The best: Theatre shows to book now in Manchester

Based on Alison Bechdel’s groundbreaking graphic memoir, Royal Exchange Theatre presents the regional premiere of Fun Home, the Tony Award-winning musical that has captivated audiences around the world with its warm, insightful and deeply affecting exploration of family, identity and memory.

Narrated by Richard Armitage, audiences are invited to experience the thrill of launch, the challenges of life in space and cutting-edge NASA tech in this spectacular dome show at the iconic UNESCO heritage site, Jodrell Bank, throughout January.

Jason Manford returns to the stage alongside Richard Fleeshman and two-time Olivier nominee, Marisha Wallace. Something Rotten!, which makes its UK premiere at the Opera House, follows brothers Nick and Nigel, both of whom are desperate to write a hit play but remain stuck in the shadow of Shakespeare.

When a quirky soothsayer foretells an outlandish future for theatre – full of acting, singing, and dancing all at the same time – Nick and Nigel set out to write this strange new creation…a musical.

Bruntwood Prize-winning playwright Tim Foley brings his funny, quietly haunting sci-fi drama Life Out There to both Lowry and Jodrell Bank this July. 

Developed by the award-winning, Manchester-based Ransack Theatre, the show explores the ethics of space exploration, human selfishness, and the fragile hope that we can still change.

Life Out There will premiere at Lowry from Wed 1 Jul – Sat 4 Jul, before a special, one-night performance reimagines the show as a live radio play at Jodrell Bank on Thu 16 Jul.

For the first time ever, a novel by John le Carré, the undisputed master of the modern spy genre, is brought to life in a thrilling stage adaptation.

Starring Ralf Little, The Spy Who Came In From The Cold is a riveting journey through the fog-shrouded terrain of Cold War espionage, deception, and moral compromise.

Le Navet Bete, one of the UK’s most renowned comedy theatre companies and creators of smash-hit family shows Dracula: The Bloody Truth, King Arthur and Treasure Island, have teamed up with Olivier Award-nominated writer and director John Nicholson (The Time Machine: A Comedy) to present a riotous all-out hilarious ride through the world of Greek mythology, Oh Zeus!

Little Seeds Music brings Tales from the Lighthouse to HOME this summer, combining storytelling, traditional music, original songs and spellbinding puppetry in a magical family-friendly adventure.

Somewhere on a desolate shore, a lonely lighthouse keeper has grown fearful of the sea and its wild and stormy nature. But when a mysterious stranger arrives carrying songs of the ocean’s power and mystery, the keeper is forced to confront long-held fears and rediscover the beauty of the world beyond the lighthouse walls.

Written and performed by Oliver Bishop, with original songs by David Gibb and live music from BBC Radio 2 Folk Award nominee Cohen Braithwaite-Kilcoyne, Tales from the Lighthouse promises a captivating introduction to theatre for children aged five and above, alongside anyone enchanted by myths, folklore and the call of the sea.

Returning to The Lowry once again following another series of sell-out tours on the West End, Broadway and beyond, the smash-hit Tudor satire Six brings ‘pure entertainment’ (The New York Times) to Lowry with an irresistible pop-infused recount of England’s worst husband, as told by Henry VIII’s wives.

Divorced, Beheaded, Live – one by one, the problematic King’s spouses take to the mic to remix five centuries of heartbreak into a single evening of defiantly rebellious girl power, as these unsung icons of history deliver a breathtakingly imaginative original score with infectious melodies and ingenious lyricism.

Chorlton’s Writers’ Café brings an evening dedicated to celebrating the power of new writing to 53Two. Bringing together a vibrant mix of emerging and established writers from the Writers’ Café community, this unique showcase presents a diverse programme of professionally staged short plays. 

To save their home, the unconventional sisters of St. Magdaline’s are planning the ultimate “holy” heist. Facing a future of shopping centres and student flats, this misfit family of “last chance” nuns must band together to “borrow” their way to salvation by targeting the Church’s own coffers.

The original Tony Award-winning sensation returns to Manchester as Jersey Boys embarks on its 20th anniversary tour, telling the extraordinary true story behind one of the biggest names in music history.

Charting the rise of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons from the streets of New Jersey to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the smash-hit musical reveals the tensions, triumphs and personal struggles that unfolded behind the group’s unmistakable harmonies. Alongside the drama, audiences can expect a soundtrack packed with era-defining hits including Sherry, Big Girls Don’t Cry, Walk Like a Man, Beggin’ and Can’t Take My Eyes Off You.

Having won 65 major awards and entertained more than 27 million people worldwide, Jersey Boys returns with a cast led by Luke Baker as Frankie Valli, promising another electrifying run at the Palace Theatre this autumn.

The best-selling novel turned Netflix hit, The Haunting of Hill House, emerges in its latest iteration, this time reimagined for the stage.

Based on the book by Shirley Jackson, adapted for the stage by Olivier and BAFTA winner Stef Smith and directed by Sky Arts Award winner Martin Constantine, the new stage adaptation is ‘tense, unsettling and darkly playful’, promising heart-thumping supernatural suspense.

30 years on from the original film’s release, Irvine Welsh has reimagined his iconic creation for the stage in Trainspotting The Musical.

Speaking about the adaptation, Welsh says: “I believe the musical has a bigger, loudly beating human heart than either the book or the film. People need to think about the world we’re living in, and we offer that inspection, but they also really need to sing their hearts out and laugh their heads off – it’s what being human is all about.”

Renowned contemporary dance company Rambert has announced a major new dance work inspired by the award-winning Channel 4 series, It’s A Sin, in partnership with Factory International, set to make its premiere at Aviva Studios in the new year. The show sees original series creator Russell T Davies (Queer As Folk, Doctor Who) serving as Executive Producer, alongside legendary pop duo Pet Shop Boys and Glyn Fussell (Sink the Pink, Mighty Hoopla festival).

Lowry has announced that as part of a landmark partnership with the National Theatre, a brand-new production of The Rise and Fall of Little Voice, will come to Saford in February 2027, following a run at the National Theatre in London.

The Rise and Fall of Little Voice will be the first National Theatre production to tour as part of NT Nationwide, supported by funding from Arts Council England. Jim Cartwright’s modern classic, which will be directed by Deputy Artistic Director, Robert Hastie (Standing at the Sky’s Edge), is a joyful, tender and bittersweet celebration of music, ambition and the courage it takes to be heard featuring iconic music from the likes of Judy Garland, Shirley Bassey and more.

The Chichester Festival Theatre, Stage Entertainment and Sheffield Theatres smash-hit production of Singin’ in the Rain will come to Lowry as part of a major new tour and following a summer season at Sadler’s Wells in London.

Journey back to the glamour of Hollywood in the roaring 20’s with high-energy choreography and sumptuous set designs (including over 14,000 litres of water on stage), combined with all the romance and wit of one of the world’s best- loved films.