The Lowry Archives - North West End UK

15Apr

By Lou SteggalsNo Comments

North West

Ballet Black 25 – The Lowry

Ballet Black has celebrated its 25th anniversary with a compelling and ultimately uplifting double bill that showcases the company’s distinctive voice - emotionally direct, visually striking, and rooted in both classical technique and contemporary relevance. The opening piece, ‘…all towards hope’, choreographed by Hope Boykin, sets the tone with a sense of warmth and inclusivity. The egalitarian costuming—earthy reds, pinks, and browns—beautifully complements the lighting palette, creating a cohesive visual world that feels grounded and human. Boykin’s choreography is the true standout here. Electric yet nuanced, it pulses with energy while allowing space for quieter, reflective moments. Her spoken text threads gently through the work, reinforcing themes of unity and resilience witho...

27Mar

By Max EdenNo Comments

North West

Erin & Ern – The Lowry

It’s charming and filled with laugh-out-loud moments; Eric & Ern at The Lowry is a nostalgic celebration of one of Britain’s most beloved comedy double acts! Written by Ian Ashpitel and Jonty Stephens, Eric & Ern takes audiences back to the golden era of light entertainment, performing a selection of Eric Morecambe and Ernie Wise best bits that made them became the nation’s favourite duo. This show is a must for any Morecambe & Wise fans with a show filled with warmth and affection for the pair, capturing not only the iconic humour but also the deep friendship at its core. The duo on stage have the personalities down to a tee; they are superb; Ian Ashpitel as Eric and Jonty Stephens as Ern demonstrate impeccable comic timing and undeniable chemistry. They don’t sim...

14Mar

By Paul WilcoxNo Comments

North West

Opera North: Peter Grimes – The Lowry

In the week Timothée Chalamet made his ill-advised claim that “no one cares about ballet and opera anymore”, the 1,700 people gathered at the Lyric Theatre in Salford to watch Opera North’s revival of Benjamin Britten’s Peter Grimes would strongly disagree. Chalamet might revise his opinion were he ever to see this production. Karolina Sofulak’s revival of the 2006 original presents Britten’s music in all its brooding glory while sharply revealing the paranoia and groupthink at the heart of the story. The opera begins in silence. Peter Grimes (John Findon) stands in the dock before an inquest into the death of his young apprentice, William Spode. The townspeople of The Borough are deeply suspicious of Grimes, a loner and outcast in their close-knit and introspective society. His acquitt...

13Mar

By Lou SteggalsNo Comments

North West

The Marriage of Figaro – The Lowry

Opera North’s 2026 production of The Marriage of Figaro proves that a thoughtful modernisation can illuminate a classic without dimming its original sparkle. Rather than forcing Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Lorenzo Da Ponte’s comedy into a contemporary mould, this staging updates the setting with a light touch, trusting the intelligence of the audience and the resilience of the material. The result feels both fresh and recognisable. Often cited among the greatest operas ever written, the story unfolds over the chaotic wedding day of Figaro, valet to Count Almaviva, and his beloved Susannah, maid to the Countess. Their hopes of marital bliss are threatened by the Count’s relentless pursuit of Susannah and by the arrival of a housekeeper armed with a contract demanding marriage from Figaro...

25Feb

By Paul WilcoxNo Comments

North West

Operation Mincemeat – The Lowry

Back in April 2023, my daughter and I were in London’s theatre-land, seeking something cheerful and light after enduring a four-hour production of A Little Life — a play that had left us both in a numbly depressed state. A tiny show had just opened at the Fortune Theatre, just off Covent Garden, and we decided to take a risk on some cheap, last-minute tickets. It turned out to be a very wise decision. The show was Operation Mincemeat and, in the ensuing three years, it has garnered universal audience adoration, five-star reviews galore, continued success in the West End, and a Broadway transfer with resulting Tony and Olivier Awards recognition. The next step in its seemingly inexorable rise is a world tour, which kicks off with a glitzy “yellow carpet” premiere in Salford — cementing i...

Ockham’s Razor: Collaborator – The Lowry

6Feb

By Helen JonesNo Comments

North West

Ockham’s Razor: Collaborator – The Lowry

Ockham's Razor, one of the best creative circus companies in the UK, are back at the Lowry with their new show Collaborator and Co Artistic Directors Alex Harvey and Charlotte Mooney are performing once more. Over the last few years, they have taken on a more directorial role within the company but here they once more work together to create and perform a show which takes an autobiographical look at their lives together. Having met twenty-four years ago while training a Circomedia in Bristol, they fell in love but also realised that the vision for how they wanted to show their circus skills was shared by both of them. The company Ockham's Razor came from that shared vision. Twenty years later, older and with a ten-year-old daughter, this retrospective of their re...

4Feb

By Adam WilliamsNo Comments

North West

MÁM – The Lowry

According to the director and choreographer of this scintillating piece of art, Michael Keegan-Dolan, “A mám is a pass through the mountains. It’s a geographical structure that encourages people to go a certain way.” He goes on to say it can also mean an “obligation”, adding, “Sometimes as artists, you feel this obligation to do something, even if you can’t really say why.” This is an artistic endeavour of the highest quality. It is an imaginative combination of dance, theatre and music. Taking you on a journey through love, despair, longing, and joy. It is both intense and free, structured and loose, disparate and unifying. It starts with a devilish figure holding a concertina, facing a child. He takes off his mask, and the dancers start creating a beat, and the movement begins. ...

21Jan

By Lou SteggalsNo Comments

North West

Murder at Midnight – The Lowry

The latest outing from writer Torben Betts is a gleefully farcical affair that never once pretends to be believable. From the opening moments where the audience is faced with the aftermath of what is described by a policeman as murderous ‘carnage’, Murder at Midnight announces itself as broad and proudly and knowingly over-the-top. The decision for our theatregoers tonight is not whether any of what they witness makes sense but if they are willing to go along with the foolishness. If they do, there is a great deal of fun to be had. Resistance will result in the play’s relentless absurdity becoming quickly wearing. The vague plot centres around the home of Jonny Drinkwater, a local gangster, on New Year’s Eve, where a series of events will lead to a body count that rivals a Tara...

15Jan

By Paul WilcoxNo Comments

North West

To Kill a Mockingbird – The Lowry

If the rest of my theatrical year measures up to this stunning start, then I am in for a vintage 2026. My first outing is a superb stage rendering of Harper Lee’s 1960 novel To Kill a Mockingbird, currently midway through an extensive UK tour following its runaway success on the London stage earlier this decade. A distinctly diverse audience greeted the production at the cavernous Lyric Theatre in Salford for this packed press night. A mixture of ageing grey hairs (like myself), with distant memories of studying the book for O-level, mingled with excitable GCSE students who have encountered Scout, Atticus and Boo Radley much more recently. All were entranced by the stage adaptation of the novel which, whilst staying faithful to the spirit and morality of the original, managed to find 21...

Unfortunate: The Untold Story of Ursula the Sea Witch – The Lowry

12Dec

By Katie LeicesterNo Comments

North West

Unfortunate: The Untold Story of Ursula the Sea Witch – The Lowry

Unfortunate splashes back onto the stage with all the camp, chaos and deliciously wicked sparkle you could hope for. Directed by Robyn Grant and written by Grant and Daniel Foxx, this gloriously irreverent musical flips The Little Mermaid on its tail, giving Ursula the narrative power she has always deserved. In this fabulously filthy retelling, Ursula isn’t the villain but the victim, cast out from her home and from the arms of her one true love, King Triton, after a web of murderous lies twists the kingdom against her. Years later, she finds herself drawn back into Atlantica’s drama when the hopelessly horny and hilariously naïve Ariel decides she wants legs, not for adventure, but for access to the human men and their “genital anatomy.” The result is a riotous, queer, glitter-soaked ...