The world of the theatre is taking a wee while to get back up to full speed but you might be pleasantly surprised by just how many plays are on in Manchester this month. There are shows both new and old, at venues grand and intimate. Below, you’ll find five of the best – each at a different theatre. Be sure to read up on the safety procedures before you book – and enjoy the show!
Direct from the West End is this new comedy from Mischief Theatre. You may know the company best from the smash hit The Play That Goes Wrong, which is also playing at The Lowry, a little earlier in the month. The story is an irreverent look at getting older. You’ll follow a class of unruly six-year-olds on their journey to anarchic high school teenagers, through to the challenges of adulthood. Is the story of our lives already written? And do we ever really grow up?
One of the longest running plays in West End history, this chilling tale is based on the novel by Susan Hill. The touring production combines the intensity of live theatre with a film-noir style. A lawyer engages a sceptical young actor to help him tell a story that haunts his soul. As a younger man, the lawyer travelled to a small market town for a routine assignment but here, he uncovered the secrets of a mysterious woman in black – at his own cost.
First staged in 1973, this outrageous musical has been seen by over 30 million people – so, it’s tried and tested fun, and that might be what’s needed to get vaccinated bums back on seats. Haley Flaherty and Strictly Come Dancing winner Ore Oduba star as a squeaky-clean young couple. When their car breaks down, they find themselves in the mansion of the charismatic Dr Frank’n’Furter… and all kinds of saucy hijinks ensue. It includes the songs Sweet Transvestite and the classic Time Warp.
In a dystopian reality where the world has split in two, Guy has spent years imagining what might lie across the border. One day, he journeys across the dividing ravine where he meets Maia and begins a relationship with her. He is determined to be the hero of his own story – but at what cost? Using dance-dialogue, the play explores both the personal and political. It’s produced by Kahlo, a multi-medium company created by two graduates of the Manchester School of Theatre.
- Words:
- A. James Simpkin
- Published on:
- Thu 5 Aug 2021
Lizzie Siddal was most famous as a model for the Pre-Raphaelite painters but she was an artist and poet in her own right. It has been said she lived a ‘tragic life’… but she’s done being tragic. This cabaret about love and legacy explores who really suffers for great art. The play comes from RashDash, an all-female company that works with music, dance and performance. The group is returning to HOME following the success of The Lockdown Album.