The best: Theatre shows around Manchester this autumn

Running from Fri 6 Sep-Sat 12 Oct, the captivating, club-going adaptation of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream pushes the boundaries of theatre itself with a modernised, unapologetically hedonistic descent into the world of contemporary Athens, remixed with the magic of Manchester’s rave culture at the Royal Exchange Theatre.

Directed by Stef O’Driscoll, the innovative new production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream pays tribute to Manchester’s dance scene with a vibrant whirlwind of energetic dance-offs and classic drum and bass.

As the city prepares for a momentous royal wedding, four youthful ravers battle for their future, as every choice they make draws them further into a world of joy and danger. Their beloved nocturnal haunt, The Palace nightclub, is ruled by The Duke, with peril hidden in every pulsating beat. When they find themselves in an enchanting forest, the lines between fantasy and reality blur as they enter into a treacherous game with scheming fairies, with all their kaleidoscopic adventures overseen by the Moon, a mysterious goddess of music and mayhem.

Following sell-out runs in London and a critically acclaimed stint at the Edinburgh Fringe, Gwyneth Goes Skiing brings a fabulously absurd tale of love, betrayal, stardom and mountainous meet-cutes to Hope Mill Theatre this September.

In 2016, a retired Utah optometrist collides with the holistic Goop-flogging A-lister on the slopes of Deer Valley, condemning the unassuming civilian to a grisly court date seven years later where the deceptively soft-spoken jade egg advocate seeks to win a hefty lawsuit.

A refreshing invective against the modern age of mandatory interconnectivity, I Bought A Flip Phone brings a timely, heartfelt and frequently hysterical exploration of chronic doomscrolling and digital burnout to HOME this September.

Sick of rifling through an endless vertical gallery of perfect holidays, new-house humblebrags and misinformed fitness influencers, combined with a flaky best mate and his mum’s relentless hectoring, Charlie decides to bail on the cyberverse and buy a bare bones flip phone for his 27th birthday. In his off-grid quest for connection and inner peace, Charlie delivers an hour of laughter, empathy and alarming relatability guaranteed to hit some hilariously familiar notes with audiences across the generations.

This September, The National Theatre’s global smash-hit production of War Horse returns to The Lowry with a jaw-dropping theatrical adaptation of Michael Morpurgo’s masterful novel.

From the lush fields of rural Devon to the tormented trenches of First World War France, the inventive and profoundly stirring tale follows a young man and his determined quest to reunite with his beloved horse, Joey, when the latter is sold to the British Cavalry at the height of attritional conflict in No Man’s Land.

Brimming with poignant original music and breathtaking puppetry featuring life-sized horses by South Africa’s Handspring Puppet Company, the Olivier-winning play promises to delight theatre-goers and younger audiences alike with an unforgettable stage experience.

Set against the backdrop of the legendary Premiership season in which Kevin Keegan’s dogged Newcastle side came agonisingly close to a landmark title, Love It If We Beat Them offers an innovative new political drama which examines a period of shifting identities and economic landscapes across the North East, bringing a pivotal point of modern history to life amidst the rising tide of Blair’s New Labour.

Len, a hard-left stalwart of grassroots politics, enters the fray as a candidate for local MP, but a New Labour interloper from Manchester threatens to unravel his hard-fought community model and undermine the strength of leftist ideals in the area. As loyalties grow strained and tensions boil over, the pair go head-to-head in a battle of power and principle, while Keegan’s United inch closer to dreamland.

Packed with timeless sing-a-long classics like Summer Lovin’, Greased Lightnin’, Hopelessly Devoted and many more, the ‘spectacularly staged’ (The Stage) production of Grease arrives at the Palace on Tue 8 October with a gritty, glamorous rework of the leather-clad musical.

Promising an exhilarating, energetic new take on Danny, Sandy, the T-Birds and the Pink Ladies, this unmissable adaptation stars a fresh young cast performing all the hits while delivering show-stopping dance routines choreographed by Arlene Phillips.

Hailed as an ‘agile, vivid piece of storytelling’ by The Scotsman, James Rowland’s Piece of Work presents an absorbing blend of comedy, storytelling and a dash of Shakespeare’s Hamlet to render a hilarious, heartbreaking road trip through his life at The Edge.

Returning home following his first time away, James received a letter that turned his life upside down, and ignited a new tour which became a search for the sender, an understanding of home and even the chance to save a life.