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7Sep

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

West Midlands

Birmingham Hippodrome

The Birmingham Hippodrome is a theatre situated on Hurst Street in the Chinese Quarter of Birmingham, England. Although best known as the home stage of the Birmingham Royal Ballet, it also hosts a wide variety of other performances including visiting opera and ballet companies, touring West End shows, pantomime and drama. The Hippodrome is the venue for West End touring theatrical shows, such as Wicked, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, The Lion King, Matilda, Mary Poppins, Annie, Grease and We Will Rock You. The theatre's Christmas pantomimes are produced by Qdos Entertainment, over recent years attracting stars such as Brian Conley, Don Maclean, Julian Clary, Joe Pasquale, John Barrowman, Joan Collins, Nigel Havers, Keith Harris, Lynda Bellingham, Lesley Joseph, Gary Wilmot, Paul Zerdin,...

Back To The Future: The Musical Returns to The Stage in 2021

7Sep

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

NEWS

Back To The Future: The Musical Returns to The Stage in 2021

It’s back! One of the most spectacular new musicals to hit the stage in recent years returns in 2021 following a run at Manchester’s Opera House which was dramatically cut short days after its official opening due to COVID-19. Back To The Future: The Musical will open at London’s Adelphi Theatre on the 14th May 2021, initially booking until the 19th December 2021. Welcome to Hill Valley! Take an electrifying ride back in time as the 1985 blockbuster film and pop culture phenomenon arrives in London’s West End as a groundbreaking new musical adventure! When Marty McFly finds himself transported back to 1955 in a time machine built by the eccentric scientist Doc Brown, he accidentally changes the course of history. Now he’s in a race against time to fix the present, escape the p...

7Sep

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

North West

Buxton Opera House

Buxton Opera House is in The Square, Buxton, Derbyshire, England. It is a 902-seat opera house that hosts the annual Buxton Festival and, from 1994 to 2013, the International Gilbert and Sullivan Festival, among others, as well as pantomime at Christmas, musicals and other entertainments year-round. Hosting live performances until 1927, the theatre then was used mostly as a cinema until 1976. In 1979, it was refurbished and reopened as a venue for live performance. History It was built in 1903 and designed by Frank Matcham, one of Britain's finest theatre architects. He also designed a number of famous London theatres, including the London Palladium (1910) and the London Coliseum (1904). The Opera House ran as a successful theatre, receiving touring companies until 1927, when ...

7Sep

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

North West

Grand Theatre, Blackpool

The Blackpool Grand was designed by Victorian theatre architect Frank Matcham and was opened in 1894 after a construction period of seven months, at a cost of £20,000 between December 1893 and July 1894. The project was conceived and financed by local theatre manager Thomas Sergenson who had been using the site of the Grand for several years to stage a circus. He had also transformed the fortunes of other local theatres. Matcham's brief was to build Sergenson the "prettiest theatre in the land". The Grand was Matcham's first theatre to use an innovative 'cantilever' design to support the tiers, thereby reducing the need for the usual pillars and so allowing clear views of the stage from all parts of the auditorium. Sergenson's successful directorship of the t...

7Sep

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

North West

Empire Theatre, Liverpool

Liverpool Empire Theatre is a theatre located on the corner of Lime Street and London Road in Liverpool, Merseyside, England, United Kingdom. The playhouse, which opened in 1925, is the second one to be built on the site. It has the largest two-tier auditorium in Britain and can seat 2,348 people. During its time it has hosted many types of entertainment, including variety shows, musicals, operas, pop concerts, and plays. The Beatles appeared in the theatre in their early days. The theatre has hosted two Royal Command Performances and in 2007, a Royal Variety Performance to mark Liverpool's being designated a European City of Culture the following year. It is sited in the William Brown Street Conservation Area. History The site's first theatre, which was at that time was Liverpoo...

7Sep

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

North West

Opera House, Manchester

The theatre opened as the New Theatre in 1912, renamed the New Queen’s Theatre in 1915 and as the Opera House in 1920 when it came under the wing of John Hart and his associates of United Theatres Ltd. In 1931 it was bought by, and prospered under, Howard & Wyndham Ltd which had been formed at the Theatre Royal, Glasgow in 1895 by Michael Simons. The group`s managing director A Stewart Cruikshank, headquartered at the group's headquarters in the King's Theatre, Edinburgh was joined on the board by Charles B Cochrane who now became a visiting producer at the Opera House, premiering numerous musicals and revues. The theatre staged the full range of plays, musicals, opera, and pantomime. It closed in 1979 and for five years was a bingo hall. The Palace Trust acquired it in 1984 and ret...

7Sep

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

Venues

UK and Ireland Venues

North West End UK are collating a list of all the theatres we have reviewed in as well as others across the UK. The list below will be constantly added to as well as updated where required. Simply click on the venue name (listed alphabetically) to learn more. If you would like your venue listed below contact us at info@northwestend.co.uk and we will be in touch to gain the relevant details as soon as possible. BIRMINGHAM HIPPODROME BUXTON OPERA HOUSE GRAND THEATRE, BLACKPOOL EMPIRE THEATRE, LIVERPOOL OPERA HOUSE MANCHESTER PALACE THEATRE, MANCHESTER PEACOCK THEATRE, LONDON

7Sep

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

North West

Palace Theatre, Manchester

The Palace Theatre, Manchester, is one of the main theatres in Manchester, England. It is situated on Oxford Street, on the north-east corner of the intersection with Whitworth Street. The Palace and its sister theatre the Opera House on Quay Street are operated by the same parent company, Ambassador Theatre Group. The original capacity of 3,675 has been reduced to its current 1,955. History The theatre, originally known as the Grand Old Lady of Oxford Street, opened on 18th May 1891, having been designed by the architect Alfred Darbyshire at a cost of £40,500. The Palace Theatre was redecorated and altered in 1896 to the designs of the renowned Theatre Architect Frank Matcham, and he again worked on some improvements to the Theatre in 1899 when he was commissioned to put in a pass d...

No Direction Home digital tour starting at Camden People’s Theatre

6Sep

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

NEWS

No Direction Home digital tour starting at Camden People’s Theatre

In the first ever virtual stand-up comedy tour of the UK, a group of comedians from refugee and migrant backgrounds will use laughter to connect with audiences and speak of their experiences coming to and living in this country. The group, formed by Counterpoints Arts and Camden People’s Theatre in 2018, are coached by top stand-up comedian Tom Parry and known as No Direction Home. They have already performed live gigs in venues like the Southbank Centre with guest headliners such as Romesh Ranganathan, Lou Sanders and Sindhu Vee. Now, with lockdown keeping comedy clubs shut, they are heading off on a virtual tour across England, Scotland and Wales, telling jokes about themselves, their experiences and their lives in the UK. TV comic and stand-up Nish Kumar, who has guest h...

St Helens Theatre Royal To Change Christmas Pantomime Title Due To Pandemic But A Show Will Go On!

6Sep

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

NEWS

St Helens Theatre Royal To Change Christmas Pantomime Title Due To Pandemic But A Show Will Go On!

Regal Entertainments announced today that their 2020 Christmas Pantomime at St Helens Theatre Royal has been changed, but a show will go ahead. The curtain was due to go up on Cinderella from Saturday 5th December ’20 – Sunday 3rd January ’21 and had previously announced Linda Robson in the lead role. However due to the government restrictions now enforced on theatres, it makes the current title not financially viable to continue with, Cinderella is one of the biggest productions in pantomime and carries many additional costs. Pantomime producers, Regal Entertainments say they have worked tirelessly to look at alternative options for the festive season and they want to ensure that they can continue to provide top entertainment to its community and regular attenders this Christm...