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Sam Lupton to play Dave Fishwick in the world premiere production of Bank of Dave the Musical opening at Lowry in May

7Apr

By NewsdeskNo Comments

NEWS

Sam Lupton to play Dave Fishwick in the world premiere production of Bank of Dave the Musical opening at Lowry in May

Producers ROYO, Future Artists Entertainment, Curve and Lowry are delighted to announce Sam Lupton (Del Boy in Only Fools and Horses UK tour, Boq in Wicked, West End) as Dave Fishwick in the world premiere of BANK OF DAVE THE MUSICAL which will open in May 2026 at Lowry. The show will run at the Lowry from May 2nd to 16th before heading to Curve, Leicester where it will run from May 20th to 30th. Sam joins Samuel Holmes (Calamity Jane, UK tour) as Sir Charles Denbigh, alongside the previously announced Hayley Tamaddon as Nicky, Lucca Chadwick-Patel as Hugh, Claire Moore as Maureen and Lauryn Redding as Alex. Also in the cast are Zachary Willis (After The Act, Royal Court, New Diorama), as Danny / Andy, Mark Peachey (The Wizard of Oz, Curve), as Cher / Clarence, Joni Ayto...

7Apr

By Paul ClarkeNo Comments

Yorkshire & Humber

Handle With Care – Leeds Playhouse

Most theatre productions start with the lights going down as some actors walk onto the stage….not this one. Instead, the audience are faced with an empty stage where a white box sits because tonight Belgian theatre mischief makers Ontrogrend Goed are challenging a bunch of strangers to make their own show. In the box are a series of prompts and instruction cards that help guide us, but the genius of this immersive experience is that this show will be unique because every audience is different. All it takes is one hardy soul to get up and open the box, so full marks to the woman who took up the challenge, and we were off making our own show. Each step encourages audience members to join in, so one participant is asking all of us what our favourite drinks are as others in this a...

Riki Lindhome: Dead Inside – Soho Theatre

7Apr

By Kira DanielsNo Comments

London

Riki Lindhome: Dead Inside – Soho Theatre

Cinderella wants to go to the ball and Ariel wants to be where the people are. Riki Lindhome is trying to get some balls to come to her so she can be where the people are (growing). Venture into the infinite forest of her fertility journey in Dead Inside, a one woman musical odyssey that rejects both the structure of the cis straight white man’s hero’s journey and the audience expectation that a one act one woman musical won’t make everyone cry. Lindhome alternates musical comedy with a series of gut-wrenching monologues so disarmingly genuine that by the end of the show much of the audience was in fact brought to tears. Fans of Lindhome will recognize almost all of the songs in this show from her online work, with particular standouts “So Long Farewell (A Breakup Anthem for B...

Lark Rise to Candleford – Theatre by the Lake

7Apr

By Karen Morley-ChesworthNo Comments

North West

Lark Rise to Candleford – Theatre by the Lake

Lark Rise to Candleford is a joyous actor-musician production at Theatre by the Lake, that transports the audience back to the late 19th century and the English countryside way of life. Based on the semi-autobiographical trilogy by Flora Thompson, this adaptation has been written by Tamsin Kennard and is a warm, nostalgic production. This is the story of a woman, Laura, looking back over her life. Starting in the hamlet of Lark Rise, where she lived a simple life, but where she felt she didn’t quite fit in, she then moved to the bright lights of the nearby town of Candleford. Laura, played by Jessica Temple, travels the timeline of her life, and she rises to the part which demands her to be on stage throughout the whole production. Temple gives a natural and engaging performance. ...

4Apr

By Brian MaddenNo Comments

North West

We Will Rock You – Liverpool Empire

Empire Youth Theatre’s production of We Will Rock You at the Liverpool Empire is an ambitious, high-energy showcase that highlights both the strengths and growing edges of a young cast taking on a demanding, full-scale musical. From the opening number, there’s a clear sense of commitment. We Will Rock You is no easy feat, requiring strong vocals, comic timing, and the ability to navigate a deliberately over-the-top and often chaotic script. The cast largely rises to the challenge, delivering Queen’s iconic songs with enthusiasm and, in many cases, impressive vocal control. Somebody to Love is a particular standout, showcasing Scaramouche’s vocals to great effect with a confident and engaging performance. However, at times the balance isn’t quite right, with the backing singers’ mic leve...

42nd Street – The Grand Theatre, Blackpool

2Apr

By Dan GrimesNo Comments

North West

42nd Street – The Grand Theatre, Blackpool

I have to start this review with a confession. I have a very serious addiction. I am, unfortunately, addicted to tap dancing—as a consumer rather than a participant, I hasten to add. My social media algorithms know this about me and, as part of our complex web of co-dependency, the apps ply me with endless reels of routines. It is through this rather sordid route that I became familiar with this musical and, until tonight, I had never actually seen the whole show—due in no small part to the fact that it is performed scandalously infrequently. If you’re a fan of pub quiz trivia, it might interest you to know that the show isn’t as old as you might expect. It was adapted in 1980 from the 1933 Warner Bros. film of the same name and went on to win Tony Awards for Best Musical and Best Chore...

2Apr

By Angela KellyNo Comments

North West

Mean Girls – The Regent Theatre

‘Mean Girls,’ originally written by Tina Fey in 2004, is gracing the stage at Stoke this week. It is an amusing musical comedy based on the film version. In its musical format it was an instant success and since it was first performed in New York in 2018 where it received much accolade and was nominated for several Tony awards. It then travelled to London and has been a huge success ever since. Directed by Casey Nicholaw it includes an extremely talented bunch of stars that are certainly ‘all things musical theatre’. The story is essentially about a group who call themselves ‘The Plastics’ who see themselves as the leaders of North Shore High School in every way. The ringleader is the evil ‘Regina George’ and it tells the tale of her taking new girl ‘Cady’ under her wing and the battle ...

Northern Ballet: Gentleman Jack – Sheffield Lyceum

2Apr

By Jo TillotsonNo Comments

Yorkshire & Humber

Northern Ballet: Gentleman Jack – Sheffield Lyceum

Anne Lister. Born 1791, died 1840. Yorkshirewoman. Diarist. Businesswoman. Landowner. A woman who lived life on her own terms, and who loved how and who she wanted. For anyone who hadn’t already heard of her, she was made famous in the 2010s by the BBC, which cemented her status as the ‘first modern lesbian’, but there is so much more to her than just her sexuality. In this brand new, 100-minute ballet (with interval) we get to know Anne as a woman who forged her own path in society. From the moment the curtain rises to reveal Anne (danced at this performance by Gemma Coutts) in a striking tailored jacket surrounded by a homogeneous group of male contemporaries, she demands your complete attention. The ballet follows the story of her life as she falls in love, gets her heart broken, fac...

2Apr

By Zain RussellNo Comments

London

Choir Boy – Stratford East

Choir Boy is an engaging and thought-provoking play that centres on the character of Pharus played by Terique Jarrett, an outspoken, confident student at an elite prep school for Black boys. As a young, gay man, Pharus is navigating both his identity and his place within a rigid, tradition-driven environment. The production balances humour and tension effectively. There are several genuinely funny, laugh-out-loud moments, often driven by the boys’ natural banter, playful teasing, and bursts of spontaneous energy, including unexpected dancing. These interactions feel authentic, capturing the way teenage boys might behave with one another. The cast as a whole deserves credit here; their chemistry makes the dialogue feel fluid and convincing, with a rhythm that adds to both the comedic and...

2Apr

By Klervi GavetNo Comments

London

In The Print – King’s Head Theatre

It’s 1985. London. Rupert Murdoch secretly relocates his entire newspaper operation overnight from Fleet Street to a purpose-built facility in Wapping, locking out five thousand print workers without warning. Facing him: Brenda Dean, the first woman ever elected leader of a major British trade union, who must somehow hold a fractious coalition together against a man who seems to have already won before the fight even starts. In The Print, written by Robert Khan and Tom Salinsky, takes this year-long standoff — known as the Wapping dispute — and wrestles it into 90 tight, no-interval minutes. Given we’re living through another era of tech moguls rewriting the rules while calling it progress, the timing feels pointed. The production values are impressively high. Claudia Jolly’s Bre...