Palace Theatre Archives - Page 2 of 5

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 knowl...

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 f...

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 s...

Greatest Days – Palace Theatre, Manchester

20May

By Max EdenNo Comments

North West

Greatest Days – Palace Theatre, Manchester

What a time to be a Take That fan! Just weeks after Take That’s incredible performance at the Coronation Concert; the bands own musical; Greatest Days arrives in Manchester, delivering a heart-warming story alongside those all important Take That hits. Greatest Days is so cleverly written by Tim Firth, it’s a story which is not only relatable, it’s emotional and moving without being far fetched or fantasy - it’s winning formula is that it’s about ordinary people, the fans and not about the stars themselves - and by doing this - you find yourself rooting for the cast throughout. Greatest Days is a refreshed version of the 2017 Musical; The Band which featured a TV contest; Let it Shine in the lead up to find the 5 boys to be in the band. This time around, it’s a different cast feat...

10May

By Adam WilliamsNo Comments

North West

The King & I – Palace Theatre

In the aftermath of the coronation of King Charles III it seemed somehow appropriate to see this famous musical about an altogether different type of monarch. Rodgers and Hammerstein’s hit musical was written in 1951 and was based on Margaret Landon's novel, Anna and the King of Siam, which in turn is based on the memoirs of Anna Leonowens, governess to the children of King Mongkut of Siam in the early 1860s. Most people will know the 1956 film starring Deborah Kerr and Yul Brynner, but this production was better than the film. It was full of fun, at turns amusing, emotional, lively and at its very heart lavishly entertaining. Underneath its effervescent charm lie a number of issues that are bound to emerge in a cross-cultural musical, especially in this day and age. Anna’s attemp...

Will You Be In The Room Where It Happens?

21Feb

By Paul DownhamNo Comments

NEWS

Will You Be In The Room Where It Happens?

Producers Jeffrey Seller and Cameron Mackintosh are delighted to announce that the multi award-winning HAMILTON will tour the UK for the very first time opening at the Manchester Palace Theatre on Saturday 11th November 2023 for a 15 week season until Saturday 24th February 2024 followed by a run at the Festival Theatre, Edinburgh from Wednesday 28th February – Saturday 27th April 2024. FURTHER VENUES TO BE ANNOUNCED SOON. Casting for the UK tour is currently underway. ATG Theatrecard tickets will go on sale for Manchester on Friday 10th March at 10am. General tickets will then go on sale for the seasons in Manchester and Edinburgh on 13th March at 10am 2023. Sign-up at www.hamiltonmusical.com for access to priority tickets. The Olivier, Tony and Grammy and Pulitzer Prize-winn...

2Nov

By Paul WilcoxNo Comments

North West

Disney’s The Lion King – Palace Theatre

There was a palpable sense of excitement in Manchester last night as the crowds made their way down Oxford Road to watch 'The Lion King' start its mammoth run at the venerable old Palace Theatre. Some in the audience have been waiting over two years, the original booking falling victim to the pandemic back in 2020, indeed such was the demand for tickets (over 200,000 sold for the initial weeks of performance), that the run has been further extended to the middle of March next year. I saw this production on its last visit to Manchester in 2012 and will admit to being slightly underwhelmed on that occasion, so I was interested to see if this time round it would live up to the hype. Should you be spending your hard earned money in the company of Simba and Pumba in the Pride Lands, rather t...

Beautiful: The Carole King Musical – Palace Theatre

12Oct

By Scot CunninghamNo Comments

North West

Beautiful: The Carole King Musical – Palace Theatre

Behind every record-breaking, chart-topping hit is a songwriter with poetical flair to spare. This jukebox musical pays homage to 60s icon Carole King, the multi-talented musician and composer of timeless classics from ‘The Loco-Motion’ to ‘(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman’. ‘Beautiful’ follows the musically-rich career of King (Molly-Grace Cutler) as she pursues a dream to enrich people’s lives with her original songs. As an autobiographical piece, Douglas McGrath’s book reveals how King’s life experiences are reflected in her far-reaching creations. The story itself may be thin, but the versatile cast proves that there is no need to overembellish a straightforward narrative when it’s the soundtrack that takes centre stage. Carole’s pop tunes are interspersed with soul and so...