical pays tribute to those who have loved and lost, to those who have fallen on their face and to those who have dared to ask, "what are you doing Saturday night?" Pla...

Out of My Head: Alan Watts Is Alive and Well…Dead – The Cockpit

18Apr

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Out of My Head: Alan Watts Is Alive and Well…Dead – The Cockpit

Joining writer and performer Jeremy Stockwell for the evening, is Alan Watts…in his head, anyway. The free-talking, free-thinking, hippie philosopher drifts in and out of Stockwell’s on-stage consciousness, to share life’s questions, but does he have the answers? And is the glass half full or half empty? For those of you who do not know Alan Watts (and I was one of those), he was born in 1915 in Kent, and at an early age explored the question of consciousness, exploring it in his own mind, which was at odds with the norm. He stood out as being different, not really fitting in with the standard beliefs of his parents and peers. After declaring himself a Buddhist, his exploration of religion, free-love, and philosophical ideas as a school boy, planted the...

Bat Out Of Hell – The Musical roars into Leeds Grand

31Mar

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NEWS

Bat Out Of Hell – The Musical roars into Leeds Grand

Bat Out Of Hell – The Musical, featuring Jim Steinman and Meat Loaf’s greatest hits, is back on the road flying into Leeds Grand Theatre. Photo: Matt Crockett Based on the mega selling album the musical follows the lost boys and girls who flee into the tunnels below a city ruled by the despotic Falco. His rebellious teenage daughter Raven locks eyes with the fearless leader of the Lost, the immortal Strat, and their love-at-first-sight-obsession threatens to destroy both of their families. Bat Out Of Hell became one of the best-selling albums in history selling over 68 million copies worldwide. Sixteen years after the release of the original album, Steinman scored another hit with Bat Out Of Hell II: Back into Hell, which contained the massive hit I Would Do Anything for Lo...

London 50 Hour Comedy Improvathon – Pleasance Theatre

28Mar

By Caroline WorswickNo Comments

NEWS

London 50 Hour Comedy Improvathon – Pleasance Theatre

Spectacular, Spectacular! And it is sure to be a spectacular weekend of improvisation if previous events are anything to go by. Whether you love improv and wish to immerse yourself in the whole weekend, or if you wish to dip your toe into a pool of new experiences, then this is for you! Each year the creative team invent a new idea for this double marathon of none stop improvising, inviting the best in the world to take part in the whole event if they dare, or they may choose to perform in a few episodes. Adam Meggido and Ali James act as director, with Su Young Shon assisting, steering this improvising tanker through some choppy seas - lifejackets may be needed, but they have never not brought the tanker home, safely into dock. This year, the Pleasance Th...

20Mar

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NEWS

Gideon: A Play With Music

Prague 1938. A musician and his family face an existential question: should music play on, no matter what? This intimate and resonant new show tells the true story of a young composer whose tenacity burned brightly even as the world around him collapsed. Mostly taking place at the cusp of the Second World War, this production follows the life of a magnetic musician and his family as they face an impossible choice. As war engulfs Europe, Gideon’s expansive world contracts – from the concert halls of Prague to the confined walls of Terezín, a garrison town turned into a propaganda tool. Within its walls where music is both solace and deception, its prisoners struggle with an urgent question: is art an act of resistance, a place of refuge, or part of the lie that helps to oppress them? ...

The Mousetrap celebrates Guinness World Record breaking 30000th performance

19Mar

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The Mousetrap celebrates Guinness World Record breaking 30000th performance

Agatha Christie’s iconic thriller The Mousetrap celebrates its 30,000th performance in the West End today and further extends booking through to spring 2026. The genre-defining murder mystery opened in 1952 and continues to enthral audiences at London’s St Martin’s Theatre, more than 70 years on. Marking the milestone, Guinness World Records adjudicator Will Munford presented the company with a certificate for the record title longest theatrical run. Craig Glenday, Editor in Chief says: “Guinness World Records has monitored this category from the very first edition in 1955. The Mousetrap overtook the previous holder in 1958 making it one of the all-time longest standing world records." Brian Fenty, Producer of The Mousetrap says: “As The Mousetrap celebrates its record-shattering 30,...

X Factor winner Joe McElderry stars in new version of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat at Leeds Grand

19Mar

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X Factor winner Joe McElderry stars in new version of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat at Leeds Grand

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat returns to Leeds Grand Theatre after a sell-out run in 2023 and X Factor winner Joe McElderry will be playing Pharaoh. McElderry played the title role from 2017-18 in Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber’s first major collaboration, and since then has been a regular on the stage as the lead in The Who’s rock opera Tommy and Club Tropicana: The Musical. “I have such a long history with the show and to re-join in a different role, this time playing Pharaoh, will be so exciting," says Joe McElderry. “I can’t wait to perform to amazing audiences in Leeds in a show so close to my heart.” Joe McElderry (Pharaoh) and Adam Filipe (Joseph) in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat @ Sunderland Empire. (Opening 14-01-25) ©Tristram Kenton ...

17Mar

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New Vic Theatre stages brand new adaptation of A Matter of Life and Death

Staffordshire’s The New Vic Theatre will produce a rare stage adaptation of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger’s cinematic masterpiece A Matter of Life and Death on their in-the-round stage. It’s been adapted by Artistic Director Theresa Heskins, who also directs, the production will open on Friday 28th March and run until Saturday 19th April. It’s 1945 and British Pilot Peter Carter’s plane goes down just off the coast of England he doesn’t expect to survive, but miraculously, after leaping from his burning plane without a parachute, he finds himself face-to-face with June, the American radio operator who kept him company on his final journey. As the pair fall instantly and deeply in love, Peter discovers a celestial error has occurred – he was supposed to die bu...

12Mar

By Kevin EcclestonNo Comments

NEWS, North West

Ghost Stories – Liverpool Playhouse

Prepare for an unparalleled theatrical experience. Running until March 15th Ghost Stories is an extraordinary production brimming with moments of shock, suspense, and psychological tension that will deeply unsettle even the most fearless theatre goers. This chilling performance is strictly unsuitable for individuals under 15 years of age. Those sensitive to disturbing or anxiety-inducing experiences should carefully heed this warning before securing their tickets. Brace yourself; spine-tingling thrills await! After captivating audiences worldwide with record-breaking, sold-out performances and an acclaimed film adaptation, Andy Nyman and Jeremy Dyson’s Ghost Stories stands as a landmark achievement in horror theatre. Lauded by the Sunday Times as “genuinely scary fun,” this masterfully ...