Palace Theatre Archives - North West End UK

19Jul

By Brian MaddenNo Comments

North West

Hairspray – Palace Theatre

Hairspray at the Palace Theatre in Manchester is an absolute delight and easily one of the best feel-good musical experiences. Watching live from the theatre, I couldn’t help but find myself unconsciously joining in with the choreography, swept up in the infectious energy of the performance. The show brilliantly captures the essence of Hairspray, bringing its vibrant characters and catchy tunes to life. The cast is exceptional, delivering standout performances that are both heartfelt and exhilarating. The exuberance and passion they bring to their roles are palpable, making it impossible not to get caught up in the excitement. A highlight of the show was the spectacular performance of "You Can't Stop the Beat." This number was a true showstopper, filled with energy and joy that had ...

25May

By Peter RuddickNo Comments

North West

Disney’s Aladdin – Palace Theatre

Released at the peak of the Disney renaissance, Aladdin stormed the box office in 1992 and has remained one of the most well-loved animated movies of all time. Its success and enduring appeal is due in no small part to its award-winning music. The late, very great lyricist Howard Ashman was the man behind the original pitch. He worked with composer Alan Menken on the project until Ashman’s untimely death with AIDS. Tim Rice then picked up the lyrical baton and the final soundtrack is a work of genius. Given that, it was perhaps a surprise it took so long for the film to transfer to the stage. The Broadway production has now been running for a decade. This, though, is the first time the show has played in the North West. It is well worth the wait. This is a riot of joyous sound an...

Bonnie & Clyde – Palace Theatre, Manchester

8May

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

North West

Bonnie & Clyde – Palace Theatre, Manchester

In just 2 weeks Disney’s Aladdin flies into the Palace Theatre, one of the most anticipated shows of the year. But stop right there! This week Bonnie and Clyde drives onto the Place stage to raise a little hell in what so far, for me is the theatrical highlight of the year. I am lucky enough to be able to see some of the best theatre this country has to offer visiting Manchester and this show leave me after two and a half hours struggling to find fault with it in any way whatsoever. The staging, lighting, sound, orchestra and cast are faultless from the first gunshot to the last. In a story that is never going to have a happy ending Katie Tonkinson (Bonnie) and Alex James-Hatton (Clyde) display a fiery emotional chemistry from the first moment they meet to the final fade of the l...

27Apr

By Coral MourantNo Comments

North West

The Wizard of Oz – Palace Theatre

Nikolai Foster has taken many a musical theatre staple and put his own spin on them, with this show being another triumph to come out of the tried and tested method of starting at the Leicester Curve before becoming a big hit. Sending this spectacle out on a national tour is a no-brainer, bound to bedazzle theatre goers all over the country with its imaginative take on the heart-warming classic. Based on the book by L. Frank Baum, the tale has had many iterations, proving its generational appeal. But at the heart of its story, there’s a young girl on a heroic journey to find a place to belong. We are taken on this adventure by Dorothy (Aviva Tulley). The audience is in very capable hands here, Tulley’s voice soars as she delivers Over the Rainbow, and her performance encapsulates al...

19Mar

By Jan MellorNo Comments

North West

Sister Act – Palace Theatre

Arriving at the bustling theatre, where red carpet welcomed many an actor from the phenomenon that was Coronation Street, the evening started with fans in awe, the atmosphere electric and everyone ‘giddy’ with excitement for the show ahead. The Coronation Street actors had come along in their numbers to support their colleague the nominated favourite female soup star Sue Cleaver who for this epic show of female comradeship was playing the Mother Superior. Many people may know the film of Whoopi Goldberg played the husky blues singer Deloris Van Cartier desperate to make it big but in falling for a married mobster ends up, after watching this crook Curtis murder a gang member, is on the run for her own life. For this show, the threatened disco diva is played amazingly by Brita...

Pretty Woman – Palace Theatre Manchester

28Feb

By Katie LeicesterNo Comments

North West

Pretty Woman – Palace Theatre Manchester

The Palace Theatre Manchester opened its doors to ‘Pretty Woman the Musical’ as a part of its UK tour, derived from the book by Garry Marshall and J.F. Lawton with Music and Lyrics from Bryan Adams and Jim Vallance. The 1990 romantic comedy was a huge success on screen starring Richard Gere and Julia Roberts and was directed by Garry Marshall which received several awards during its time, so I was intrigued to see how it would transfer onto a musical theatre stage. The storyline is based on a billionaire corporate raider businessman Edward Lewis (Ben Darcy) who finds himself in Hollywood whilst working on his latest deal, when lost in the city he meets Vivian Ward (Paige Fenlon) a street worker, the confident prostitute manages to win his attention with her cheeky charm and her know...

22Nov

By Paul WilcoxNo Comments

North West

Hamilton – Palace Theatre, Manchester

The Palace Theatre: 'The Grand Old Lady of Oxford Street', was dressed in her finest bib and tucker last night with a host of Northern glitterati present for the opening night of the much anticipated inaugural UK Tour of Hamilton. Anyone who has already booked their seats for a performance over the next sixteen weeks of its residency here is in for an absolute treat, this production brings the beauty and complexity of the West End and Broadway productions, whilst the cast to add their own unique interpretation of the characters combining to demonstrate musical theatre in its finest modern form. For those who are unaware of the cultural phenomenon that is 'Hamilton', it tells the story of Alexander Hamilton (Shaq Taylor) and his rise from Caribbean poverty to become one of the founding ...

Heathers The Musical – Palace Theatre, Manchester

9Aug

By Emma WildNo Comments

North West

Heathers The Musical – Palace Theatre, Manchester

Teenage years – the best years of your life? Not for those attending Westerberg High School in Heathers The Musical! This is no saccharine sweet teenage musical; Heathers addresses hard-hitting themes including murder, suicide, date rape and bulimia. Is this a gloom – fest? Certainly not! Heathers is a life lesson, a gloriously darkly comic look at the teenage quest for popularity and acceptance. Opening night at the exquisite Palace Theatre and it is clear to see from the scrunchies and tartan in the audience that Heathers has a devoted following. Based on the eponymous 1988 cult film, starring Winona Ryder and Christian Slater, Heathers The Musical moved Off-Broadway in 2014. After an Off-West End run Heathers transferred to the West End in 2018. In 2019, Heathers The Musical won the...

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory The Musical – Palace Theatre, Manchester

13Jul

By Paul WilcoxNo Comments

North West

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory The Musical – Palace Theatre, Manchester

For the next three weeks, the venerable old Palace Theatre will play host to the UK tour of 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory The Musical'. Whilst it will undoubtedly prove a box office success with families seeking distraction at the beginning of the long summer holidays, unfortunately its saccharine sweetness without any of the counteracting sourness left me feeling slightly queasy by the conclusion. I am not alone in adoring the work of Roald Dahl; his books have sold over 300 million copies worldwide and his work is widely accepted to be amongst the canon of children's literature, everything from 'James and the Giant Peach' to 'The BFG’ has been voraciously read by succeeding generations of schoolchildren over the last six decades. Part of his appeal is that he is deliciously dark...

Dirty Dancing – Palace Theatre, Manchester

31May

By Alison BainesNo Comments

North West

Dirty Dancing – Palace Theatre, Manchester

One of the most loved films of the 80’s and even now, Dirty Dancing has charmed viewers for many years - but can the stage show have the same effect? Taking us back to 1963 in the quaint holiday village of Kellerman’s, Francis ‘Baby’ Houseman is on a family vacation when she meets dance instructor Johnny Castle. Baby is thrown into a world she’s been shielded from, as daddy’s little girl sees her life change forever as she becomes Johnny’s leading lady on and off the dancefloor. The pair of Kira Malou as Baby and Michael O’Reilly as Johnny pay the perfect homage to the original couple played so iconically by Jennifer Grey and Patrick Swayze, whilst still bringing their own flavour and panache to the roles. The audience swoons for O’Reilly, just as much as Baby does throughout as he ...