The best musicals coming to Lowry in 2026 and beyond

The fresh new staging of Disney’s beloved teen phenomenon continues to delight audiences this month, complete with immersive set design and on-stage seating that transforms the Lyric Theatre into the recognisable halls and courts of East High.

Featuring Tobias Turley, KayCee Stroh and Jason Donovan as Coach Bolton, the production follows Troy, Gabriella and their classmates as they navigate friendship, expectation and first love while preparing for the school musical. Co-directed by Hope Mill Theatre founders Joseph Houston and William Whelton, this bold revival gives the Disney Channel classic a vibrant new life.

Naturally, audiences can also expect every major hit from the original film, including Breaking Free, Stick to the Status Quo and We’re All In This Together.

Book your tickets below to catch the Wildcats before they depart Salford on Sat 19 Sep.

Following a sell-out West End season, Cole Porter’s sparkling musical comedy arrives at Lowry in a whirlwind of ‘pure theatrical escapism’ (Times), with Helen George leading a 28-strong cast as glamorous socialite Tracy Lord.

As preparations for the society wedding of the year descend into delicious chaos, old flames, new romances and a sharp-eyed tabloid reporter converge on a waterfront estate, while Porter’s peerless songbook provides a timelessly infectious soundtrack to the playful escapade.

High Society‘s score features an array of Porter’s best-loved numbers, including Just One of Those Things, Let’s Misbehave, I Love Paris and True Love.

Book tickets below.

Titled after The Smiths’ definitive anthem about social anxiety and the viscerally human need for connection, this brand-new indie musical plunges into the smoky, euphoric world of a 1990s Manchester nightclub, where three women find themselves confronting friendship, love and the uncertain promise of a new millennium.

Set on New Year’s Eve 1997, Siân Owen’s original story follows Polly, Angie and Jean as the night unfolds to a live soundtrack of iconic indie anthems from The Stone Roses, Radiohead and The Smiths. Staged by Manchester-based Box of Tricks, the world premiere of How Soon Is Now? captures the highs, lows and strange magic of a big night out, while celebrating Northern voices, female friendship and the possibility of finding your place in the world.

Part musical, part pub night and part raucous celebration of male friendship, Olivier Award-nominated The Choir of Man sees the Lowry become the world’s greatest watering hole for a five-day stint this October.

Hailed as ‘exhilarating’ by The Daily Mail, this unabashedly optimistic show stars nine extraordinary performers in a cavalcade of live music, singing, dancing, instrumental virtuosity and an abundance of theatrical mischief, running through everything from Queen and Luther Vandross to Sia, Paul Simon and Guns N’ Roses.

Direct from the West End and embarking on its first UK and Ireland tour, The Choir of Man promises a generous, foot-stomping celebration of community with a pint firmly in hand.

The revolutionary life of Sylvia Pankhurst receives an innovative yet faithful musical tribute in this Olivier-nominated production, blending hip hop, funk and soul with the remarkable history of one of Britain’s most important political movements.

Naomi Katiyo plays Sylvia, the rebellious middle Pankhurst daughter who broke with her family’s suffragette campaign to fight for working women, the impoverished and the politically marginalised, while Beverley Knight reprises her Olivier Award-winning performance as Emmeline. With a score by Josh Cohen and DJ Walde and choreography from Kate Prince, Sylvia turns political history into a propulsive theatrical experience that captivated audiences at London’s Old Vic and earned favourable comparisons to Hamilton.

West End star Lucie Jones reprises her leading role in Waitress, the widely loved and achingly bittersweet musical comedy that follows a gifted pie-maker whose carefully constructed life is upended by an unexpected romance and a complicated new chapter.

Alongside Jones, Les Dennis joins the cast as Old Joe, while a Grammy Award-winning score by Sara Bareilles ensures a theatrical recipe brimming with warmth, wit and irresistible music makes for a stirring tale of friendship, resilience and the real meaning of happiness.

Looking ahead to spring 2027, Anaïs Mitchell’s Hadestown brings one of the most acclaimed musicals of recent years to Lowry as part of its first UK and Ireland tour.

Blending folk, blues, pop and New Orleans-inspired jazz, the Tony and Grammy Award-winning smash-hit intertwines two ancient love stories, following dreamers Orpheus and Eurydice into the underworld alongside Hades and Persephone. Romantic, mythic and defiantly hopeful, Hadestown asks what we might risk for love and whether hope can survive against impossible odds.

Next summer, Chichester Festival Theatre’s production of the all-time musical classic comes to Salford with all of the dazzling charm and Roaring Twenties delight that made Singin’ in the Rain a defining triumph of midcentury cinema.

Set amidst Hollywood’s transition from silent films to talking pictures, the beloved tale combines sumptuous set design, showstopping choreography and a generous helping of obligatory old-school romance. Famously featuring more than 14,000 litres of water on stage, the production promises a spectacular recreation of the film’s iconic title sequence, alongside enduring favourites including Good Morning, Make ’em Laugh and the legendary title song.