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New Beatles Musical To Receive World Premiere At The Epstein Theatre

19Jun

By NewsdeskNo Comments

NEWS

New Beatles Musical To Receive World Premiere At The Epstein Theatre

A new musical which tells the story of the Beatles’ revolutionary time in Hamburg will receive its world premiere at the Epstein Theatre this September. Shake It Up Baby! - written by Liverpool playwright Ian Salmon (Girls Don’t Play Guitars) – is set to be staged from 26th September to 11th October as part of the Hanover Street venue’s new autumn season. Tickets are now on sale priced from £22.50. A cast of Liverpool actor-musicians will be led by Andrew Schofield as Allan Williams, the fabled ‘man who gave the Beatles away’, and the musical is directed by Stephen Fletcher. In August 1960, five teenage lads – who thought they knew all the world but had no idea – jumped in the back of a van and left their homes in Liverpool to head to the most dangerous city in Europe. Fr...

The Walrus Has a Right to Adventure – Liverpool Everyman

17Jun

By Mark DavorenNo Comments

North West

The Walrus Has a Right to Adventure – Liverpool Everyman

Writer Billie Collins’ interweaving of three tales that from different parts of the world, loosely inspired by true stories seen in the news, promises much but sadly falls and I can’t help but feel that in its current guise it would be better suited for the radio. From Norway’s glittering fjords to Colorado’s stunning peaks to Halewood’s majestic Tesco, three people are getting on with their lives as we meet Oskar (Reginald Edwards), Hazel (Princess Khumalo), and Rio (Tasha Dowd): they’ve never spoken; they’ve never met; yet they share the experience of a wild animal encounter that is to prove transformative to each of them. The idea is a good one and whilst strong performances from the cast – who each feature in ensemble roles within each other’s stories – hold the attention well, t...

16Jun

By Carole GordonNo Comments

London

Stereophonic – Duke of York’s

David Adjmi's extraordinary play, Stereophonic, won five Tony Awards in 2024, including the award for Best Play following its hit run on Broadway. It's not hard to see why it was so successful, with its unique style, captivating storytelling and the brilliant performances of the cast. In a recording studio in 1976, a five-piece band are on the cusp of superstardom. The up-and-coming group are in the process of recording their second album. The atmosphere is claustrophobic and chaotic, as a toxic mix of drugs, booze, exhaustion and sexual tension exacerbates divisions within the group. They write songs and bicker, row about creative conflicts and suffer emotional rifts. With two couples (one American, one British) plus the manager/drummer, trying to navigate...

15Jun

By Greg HolsteadNo Comments

Scotland

Hidden Door – Edinburgh Paper Factory

Looking like a set from Blade Runner, lit up with coloured lasers and strobe lighting, the gigantic Paper Factory, out near the airport, is Hidden Door’s most ambitious project yet, and quite possibly it’s final resting place, and why not? This architectural maze is a sprawling series of wide-open spaces, culminating in the cathedral grandeur of The Crane Shed where you have to break your neck to see the ceiling. The Factory Floor is open plan on a vast scale and will take your breath away. Grimy, grungy and littered with looming hulks of dead machines, illuminated from within by carefully placed coloured LEDs, this is a steam punk’s fever dream come to life. Hidden Door is the Capital’s five-day yearly arts and music festival, known for transforming unique often overlooked spaces i...

15Jun

By Gill LewisNo Comments

North West

Rum – Shakespeare North Playhouse

Grafting through the grief, a beautifully vulnerable, and nuanced portrayal of the psychology rooted in working-class masculinity. Max Emmerson Productions present a deeply authentic portrayal of working-class masculinity—its constraints, contradictions, and quiet vulnerabilities. Joe Mallalieu’s brilliant solo performance is raw, emotive, and powerful. Over the course of an hour, we are deeply drawn into a part of society rarely given such unflinching, unapologetic, and compassionate focus on stage. Under Tess Seddon's astute direction, Mallalieu writes a piece that is not only theatrically engaging, but also socially urgent. Mallalieu, a former plasterer himself, brings a lived-in truth to his performance. His presence is magnetic—naturalistic, grounded, and emotionally nuanc...

Liza Goddard And Caroline Harker in Chilling Thriller The Croft at The Liverpool Playhouse

14Jun

By NewsdeskNo Comments

NEWS

Liza Goddard And Caroline Harker in Chilling Thriller The Croft at The Liverpool Playhouse

An unforgettable theatrical thriller, The Croft, is heading to Liverpool, starring screen and stage favourites Liza Goddard (Doctor Who), Caroline Harker (The Railway Children), and Gray O’Brien (Coronation Street). The production will bring Ali Milles’ critically acclaimed play to the Playhouse from Tuesday 1st to Saturday 5th July. The Croft is produced by Original Theatre, who also produced Sebastian Faulks’ Birdsong which toured to the Playhouse last year. The Croft starring Liza Goddard (Noises Off, Doctor Who, Bergerac) as Enid, Caroline Harker (A Touch of Frost, Steel Magnolias, The Railway Children) as Suzanne and Gray O’Brien (Coronation Street, Casualty, Rebus: A Game Called Malice) as David with Gracie Follows (Birdsong) as Laura, Russell Layton (ART) as Ronald, Simon Robert...

Star Cast Announced For Cinderella At Epstein Theatre Liverpool This Christmas

14Jun

By NewsdeskNo Comments

NEWS

Star Cast Announced For Cinderella At Epstein Theatre Liverpool This Christmas

The world’s most loved fairytale is set to entertain Epstein Theatre audiences this Christmas – and today the first fabulous cast members can be revealed. Coronation Street star Katie McGlynn will have a ball playing the title role of Cinderella at the Hanover Street venue. And after appearing digitally in panto’s for the last two years, she will be joined live on the Epstein stage by panto royalty Leanne Campbell, returning by popular demand, who will be waving her magic wand over the Regal Entertainments Ltd show as the Fairy Godmother. Cinderella runs from Friday, 5th December to Sunday, 4th January 2026 at the historic Grade II listed theatre. Tickets, from £20, are on sale from www.epsteintheatre.com Beloved by generations as the greatest fairytale of them all, Rega...

14Jun

By Paul AckroydNo Comments

London

Steel – Park Theatre

Written by Lee Mattinson and first performed at the Theatre by the Lake in Keswick, Steel centres around two teenage boys from the depressed ex-industrial town of Workington. They are informed that one of them is unexpectedly the beneficiary of an inheritance, from a distant relative, of one mile of British rail track estimated to be worth £1 million. However, there is a catch; the original copy of the contract for the purchase of the track has to be delivered by midnight that same day. This improbable scenario sets the scene for a frantic series of encounters by the beneficiary with almost forgotten relatives, and old school friends with whom he has lost contact. This leads him to relive parts of his earlier life and re-evaluate his relationship with the Lake District and realise what is ...

A Taste of Funny – St Hilda’s, Hunts Cross

14Jun

By NewsdeskNo Comments

North West

A Taste of Funny – St Hilda’s, Hunts Cross

Woolton Drama Group’s inaugural ten-minute play festival in Liverpool, ‘A Taste of Funny; served up five fresh pieces of work, all being performed for the first time, tickling many a funny bone judging by the audience’s reaction throughout the night. An eclectic evening commenced with A Ghost on Penny Lane written by Zoe Marras & Adam Wareing and directed by Marras. Self-centred scouser Billy (John William Reynolds) is visited by a Beatles-obsessed ghost from the 1960s in need of his urgent help. Will Lucy (Ife Babatunde) be able to convince him to do the right thing, or will he just continue to wallow in misery? A humorous tale of relationships and reminiscing. The Morning After written by Kathryn West and directed by Alan Morris introduces us to Brian (Elliot Ross) and Eliza (H...

14Jun

By Dave SmithNo Comments

London

…Earnest? – Richmond Theatre

Celebrating 130 years of Oscar Wilde’s masterpiece The Importance of Being Earnest, Say It Again, Sorry? offer up their own chaotic twist - part homage, part catastrophe. Oscar Wilde meets The Play That Goes Wrong - a heady blend of farce, improv, and gentle audience manipulation. ...Earnest? begins as normal: a servant considers it rude to listen to the piano, then cucumber sandwiches - but then the doorbell rings and Earnest is loudly announced… Yet now, the door stays closed and no one arrives. A quick interruption from the director fills some time while the cast of the play-within-a-play try to figure out how the show will keep going. The answer is simple: an audience member will join them on stage to stand in for the missing actor. When funny, ...Earnest? is hilariously funny. ...