Friday, December 19

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Ross and Rachel – Altrincham Garrick Playhouse Online
REVIEWS

Ross and Rachel – Altrincham Garrick Playhouse Online

What happened after friends ended? When there was no one to tell us that life was gonna be this way? After the will-they-won’t-they became they will? Ross and Rachel was written by James Fritz and isn’t actually about the couple we spent ten years screaming at the television to get together. An unnamed couple, in their 40s who are perceived to be ‘meant-to-be’. However, whilst he is still madly and deeply in love with her, she has doubts and feels that the relationship has been over for years. Then, like in all 90s/early 2000s sitcoms that we know and love, throw in a curveball… a brain tumour. With references to not only the fan-favourite sitcom, but other pop-culture films and shows too, the play is definitely a reflection on modern relationships, with a dark twist that touches on ser...
Les Dennis joins the huge-hearted Hairspray at the London Coliseum
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Les Dennis joins the huge-hearted Hairspray at the London Coliseum

Entertainment legend Les Dennis is to join the huge-hearted new production of Hairspray the Musical which is set to play a limited season at the magnificent London Coliseum from Monday 21st June – Wednesday 29th September 2021. As a comedian, impressionist, game show host, reality TV star, soap, screen and stage actor, Les Dennis’ showbiz career has spanned 50 years. Now, he is to return to the West End in the multi-award-winning smash hit musical as Wilbur Turnblad having previously performed the role on tour. He stars alongside Michael Ball, who returns to his legendary, Olivier Award-winning role of Edna Turnblad. Les replaces Paul Merton in the role of Wilbur. Following the delay to the production because of the pandemic, Paul is unfortunately not able to join the company due to ...
Celebrity chef James Martin is hitting the road with a brand-new tour for 2022
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Celebrity chef James Martin is hitting the road with a brand-new tour for 2022

James Martin Live will visit 18 towns and cities across the UK including a entertaining audiences with live demonstrations, cooking tasks and featuring some very special guests. And the exciting and fast-moving show includes a date at Manchester’s Bridgewater Hall on Sunday March 20th 2022. Tickets go on sale at 10am Friday May 7th from www.ticketmaster.co.uk   James has been entertaining and educating the nation for almost three decades with his expert culinary skills both on screen and through his best-selling cookbooks. Following the phenomenal success of his previous tours, with James Martin Live audiences can expect to be dazzled as James rustles up mouth-watering dishes with complimentary courses of fun and laughter in this exclusive gastronomic experience. And he...
David Greig’s new play Adventures with the Painted People gets its stage premiere
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David Greig’s new play Adventures with the Painted People gets its stage premiere

David Greig’s new play Adventures with the Painted People which started life as a radio play makes its stage debut at Pitlochry Festival Theatre. It was first commissioned as part of Pitlochry’s cancelled 2020 season and subsequently became a radio play on BBC Radio 3. Now it’s set to have its world stage première from 10th June to 4th July in the theatre’s outdoor amphitheatre as part of their Summer Season. Greig’s first new play since 2013’s The Events will be directed by Pitlochry’s Artistic Director Elizabeth Newman, and is a love story exploring the value of history and the power of writing.   Lucius is a cultured Roman officer captured by the Picts and about to be sacrificed. Eithne is a wise Pictish woman, who wants to record her people's history in writing - a skill ...
Manchester all-female play ‘Meet Me at Dawn’ among the first in country to re-open theatres
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Manchester all-female play ‘Meet Me at Dawn’ among the first in country to re-open theatres

One of the first plays in England to take to the stage after lockdown will be at a much-loved Manchester theatre. HER Productions is bringing all-female play ‘Meet Me at Dawn’ to Hope Mill Theatre, Manchester, from May 25th – 29th, after seven months of closure. The Covid-compliant show stars local actors Helen O’Hara and Susan Jayne Robinson, who play a couple who wash up on a distant shore after a boating accident. The 80-minute show, full of fantasy and plot twists, will also be live streamed on May 26th for those unable to attend in person. HER Productions was set up in 2019 by Manchester-based actor Hannah Ellis-Ryan, best known for her role as Coronation Street baddie Hannah Gilmore, who pretended to be Liz McDonald’s dead daughter in the controversial storyline in 2018. ...
Deep Blue – Paperwork Theatre
REVIEWS

Deep Blue – Paperwork Theatre

Riley is a woman of a certain age, caught in-between two worlds, above and below the water. Deep Blue is a show about what it means to belong and the importance of human connection when you live alone. Its Twitter tag is #StopLoneliness and the original music is by the Mono LPs. The four-person cast (Danielle McLauren, Tom Wilson, Edalia Day and Holly Phelps) play all the characters and the indie-rock soundtrack in this honest, heartfelt and humorous show from a company who explore theatre, community and workshops across the North West of England. Fully aware of both the changes in climate and the need for humans to have friendships, families, or a transient chat with a stranger on the street, Deep Blue presents Riley as an ordinary woman who creates her own little worlds while she s...
The Sorrows of Satan – Online
REVIEWS

The Sorrows of Satan – Online

The Sorrows of Satan is a musical melodrama filmed in the ballroom in the sumptuous surroundings of a quintessential stately home in the South of England, which, follows a successful run at the Tristan Bates Theatre some time back, now returns digitally, directed by Adam Lenson. The team also behind The Fabulist Fox Sister at Southwark Play House, Luke Bateman and Michael Conley have reimagined the story of Faust in 1920’s London. Geoffrey Tempest played by Luke Bateman is a struggling penniless writer who chances upon a mysterious benefactor in the form of Prince Lucio Rimanez. A tense and provocative mix of comedy, thought provoking and humorous slapstick unravels. This performance is intriguing, sometimes dark and claustrophobic. The set and lighting gave it an authentic at...
Anton Du Beke and Giovanni Pernice – Him & Me dance into Blackpool at start of their UK Tour
Interviews

Anton Du Beke and Giovanni Pernice – Him & Me dance into Blackpool at start of their UK Tour

Brace yourselves for THE best night out in 2021 when two of BBC Strictly Come Dancing’s best loved professional dancers team up for an unforgettable tour - ANTON DU BEKE and GIOVANNI PERNICE - HIM & ME! Joined by a world class cast of dancers and singers, ANTON and GIOVANNI are coming together to put on the show to end all shows - the ultimate entertaining night out! The Ballroom King and the Jive Master bring you HIM & ME! - a true dance extravaganza for all ages. HIM & ME! is produced by Strictly Theatre Co. and directed by West End star Alan Burkitt. We are looking forward to welcoming you to Blackpool! Anton - Ah yes, Blackpool Opera House..it’s huge! Giovanni - Oh, it’s tremendous, so beautiful. Anton - We can’t wait to bring our show to the home of dance...
Matilda The Musical returns to Cambridge Theatre from 16th September
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Matilda The Musical returns to Cambridge Theatre from 16th September

The Royal Shakespeare Company’s West End production of Matilda The Musical has announced that it will return to the Cambridge Theatre from 16th September 2021. Seen by more than 10 million people across more than 90 cities worldwide, this autumn marks 10 years since the multi-award-winning show opened in the West End. Matilda The Musical is now booking through to 13th February 2022. For further information visit www.matildathemusical.com   Catherine Mallyon, RSC Executive Director said: “It is fantastic to see London’s West End re-opening and for our company, freelance colleagues, and creative team to be back at the Cambridge Theatre, preparing for performances in the autumn. We all know how challenging the past year has been, and that makes this moment even more special and import...
Treat for Spice Girls fans – Viva 4 Ever at DriveINSIDE Theatre
NEWS

Treat for Spice Girls fans – Viva 4 Ever at DriveINSIDE Theatre

We’ll tell you what the producers of hit touring concert show Viva 4 Ever want, what they really, really want. . . to thoroughly celebrate that the country appears to be well on the way along the Government’s Roadmap to Recovery. The Spice Girls tribute show will be rocking the DriveINSIDE Theatre at the Trafford Centre, Manchester, on Monday, May 24th. That is practically two years to the day since Scary, Baby, Sporty and Ginger Spice thrilled 450,000 Spice Girls fans over three days at the Etihad Stadium on their Spice World tour. The brand-new theatre at the Trafford Centre is the world’s first drive inside venue. Viva 4 Ever producer Adam Curtis says that concert show fans will be able to park up in their cars in the arena to safely enjoy the spectacle from their own private, soc...