NEWS Archives - Page 66 of 82 - North West End UK

Lee Mack to step into the role of narrator to replace Stephen Fry in The Understudy

4Dec

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

NEWS

Lee Mack to step into the role of narrator to replace Stephen Fry in The Understudy

Everyone needs an understudy, right? Stepping into the role of narrator, replacing Stephen Fry, is BAFTA and British Comedy Award winning legend Lee Mack. The full cast of The Understudy, now includes Matthew Horne, Emily Atack, James Norton, Mina Anwar, Natalie Casey, Adelayo Adedayo, Lucy Briggs-Owen, Sasha Frost, Marie Lawrence, James McNicholas, Lizzie Muncey and Jake Ferretti. Stephen Fry comments: “Circumstances have forced me to be in the US from December 4th to late January which means, despite my highest hopes and confident promises, I won’t be able to be a part of The Understudy this year, as so fervently hoped. I am very, very sorry to let you down at the last minute. I am cheering you on from the side-lines.” A perfect pre-Christmas treat for theatre lovers, this exclusiv...

Sleeping Beauty Gets Enforced Lie-In in Manchester

3Dec

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

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Sleeping Beauty Gets Enforced Lie-In in Manchester

Following the announcement that Manchester is in Tier 3 from Wednesday 2nd December, when the national lockdown was lifted, Manchester Opera House and Qdos Entertainment have announced that the opening of Sleeping Beauty will be delayed and will now begin on Thursday 24th December 2020 and run until Sunday 10th January 2021. Sheena Wrigley, Theatre Director of Manchester Palace & Opera House said: “Given the downward trend of the virus in the City, and the community’s campaign for the reduction of the Tier level at the next review, we continue to be hopeful that we can stage the show this Christmas, opening a little later than planned on 24th December. We thank all of our customers for their patience at this time as we work to get affected bookings rescheduled and are also gr...

Gisburne Park Pop-up ‘socially distanced’ Christmas Festival opens on the 4th December

1Dec

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

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Gisburne Park Pop-up ‘socially distanced’ Christmas Festival opens on the 4th December

The creators of Gisburne Park Pop Up, who this summer successfully hosted the UK's first socially distanced festival, are determined to bring some Christmas cheer to 2020 and on 4th December will open the gates to an action-packed Pop-up Christmas festival. This socially distanced Christmas extravaganza is one of its kind and will take place over a thousand acres at the stunning Gisburne Park located in the heart of the Lancashire countryside. The family-focused, action-packed event has got Christmas well and truly covered! At the heart of the event is a large traditional outdoor market home to craft stalls, food vendors and pockets of interactive socially distanced Christmas entertainment for all ages. As well as the UK's largest drive-in pantomime, the event boasts a Covid...

Plan to Create 1,000 Theatre Jobs in Manchester Unveiled

1Dec

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Plan to Create 1,000 Theatre Jobs in Manchester Unveiled

Up to 1,000 jobs for people working in the theatre will be created in Manchester in the spring of 2021, when the world’s first DriveINSIDE Theatre opens at the Trafford Centre. The DriveINSIDE Theatre has been specifically designed to be COVID safe and has been approved for operation even at Tier 3 restrictions. The ingenious venue has a team of Theatrical Drive Jockeys, who welcome the audience in their cars and escort them to their unique space. Each vehicle has its own dedicated parking space under the 68,000 sq ft marquee – Europe’s largest. People are only allowed to exit their vehicles on the driver’s side and then sit outside of their cars in their own private socially distanced, isolated area. The organisers can then allow people to enjoy the thrill of real live entertainment, w...

Cinderella: The Socially Distanced Ball reopens Turbine Theatre

30Nov

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Cinderella: The Socially Distanced Ball reopens Turbine Theatre

The Turbine Theatres reopens its doors with its first ever adult pantomime, Cinderella: The Socially Distanced Ball. This hilarious panto has been written by Jodie Prenger and Neil Hurst and is being directed by Lizzy Connolly. The cast are Oscar Conlon-Morrey, Rufus Hound, Debbie Kurup, Scott Paige, Sean Parkins and Daisy Wood Davis. Prepare to have your Christmas socks blown off with this all-star cast, celebrating theatre at its naughtiest. Glittery anti-bac will be at hand, and we promise to get home before midnight. Please note: This is not for the faint hearted or those easily offended by smut. LISTINGS Paul Taylor-Mills presents Cinderella: The Socially Distanced Pantomime Dates: 3rd – 23rd December 2020 Address: The Turbine Theatre, Arches Lane, Ci...

30Nov

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Razed and Confuzed Goes Digital 2.0

Following their first foray into digital in June, Raze Collective are back with a festive party complete with cocktail making and breakout rooms so audiences can hang out and have a drink together. Frankie Thompson, a visual artist and emerging idiot, will be dropping in with an aerial surprise, and two emerging queer acts will be presenting fabulous short performances: Cocktails Before the Revolution from Joé de Vivre & Tilda Death, and Thatcher-Rite: Tea-Time from Jack Boal. In Cocktails Before the Revolution, irrepressible non-state actors Joé de Vivre & Tilda Death invite you for a special evening of drag and drinks, mocktails and Molotov Cocktails. A casual tutorial that will teach you the essentials in mixology and co-resistance from a social distance. This festive season ...

Kneehigh’s The Flying Lovers of Vitebsk Extends

30Nov

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Kneehigh’s The Flying Lovers of Vitebsk Extends

Bristol will be going into Tier 3 when lockdown ends on Wednesday, which means there will be no live audience watching Wise Children broadcast Kneehigh’s The Flying Lovers of Vitebsk from Bristol Old Vic at the end of this week. But, as a gift to audiences still locked down round the country, and due to incredible demand for tickets for the live streams, the three companies today announce an extension to the show’s run. From today, Monday 30th November, the production can be purchased in advance and watched at any time from 11th – 18th December 2020. The production reunites the original cast Marc Antolin (Marc Chagall) and Audrey Brisson (Bella Chagall) with musicians Ian Ross and James Gow, with performances broadcast live to audience’s homes nationally and globally. To buy tickets for...

Casting announced for Pitlochry Festival Theatre’s The Magic of Christmas

30Nov

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Casting announced for Pitlochry Festival Theatre’s The Magic of Christmas

Pitlochry Festival Theatre in partnership with the Macrobert Arts Centre have today announced the casting for their forthcoming filmed Christmas production of The Magic of Christmas. The production’s exciting cast will feature singer and actress Clare Grogan (Gregory’s Girl, Barefoot in the Park, Pitlochry Festival Theatre and Royal Lyceum Edinburgh and lead singer of iconic Scottish band, Altered Images) as Mrs Claus, Colin McCredie (DC Stuart Fraser in Taggart and Nick Morrison in River City) as Santa, Barbara Hockaday (North and South and Summer Holiday, Pitlochry Festival Theatre) as Lari and Ali Watt (A Christmas Carol and The Monarch of the Glen, Pitlochry Festival Theatre) as Hari. As the journey begins, our favourite Christmas elves Lari and Hari have a big problem! The cheek...

Le Gateau Chocolat in Creation Theatre’s The Wonderful Wizard of Oz

30Nov

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Le Gateau Chocolat in Creation Theatre’s The Wonderful Wizard of Oz

Iconic performer Le Gateau Chocolat makes a special cameo appearance as the Good Witch in Creation Theatre’s annual festive family show, which opens on the digital stage this December. Le Gateau Chocolat, whose award-winning work spans drag, cabaret, opera, musical theatre, children’s theatre and live art, and has performed in prestigious venues across the world, makes a special screen appearance in this magical version of L. Frank Baum’s The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, adapted and directed by Gari Jones. Speaking of his exciting collaboration, which was pre-recorded during the second lockdown this month, Le Gateau Chocolat says: “It was a real joy working on this production with Creation Theatre. With my family show Duckie, programmed at Home in Manchester, a city in tier 3, now in jeop...

29Nov

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

NEWS

Reign delays in Salford

Not even Royalty can escape the latest Covid-19 tier restrictions announced by the Government on Thursday which saw Salford plunged into tier 3. The result of this means that theatres are (inexplicably in our opinion) forbidden to open, and as such SIX! The Musical has been forced to delay its latest reign at The Lowry. The show is now planning to open on the 19th December and play until the 17th January 2021 providing the Government see sense and move the North West into tier 2 as part of a nationwide review on the 16th December, the tier the statistics suggest they should have been put in in the first place! Audience members who hold tickets for the postponed shows until 17th December will be contacted by the venue in order to move them to a different date or provide a refund, ...