Hope Mill Theatre Archives - Page 3 of 6

Jacob Fowler set to have a ball in Manchester

26Jul

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

NEWS

Jacob Fowler set to have a ball in Manchester

Hope Mill Theatre in Manchester is to stage the UK theatrical premiere of the Broadway musical version of Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella. Jacob Fowler will play Prince Topher opposite the recently announced Grace Mouat, who plays Ella. Jacob is most prominently known for winning the BBC One prime-time show Little Mix: The Search and subsequently going on to support Little Mix on their final UK arena tour, including three nights at the legendary O2 Arena. He also appeared in the role of J.D. in Heathers The Musical at The Other Palace. Leading the creative team for this new production are venue founders Joseph Houston and William Whelton, with Houston directing and Whelton co-directing and choreographing. Further Casting to be announced. Jacob Fowler said: “I’m honoured to b...

20Jul

By Scot CunninghamNo Comments

North West

Lizard Boy – Hope Mill Theatre

Folk rock meets reptiles in this superhero-inspired, coming-of-age musical about finding love from the most unexpected sources. Our highly-strung hero Trevor (Justin Huertas) shut himself away from the world after an encounter with a dragon left him with green, scaly skin. Twenty-years later, a first date is set to take him out of his shell and on a life-changing adventure. Musical talent in this production is off the scale: in catchy, off-West End quality songs, the original US cast of 3 adroitly jumps from guitars to xylophones to kazoos like it’s second nature. The trio boast superb vocals, particularly Kirsten ‘Kiki’ Delohr Helland whose voice elevates every number to mythical heights. William A. Williams also contributes skilful beatbox riffs to them. As Trevor, writer Justin...

Lizard Boy announces its UK premiere casting

2Jul

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

NEWS

Lizard Boy announces its UK premiere casting

The UK cast for the new indie rock musical has been announced ahead of its UK premiere at Hope Mill Theatre in Manchester from 14th - 27th July 2022. Equal parts comic book lore and coming-of-age love story, Lizard Boy is the thrilling original rock musical that’s been called "Ingenious" (San Francisco Chronicle), "Phenomenal" (San Jose Mercury News), "Ferocious & Funny"(Seattle Times). During a bizarre childhood accident, Trevor was drenched head to toe in dragon’s blood. Growing green and scaly skin, he withdrew from the world. Tonight—twenty years later—Trevor's first date with a cute guy transforms into adventure of mythic proportions. The UK cast is Anthony Rickman as Trevor, Alan Cammish as Caly and Sophie Reid as Siren, who playing alternate nights alongside the original U...

Manchester LGBTQ+ Theatre Company return to Hope Mill Theatre

7Jun

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

NEWS

Manchester LGBTQ+ Theatre Company return to Hope Mill Theatre

Manchester based LGBTQ+ theatre company Green Carnation make their return to the stage this October with a new production of Philip Ridley’s scorching psychological thriller, ‘Vincent River’. Green Carnation Company, whose mission is to tell queer stories through quality theatre, will return to Hope Mill Theatre from Wednesday 12th to Wednesday 19th October to premiere their first production since the pandemic. The play, ‘Vincent’ River’, is a tense, heart-breaking, and at times darkly humorous thriller examining hate crime, loss, prejudice and sexuality in a tense game of cat and mouse set in London’s East End. Green Carnation began its life in 2018 when it was founded by Manchester based co-directors Dan Ellis and Dan Jarvis (aka ‘The Dans’) to produce Alexi Kaye Campbell’s time-tr...

11May

By Louise KershawNo Comments

North West

Passion – Hope Mill Theatre

‘Die, Fosca! Die’ was the call from the auditorium in response to the first production of Stephen Sondheim’s ‘Passion’ in May 1994. Theatre trolling alive and well before the internet even existed. Who would have known? No such reaction from the audience gathered in a packed Hope Mill Theatre this evening I can assure you, but I will come back to that… Based on Tarchetti’s 1869 novel Fosca, Passion is one of the few projects that Stephen Sondheim himself conceived. When it first opened on Broadway in May 1994 it was admired by critics but not by audiences who were utterly repelled by the character of Fosca, the woman with whom Giorgio eventually falls in love. Unattractive, manipulative, obsessive, relentless in her pursuit of this younger man, audiences refused to believe that th...

Jane Hair: The Brontes Restyled – Hope Mill Theatre

6Apr

By Brian MaddenNo Comments

North West

Jane Hair: The Brontes Restyled – Hope Mill Theatre

A salon in the village of Haworth, West Yorkshire is an unlikely location for a play to be set. However, we soon meet the stylists; Emily, Charlotte and Anne and finally it all becomes clear. This is a modern day look at the Bronte sisters written by Bradford lasses Kirsty Smith and Kat Rose-Martin. From the get go the characters are instantly likeable and have their own unique personalities. However, before going on with the review I must state on the night I watched the production the actor who plays Charlotte was isolating due to Covid-19. However, instead of cancelling the performance the ladies ploughed on and the stage manager stepped up to read the role of Charlotte, and she more than delivered. The action really starts when a post appears online from a ‘Lizzie G’ (any gue...

30Mar

By Paul ClarkeNo Comments

North West

Vagina Cake – Hope Mill Theatre

Making friends at university can be a risky business as four friends have found out as they run round the stage pandering to the unreasonable demands of an unseen ‘The Duchess’. In between Laura Harper’s warm, funny but very perceptive new work unpeels the power and complexity of female friendships as Fraggle, Dipsy, Mumps and Mary migrate from their relatively carefree twenties into the much choppier waters of their thirties. Harper has based Vagina Cake on extensive chats with women of different generations, and the regular gales of laughter from the mainly female audience proved she has nailed the inevitable changes in friendships that start when you are essentially still a big child. The first half centres around a disastrous wedding sketching out each of the women’s ro...

Passion starring Ruthie Henshall to play 4-week run at Hope Mill Theatre, Manchester

18Mar

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

NEWS

Passion starring Ruthie Henshall to play 4-week run at Hope Mill Theatre, Manchester

Full casting is now announced for Stephen Sondheim/James Lapine’s Passion this May: Dean John-Wilson (Steven Spielberg’s Masters of Air, Apple TV; Aladdin) will play Giorgio, the man who finds himself at the heart of a passionate love affair, alongside Olivier nominated Kelly Price (What’s New Pussycat?, Birmingham REP; A Little Night Music, Menier Chocolate Factory and Garrick Theatre) as Clara. The cast is completed by Adam Robert Lewis (The Phantom of the Opera, Her Majesty’s Theatre), Charlie Waddell (South Pacific, Chichester Festival Theatre), Danny Whitehead (Wicked, UK tour), Dalton Harris (The X Factor), Ray Shell (Starlight Express, The Lion King), Steve Watts (As You Like It, Cheek by Jowl), and Tim Walton (Matilda the Musical, RSC). They join the Olivier Award winner and mus...

My Favourite Place in the Whole Wide World – Hope Mill Theatre

3Mar

By Lou SteggalsNo Comments

North West

My Favourite Place in the Whole Wide World – Hope Mill Theatre

Trauma can have impact people in many different ways – some people grow and flourish from the ashes, some people can see their life, and the things that bring them comfort, cruelly collapse and leave them shattered. Award-winning playwright Ian Townsend explores this journey along with themes of sexual identity, self-esteem and the very human craving of connection with others in his newest work, “My favourite place…”, directed by James Schofield. In and amongst a simple set of stacked black and orange-striped boxes, we meet J and Ruth, two people who have endured their own childhood traumas, and who, through a cleverly executed moment of serendipity, are thrust into a most unlikely friendship. The script is very much a tale of two halves. In part one, we watch each character lay o...

9Feb

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

NEWS

1974 Productions return to Hope Mill

Following their success with the 2019 tour of Ian Townsend’s multi award winning play All The Bens (sold out dates, Greater Manchester Fringe Award for Best Drama, Nominated for Best Actor, Best Revival and Oldham Coliseum Pick of the Fringe), 1974 Productions are proud to present Ian’s new full-length play My Favourite Place In The Whole Wide World. Longlisted for the 2019 Bruntwood/Royal Exchange International Playwriting Competition, this beautiful new play tells the story of Ruth (Claire Eden) and J (Ben Kenzie), two people in search of love and purpose in a world of confusion and loss. We watch Ruth and J grow from children to adults and see how they’ve been influenced by events and circumstances. Shot through with humour, My Favourite Place In The Whole Wide World is an engagin...