Below, you’ll find a dozen of the most intriguing plays that are being staged around Manchester and Salford next month. We have featured an eclectic mix, including grand opera, ballet, cheesy musicals and intimate one-person shows. There are undisputed masterpieces and never-before-seen independent productions. Don’t wait too long to book though, as many are likely to sell out very soon.
Emily Brontë’s only completed novel gets a stage adaptation from scriptwriter Andrew Sheridan and director Bryony Shanahan. The play doesn’t shy away from exploring the character of Heathcliff, with all his cruel and vindictive behaviour. Hence, it is not suitable for younger or more sensitive viewers.
Birmingham Royal Ballet’s lavish production brings to life one of the greatest works in the history of ballet. Tchaikovsky’s immortal tale centres on Odette, a beautiful princess turned into a swan by an evil sorcerer’s curse. Only the power of love can save her.
This one-act musical tells the story of Sashka, a troubled boy with seemingly nothing to live for. His life is spiralling out of control, but one evening he sees an angel hanging on the Christmas tree and his life is inexplicably changed forever.
Leonard is a writer for a greeting cards company, but wants more from life. So, after work he grapples with his own insecurities to write a film screenplay. But his state of mind is fragile at best, and the line between reality and fantasy become blurred.
From going deaf in young adulthood, to being switched on as a real-life ‘cyborg’ – this brand-new one-person play is a story of becoming ‘hearing’ again. Based on performer Sophie Woolley’s own experiences, the show explores how technology can affect relationships and one’s sense of self-worth.
Poking fun at the traditions of theatre and people’s obsession with ‘the classics’, this feminist adaptation turns Louisa May Alcott’s novel on its head. Using drama, music, comedy and dance, the play examines subjects as diverse as climate change, astrology and the infinite nature of the universe.
This triple bill of high culture is bound to have something to suit your tastes. First up is the Mozart meisterwerk The Marriage of Figaro. Then its Benjamin Britten’s take on The Turn of the Screw, and finally there’s Kurt Weill’s Street Scene. All are sung in English.
This new work retells British history through the prism of the slave trade. In Victorian times, a black sailor prepares to take one last voyage. And in 21st century London, an actress finds herself handcuffed by history – two centuries after abolitionists won her ancestors their freedom.
Since it was first staged in 2008, this swashbuckling musical has been a big hit with audiences throughout the world. Based on a fictional biography of the masked hero, written by Chilean author Isabel Allende, the play features a Flamenco-inspired score by the Gipsy Kings.
Families are complicated, especially when there’s an elephant in the room. And when your daughter is as bright and inquisitive as Liv, the truth is never far from the surface. Is it possible to keep secrets when Instagram Live is only a click away?
This innovative production is a love letter to George A. Romero’s famed zombie movie. Seven performers take to the stage armed with cameras, a box of props and a rail of costumes. They aim to recreate the film, shot-for-shot before the audience’s eyes.
- Words:
- A. James Simpkin
- Published on:
- Fri 6 Mar 2020
A world premiere, this musical comedy takes you from the dawn of civilisation to the sequinned near future. With humanity hurtling towards extinction, two hyper-glam aliens arrive with a seemingly simple mission: to help us survive. But first they have to figure out what makes humans human. Find out more here.