Simon Armitage’s The Last Days of Troy ft. Lily Cole at Royal Exchange

Announced in February to much fanfare, Lily Cole finally steps out in The Last Days of Troy at the Royal Exchange this month. The world premiere of Simon Armitage’s theatrical reworking of Homer’s poem Iliad, the play itself is a weighty piece, featuring a cast of characters large enough to rival Game of Thrones – with Cole’s Helen of Troy (pictured) one of over a dozen to star. With the final year of the Trojan War providing a suitably epic backdrop, pitching Greeks against Trojans, it’s a recognisable tale of love and bloodshed, told expertly by Armitage. The cast’s older actors, including Richard Bremmer as a comedic Zeus and Garry Cooper as a crestfallen Priam, put in the most convincing performances, with the wood-clad staging – including a Trojan Horse – living up to the Royal Exchange’s usual high production standards.

Thu 8 May – Sat 7 Jun, Royal Exchange, St Anns Square, M2 7DH, Tel: 0161 833 0483, Mon – Fri evenings 7.30pm, Tue – Thu matinees 2.30pm, Sat 3.30pm & 8.00pm, £14.50 (£10 banquettes), www.royalexchange.co.uk