Eleanor (Clancy Ryan), Theodora (Sophie Lenglinger) and Luke (Robin Morrissey) have been invited to stay at Hill House by Dr Montague (Jasper Britton), to explore the possibility of ghosts. Eleanor and Theo have interesting talents connecting to their supernatural experiences that Montague feels would be beneficial to his studies. Also, they are the only two that replied. Luke is there to keep an eye on things as he is the somewhat reluctant heir to the house.

Curmudgeon and wise old maid of the house Mrs Dudley (Sian Howard) will NOT stay after dark, as she knows the secrets of the place and protects both the house, the late family, and herself. She is also worried for the party, particularly Eleanor, who she sees as vulnerable due to being consumed with grief for her own mother who recently died. Jemma Churchill completes the cast as Mrs Montague whose role and purpose is left for Shirley Jackson to explain, I guess. But she is a great flighty character nonetheless and appears a short time into the first act to help with the paranormal stuff, as she was missing Dr Montague.

Without giving a lot away, the story is a bit like the book, nothing like the Netflix series. But it does carry some of the queer themes for the novel, kickstarting this with Theo flirting with Eleanor and Eleanor clearly taking this to her heart.

Later, Eleanor makes a desperate bid to live with Theo gives casual hints of interest in her and a kiss on the cheek. Theo cuts this dead by telling Eleanor that she doesn’t want her. As the tension, grief and yearning Eleanor experiences crank up, so do the supernatural occurrences. This ends in tragedy for poor ‘little Nell’ and the horror of being rejected and abandoned by the whole party and the loss of her mother are all wrapped up in the house’s family history. Eleanor’s yearning becomes something horrifically tangible, and the house feeds on it.

The story, though simple, is really elevated by the choices Stef Smith has made in the adaptation. And the crux of the horror is forced gender roles. Which is an added bonus to the fact the audience are really there for the frights – of which there are many.

The set design by Ti Green, lighting design by Chris Davey and video design by Duncan McLean are incredible and high spec. They are done in such a way that the scenes have a fluid nature, reflecting the gothic trope of the house as a character and the metaphysical creaks and cries. A movement is created as if the spirits of the house have marinaded the walls. The house is cleverly made to respond to the fears and desires of the characters sometimes with terrifying force. 

You are left with more questions than answers plot-wise, but this doesn’t tarnish the evening for you, as the cast and production are superb. Under Constantine’s direction, this is an atmospheric and technically accomplished piece of theatre that delivers the frights while leaving some unnerving thoughts lingering in the darkness.

The Haunting of Hill House is at the Palace Theatre Manchester from 27-31 October 2026.

The post The Haunting of Hill House: Review appeared first on Quays Life.

Christie’s parallel career in theatre is less celebrated than her fiction. She penned over a dozen stage plays, including The Mousetrap, which has been running in the West End for 75 years. Why has it endured? Because of a verbal contract between writer, cast and audience: that nobody should reveal whodunit after the curtain comes down. Judged against the rarefied company of Murder on the Orient Express, or Ten Little Indians, The Mousetrap is a category B work. That said, this new touring production still makes for a fun night out.    

As the radio broadcasts regular updates of a murder in London, a group of seven strangers find themselves snowed in at a remote country guesthouse, run by married couple Mollie and Giles Ralston (Emily Laing and Jack Hardwick). Guests include budding architect, and possible OCD sufferer, ‘Christopher Wren’ (an enjoyably manic Thomas Barrett), plus tetchy old lady Mrs Boyle (Susan Penhaligon). Aloof and glamorous, Miss Casewell (a steely Claire Duffy), makes vague reference to a childhood trauma, one which forced her to start a new life in Majorca at age twelve. Garrulous, stereotypical Italian Mr Paravicini (James Peake) may as well enter with a giant neon sign that reads ‘Red Herring’; ‘I am the unexpected guest’, he trills with an air of pride, ‘the guest you did not invite … a man of mystery!’ Yes, we get the point. Plodding copper Sgt Trotter (Alfie Richards) arrives in surprisingly debonair fashion, on a pair of skis. Trotter swiftly informs the guests that the killer is in the area; a revelation which forces each character to reluctantly air the skeletons lurking in their closet. 

It’s an intricate plot. The dead woman in Paddington was Mrs Lyon (real name, Maureen Stanning). What became of her three children? Trotter has come to Monkswell Manor because the address was one of only two featured in the dead woman’s diary. We are told the killer is a homicidal sex maniac; well, everyone deserves a hobby. The next, on stage murder is a long time coming, though staged with great spooky atmosphere by director Hannah Chissick.

We’ve seen characters like this many times before. Drawing room thrillers teeter perilously close to parody. However, there are no weak links in the cast, which is why this production works. I’ll always have time for Susan Penhaligon, thanks to her flighty performance in WW2 drama ‘Soldier of Orange’, a pre Hollywood Paul Verhoeven movie in which she played a British intelligence officer with a perverse penchant for squashing house flies. Penhaligon is clearly relishing the opportunity to play The Mousetrap’s sourest character, hobbling about the stage and making reactionary statements like ‘The working class have no idea of their responsibilities!’ It’s not much of a leap to picture Mrs Boyle attending a REFORM conference, and whacking a protester over the head with her stick. Nicholas Bailey is an engaging presence as the plummy toned Major Metcalfe, good enough to leave a vacuum when he occasionally exits. Laing and Hardwick have an easy chemistry as the lead couple, whilst Richards brings the right degree of humourless efficiency to Sgt Trotter.  During the curtain call, the cast politely ask the audience to keep the ending to themselves. Fair enough. When I came out of the theatre, I overheard a woman blabbing the killer’s identity to a passing stranger. It’s hard to understand such a peevish, killjoy attitude. Clearly, she doesn’t understand that the Christie estate don’t take prisoners. Is it worth the risk? You have been warned.

The Mousetrap is at the Opera House, Manchester from 26-31 October 2026.

The post The Mousetrap 75th anniversary tour: Review appeared first on Quays Life.

In this anniversary revival by English National Ballet, full weight is given to the musical enfilade that stands as the composer’s vision to accompany Shakespeare’s tale of the young star-crossed lovers. Full marks must go in this respect to the superb orchestra hidden in the pit whose skill and interpretation of the movement lift the show out of the ordinary into the special.

From the very start we understand this is going to be a very physical, often bawdy, humorous production of Romeo and Juliet, brilliantly marrying street brawling with courtly manners. The production does not shy away from showing us the arbitrary violence which existed in Shakespeare’s time and from which he drew inspiration. Scores are settled suddenly and violently and grief is nonchalantly swept up along with the rest of the day’s street litter.

Rentaro Nakaaki and Julia Conway give dazzling performances as Romeo and Juliet respectively, their pain at being separated slowly morphing into the heartbreaking final scene in which they meet their deaths. The emotional resonance of their performances leaves you in stunned silence at how ballet can so adroitly convey human emotion. However, this is very much a collective production. Also of note in the cast are Henry Dowden as Lord Capulet who refuses to accept the love match between the two teenagers and pays the ultimate sacrifice for his gnawing despair and rage; and Laura Hussey as the nurse bedevilled by both Capulet and Montagues and the butt of their pranks. It is a spirited and jesting performance.

The energy and vibrancy of the set pieces with their inventive choreography, together with the impressive majesty of the set depicting ‘fair Verona’, work to render a timeless tale into a modern saga we can all relate to. A must-see show.

English National Ballet – Romeo & Juliet is at The Palace Theatre Manchester from 21-25 October 2026.

Read our interview with first soloist Daniel McCormick.

The post English National Ballet Rudolf Nureyev’s Romeo and Juliet: Review appeared first on Quays Life.

At the curtain call on opening night for musical ‘Sylvia’ at Lowry, Beverley Knight can be seen mouthing to her co-star, “I love Manchester”. We’re in Salford, but that’s splitting hairs because the emotion on show is clear.

Knight has been involved with this musical since its earliest workshop days. To bring it to a theatre a few miles from where the Women’s Social and Political Union was founded feels significant. From the reaction it is obviously important to the cast that this musical is successful with audiences in the city. And the cheers and standing ovation at Lowry were welcomed with visible heartfelt thanks.

Needless to say, this relatively new musical is a crowd-pleaser. If you fought for a ticket to Hamilton, fight just as hard for one to see this. There are many similarities, not least in reimagining an historical, political true story through a modern lens of hip-hop, funk, soul, and R&B music.

Spanning several decades including the Great War the storyline has a lot to pack into an evening’s entertainment. The result is an array of broad-brushed, in some cases caricaturist figures. What carries it above this weakness is Josh Cohen and DJ Walde’s strong score and powerhouse vocals from Beverley Knight as Emmeline and Naomi Katiyo as daughter Sylvia.

Kate Prince, a whirlwind of writer, choreographer and director, injects plenty of visual humour to lighten the heavy topic. ‘Suffrajitsu’, which kicks off Act II, is a joyous anthem to feisty feminism packaged in high energy, street dance attitude.

Prince sets the mother and daughter relationship at the heart of her story. Emmeline gets a less than sympathetic reading, which might put some people off. But it means there is plenty to talk about on the journey home. And if it leads to more people looking up the real history of these women, so much the better.

Sylvia is at Lowry, Salford from 19-24 October 2026.

Read our interview with Beverley Knight.

The post Sylvia starring Beverley Knight: Review appeared first on Quays Life.

You came from San Francisco and Houston Ballet to ENB in 2017 and rose to First Soloist by 2022, dancing roles from Albrecht to Lescaut. How has that journey prepared you for this role?

Daniel: “I feel very fortunate to have been exposed to such magnificent dancers and role models over the course of my career. I have learnt that most of the time it is far more valuable to listen than to speak. I have learned so much by observing dancers and artists I admire. Skills like pacing my mind and body, proper preparation, being present in the moment, noticing the small things, and including the characters around me are some of the strongest lessons I have taken with me. In terms of my own experience with dancing big ballets, I have learnt that, after hundreds of hours of hard work in the studio preparing for a role, there comes a time where all the information has synched and your body becomes ready for that final moment on stage. The challenge then becomes getting your mind to finally trust yourself and the work you have done so you can surrender to the music, the moment, and just let go. I have learnt that it is more important to have fun and truly live that experience than it is to focus merely on being perfect. I think that is what resonates the most and makes you visceral to the audience and also what makes you human. If you feel it, they will feel it. If you believe it, they will believe it!”

Rudolf Nureyev created this production of Romeo & Juliet nearly 50 years ago. Have you watched other dancer’s interpretations and how do you make Romeo your own?

Daniel: “I think I have watched every single interpretation of the role that is available on the internet and within English National Ballet’s archives in regard to Nureyev’s production of Romeo & Juliet. Shakespeare’s story is iconic for good reason. I truly do not get tired watching others tackle this beast of a ballet. I’m a total bunhead and I wear it with pride! I love watching how every dancer who has danced these roles has a completely different interpretation and taste for their characters, whilst keeping the integrity of Nureyev’s choreography and vision. It fills me with total excitement knowing that now I will have the opportunity to write my own story within it with my incredible Juliet, Katja Khaniukova (who is a breathtaking dancer and actress by the way). For those two hours of our lives, Katja and I will truly become Romeo and Juliet!”

The ballet is based on Shakespeare’s play, with the feuding Montague and Capulet families. How do you build that gang energy on stage?

Daniel: “The hatred between each family is evident and loud. From the difference in colours worn in their attire, to the distinct contrast in their behaviour and demeanour. The rivalry is as old as the stones paving the streets of Verona. The choreography does an excellent job establishing this relationship. It helps me to compare the sentiments almost like those of stray dog vs. stray cat. Even the smell of one another is enough to get riled up about. But for Romeo, as soon as he lays eyes on Juliet, she becomes the lone exception. Her beauty and tenderness can turn marble into cotton in an instant, and Romeo is completely overtaken by her, so much so that being together becomes the only thing that truly matters to him.”

Prokofiev’s score is played live by a full orchestra, including the famous Dance of the Knights. Why do you think that scene is so iconic?

Daniel: “The moment that famous theme begins, with its heavy rhythm and pounding bass, you immediately feel the weight of the aristocratic world of the Capulet family. It almost sounds less like a celebration and more like a display of authority. It is the perfect musical representation of pride and power and I think it is truly timeless. It is also starkly contrasting to the scene directly after, Juliet’s entrance into the ball, which is a musical interpretation of her youthful spirit and innocence. Prokofiev is truly a master at conveying mood and the music throughout the entire ballet is captivating. It is at times dark and eerie and in others energetic and joyful. If you are listening for the first time, the score will catch you by surprise and you will never know what to expect in the best way possible. He is my personal favourite ballet composer.”

Romeo and Juliet runs 2 hours 55 minutes with two intervals, and Manchester has two shows on the Saturday. How do you pace yourself physically and emotionally through the role?

Daniel: “This ballet is extremely demanding. You truly leave your soul on the dance floor. I need to make sure I get plenty of sleep and food the day before the show. I make sure I have some sugar between acts. Maybe a chocolate bar or some apple juice so I can keep my physical energy going throughout. Quick release carbohydrates are essential. I have myself a proper warm up, stretch, and go through choreography as well as manage any props I will be working with. I personally also like to spend a few minutes meditating before the show to make sure my mind is completely clear and focused on the present. But in the end, it’s live theatre. You become a slave to the moment, and you are at its mercy. I think that’s beautiful and I truly relish in it”.

ENB pitches this as ballet “You feel as much as you see.” What moment do you think has the most emotional impact for audiences, and what’s happening inside you as you dance it?

Daniel: “That’s a tough question because there are far too many impactful moments in this ballet to pick from, but if I had to choose one, I would say the very last scene. The iconic death of both Romeo and Juliet. We are in each other’s arms for the very last time, souls intertwined for eternity. It is the most impactful scene emotionally. In that moment we are both physically exhausted and are being held up by pure feeling and storytelling. But at the same time the ballet is about to end, in this scene you get the culmination of all the emotions we have been brewing for the past two hours, a true climax. It is powerful and can be felt even if sat at the very last row of the grand tier level of The Palace Theatre”.

The tour runs from the Liverpool Empire to the Palace Theatre Manchester, then on to Southampton’s Mayflower and the London Coliseum in January. How do you maintain your training routine while on tour?

Daniel: “Ballet class. Every single day. It is crucial for tuning our instrument. But it’s also 1 hour and 15 minutes where the entire company does one thing collectively in harmony. It is a ritual as much as it is physically useful. Without it, it would be like running a marathon without tying your shoes. Borderline impossible. We are also rehearsing between performances to make sure everything stays in tandem and secure. There is little time to rest once we are in full swing, but we wouldn’t want it any other way”.

For someone in Manchester who has never seen a ballet before, why should Romeo & Juliet be their first?

Daniel: “Romeo & Juliet is a ballet about people. Not about fairies, nymphs, or mythical creatures. It’s as human as it gets and a production which the audience can truly relate to. It is a story about friendship, betrayal, violence, family drama, and love. It will leave you feeling moved and inspired and it will bring you closer to those around you. Not to mention, it is full of impressive and captivating ballet steps with the entire company in top physical form. I think if ENB’s Romeo & Juliet is somebody’s first time watching ballet, they will leave The Palace Theatre absolutely hooked and wanting to see more!”

English National Ballet – Romeo & Juliet is at The Palace Theatre Manchester from 21-25 October 2026.

The post Daniel McCormick’s Romeo leaves his soul on the dance floor appeared first on Quays Life.

Beverley, you’ve been with the show since its early days. What keeps pulling you back?

Beverley: “Emmeline is a complicated, brilliant character to play. She is undoubtedly a British hero. But she’s also an important figure globally. Unlike the suffragists, the suffragettes were masters of controlling their own narrative. They understood the power of publicity, popularised the hunger strike as a form of protest and shocked the world with their militancy. 

“What fascinates me is her strength as a woman. She was taking on the establishment, holding the government to account and genuinely frightening those in power. That was almost unimaginable for someone raised with Victorian values. But she was also an autocrat; it was her way or the highway. As the show explores, that ultimately tore her family apart. She was inspirational and deeply flawed all at once.

“What also keeps drawing me back is how relevant she remains. We’re still asking the same questions today: Who has the right to protest? What makes a protest acceptable? When does civil disobedience become militancy, and when does militancy become terrorism? Should change come through peaceful protest, as Sylvia believed, or through more confrontational action? More than a century later, many of the conversations surrounding women’s rights haven’t gone away. We only have to look at what’s happening in the United States to see that rights can still be rolled back. The debates surrounding women’s suffrage are, in many ways, the same ones we’re still having today”.

What can audiences who haven’t seen the show before expect?

Beverley: “‘Sylvia’ moves at an incredible pace – seriously. We begin in 1903 with the Pankhurst family united, as Emmeline establishes the Women’s Social and Political Union and takes to the streets to rally support for women’s right to vote from a public that is often hostile or indifferent. Over the course of the show, we see the Labour Party initially support the cause before falling away, while the governing Liberal Party emerges as the story’s main antagonist. We watch these women effectively go to war with the government in their fight for equality. And underpinning it all is a powerhouse score inspired by hip-hop, R&B and garage”. 

What are your favourite songs in the show? 

Beverley: “That’s such a tough question because they’re all genuinely fantastic! One of the funkiest numbers is “Suffrajitsu”, which kicks off Act II. Another standout moment is ‘Stand Up’, a soaring groove ballad in which Sylvia rallies everyone to fight for what they believe in. Then there’s ‘You’ve Changed’, where Emmeline tries to manipulate and gaslight Sylvia into coming back into the fold. After that song, the two never speak again, so it’s a real turning point in the show”. 

How do you approach playing someone who was a real person? 

Beverley: “Research, research, research. You’ve got to dive in and find out as much about them as possible. I’m a history freak so I absolutely love this and I really don’t think you can understand someone if you don’t know where they came from. For Emmeline, I went to Manchester, looked into her family, and read as much as possible”. 

You’re going on tour which is really exciting! What do each of the stops mean to you? 

Beverley: “I’m so excited! We start at Leicester Curve, which is such an important theatre. So many productions we know and love have started there, and what artistic director Nikolai Foster and the team have built is incredible.

“Then we’re off to Birmingham, which is the closest I get to playing my hometown, as I grew up nearby in Wolverhampton. I’ve been there countless times and absolutely love it.

“Next is Edinburgh, which feels especially fitting because the story of the suffragettes isn’t just an English story – it belongs to the whole of the United Kingdom. Edinburgh is, of course, the home of the Fringe, so audiences there really embrace new work.

“Salford is probably the most significant stop on the tour because it’s so closely connected to the Pankhurst family and the birthplace of the suffragette movement. I think it’ll be incredibly emotional performing the show there. Emmeline and Sylvia are such an integral part of Manchester’s history.

“Norwich is a lovely one for me personally because it’s where all my in-laws are from. And then there’s Canterbury, which is such an important historic city and somewhere I’ve never actually visited before.

“We finish at the Royal Albert Hall, which feels incredibly special. Not only is it where I won my Olivier Award in 2023, but it’s also hugely significant to our story. Emmeline delivered several impassioned speeches there, so bringing ‘Sylvia’ to that stage in totality (we performed there during the Oliviers in 2023) will feel like a real full-circle moment”.

Why is ‘Sylvia’ a story for 2026?

Beverley: “This show is telling a story from such an important part of history, and so for me, it will always be relevant. But right now, in particular, it is essential because we are not learning from what’s happened before and are repeating the same mistakes”. 

What does it mean, as a Black woman, to play Emmeline? 

Beverley: “It’s a complicated thing because, historically, Emmeline held views that many of us would find difficult today. She welcomed women such as Sophia Duleep Singh into the movement and recognised the value of having Indian royalty associated with the cause. But I’m not convinced she would have been over the moon to see a Black woman playing her.

“What I can say is that as a Black woman, I acutely understand what it means to fight for your rights. To fight to be heard. To fight to be treated as an equal. I also know how volatile people can be. They’ll celebrate you when you’re seen as compliant, but the moment you start advocating for yourself, it’s remarkable how quickly they can turn on you”.

What do you hope audiences feel when they leave the theatre? 

Beverley: “Well, I hope the first thing people do is get out their phones and start looking up these women. I want ‘Sylvia’ to be a conversation starter and encourage audiences to explore the history for themselves. I also hope they connect the fight they see on stage with what’s happening in the world today”. 

Sylvia is at Lowry, Salford from 19-24 October 2026.

The post The fight goes on: why Beverley Knight says Sylvia matters more than ever appeared first on Quays Life.

From the moment we step into the Contact building to the moment we step back out into rainy Manchester, a sense of community fills the space. While waiting to be called into Space 1, people laugh, mingle and enjoy a drink.

Inside, a DJ welcomes guests into the theatre, where dimmed lights create a calm but captivating atmosphere. R&B grooves have people dancing their way to their seats, whether alone, in groups or alongside people they’ve only just met.

Host Inua Ellams engages the audience with his vibrant energy as he brings the party together. He explains how the night will work, introducing the interactive GAR (Ground stomp, Applause, Rupture) method of responding to performers, and keeping the audience involved, making the stage a safe space for the artists and drawing everyone into a celebration of old and new art.

A RAP party follows a structure where each artist is assigned a ‘Brown Sugar’ song to inspire them for their piece. Each artist has to write a poem and choose another song to complement their work. This creates a great way to celebrate the album and D’Angelo’s achievements as an artist.

Hearing poems from artists based in Manchester and neighbouring cities allows a close network which was demonstrated through hugs and excitement people show when greeting each other.

Keisha Thompson took her job as quite literally and decided to use her designated song ‘Cruising’ as inspiration for her poem ‘Cruising’ to talk about the concept of hopping on a cruise. Without being too literate, she discovers how to use her talent to look at cruises as a way of moving into a different period of calm when meeting someone. Her work shows how artists can use a person’s work as inspiration and create something new and meaningful of their own.

Walking onto the stage, each artist carries the strength that D’Angelo brought to this community and allowed for this space to emerge. Segun Le French uses his designated song, ‘Me And Those Dreamin’ Eyes Of Mine’, to express his timeline in love and meeting new people. Sharing his story of how he met his son’s mother and what advice he gives to him now, he shares the deeper meaning behind regrets and past.

Hearing these voices and fresh new poems makes for an inspiring, inclusive evening, with stories and styles of every kind. Many artists share what the album has meant in their own lives, showing just how far D’Angelo’s work has carried the neo-soul movement.

I leave feeling RAP parties are a great way to be introduced to a new community or find inspiration for your work surrounded by other people’s art and pure passion.

The Brown Sugar RAP Party was at Contact on 15 October 2026 as part of Manchester International Festival.

The post The Brown Sugar RAP Party: Review appeared first on Quays Life.

The original idea from creator, producer and director Nic Doodson was born over a pint with friends. What if he could capture the camaraderie of a group of ordinary blokes chatting and singing in a traditional pub, creating an experience unique to the time and place and people who were there?

I don’t know in how many traditional pubs you’ll find a man tap dancing across the bar or a group breaking into a tightly choreographed routine, chinking glasses in time to the music. But that’s just being picky, because while these scenes are definite crowd pleasers, it is the inclusiveness of the everyday that makes this show a winner.

The setting is The Jungle, an on-stage pub that the audience is invited to treat as its own local by joining the cast for a drink before the show and at the interval. Once the lights dim, nine men gather around the bar, and for the next couple of hours they sing, drink, tap dance and talk to us. It’s a simple format and one that’s hard to resist. Find me someone who can hear “Da-da da da” from The Proclaimer’s ‘I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles)’ without echoing “Da-da da da” right back?

While there is ongoing debate about audience members singing along to musical theatre, ‘The Choir of Man’ unashamedly encourages it. When we get to second act all inhibitions have gone and everyone is up on their feet belting out Bon Jovi’s ‘Living on a Prayer’ at the top of their lungs. It is exhilarating to be in a crowd joining in with such child-like enthusiasm.

From the energetic opening of Guns N’ Roses ‘Welcome to the Jungle’ it is the music and song that carries the evening, with hits from Queen, Adele, Paul Simon, Red Hot Chili Peppers and Sia reshaped for nine male voices.

The weakness is the story. The characters are broad brushed to be typical of a group of men you might find in any pub – the barman, the romantic, the joker, the bore, and the hard man to name a few. Their stories are narrated by Poet (Mancunian actor Oluwalonimi Owoyemi) who quickly charms the audience. But it feels strange that the other performers can’t speak for themselves. And stranger still when the characters get mixed up with the actor’s real stories and we hear with genuine emotion about how Oluwalonimi saw his first theatre show at Lowry as a kid.

Perhaps the random mix of stories and characters all adds to the general confusion of a night in the pub where conversations flow from one topic to the next with no rhyme or reason. The closest I’ve experienced this was in pubs in rural Ireland where locals all seemed to have their turn, whether it be a poem, a song, a card trick or a tall tale.

Some people know each other, many don’t, but for one night we are a community. The overall feeling we’re left with is one of warmth and on opening night this was magnified 100 fold by the joint performance at the end by several community choirs as part of The Jungle Choir Community Project, an initiative inviting local choirs to take part in the production on opening night in every touring city.

The Choir of Man is at Lowry, Salford from 13-17 October 2026.

The post The Choir of Man: Review appeared first on Quays Life.

Director Matthew Dunster neatly pivots this thrilling production to show it is Lear’s two other daughters – Regan and Goneril – who drive the aged king to the edge of insanity. It opens on a scene of decadent, neon-lit court where Regan and Goneril, their husbands and retinue, drink away the pleasures of the night in anticipation of the heady inheritance of a kingdom divided between them.

David Threlfall as Lear enters upright and regally tailored, not a single eyelash out of place, in total command of himself and his senses. The picture is all the more forceful when we later see him wild-eyed, shirt-strewn, finger-jabbing the air, hair lashing his face, admonishing the elements for their temerity in bringing him so low. It is a fantastically charged performance from Threlfall, daring us not to feel anything but pity for this former monarch who fools now mock and whose cunning children whip him harsher than any wind could.

We are totally gripped by his portrayal of Lear half-drowned in madness. We long for hm to come up for air from under the waves only to see him pulled under again. And we marvel at the lightning switch from lucidity to lunacy which Threlfall is able to conjure up by stepping in and out of Lear’s fractious inner voices. It is an astonishing performance and quite possibly the work of a lifetime.

The storm clouds part occasionally in this tempestuous production to let in a little light: when Threlfall as Lear wakes in confusion after being sedated by a nurse and asks, ‘Oh God, are we in France?’, the audience erupts in joyful recognition. There are many such moments in the show where tragedy cannot quite manage to keep comedy out.

Threlfall is held aloft in the production by some outstanding acting. In particular, Tom Varey as wronged son Edgar is transmogrified into a lurching, tic-ridden ‘mad Tom’ whose writhing and twisted body is in stark rebellion against his mind. His electrifying account of madness is all the more terrifying for being one not brought on by old age but by brotherly betrayal.

This is a brutally visceral production: thunder roars, lightning cracks open the stage, and rain rages for the villainy carried out by the protagonists. When Gloucester’s eyes are gouged out at Regan’s behest, nothing is left to the imagination and we see – and feel – the terror of the times (and perhaps ours where execution is seemingly the norm in some parts). The fights and sexual encounters between characters are adroitly choreographed and designed to hold and shock us at the depravity we’re capable of as humans.

Do I smell a fault? Not in this production, it is near faultless.

King Lear is at The Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester from 2 October to 15 November 2026.

The post King Lear Royal Exchange 50th anniversary production: Review appeared first on Quays Life.

Mollie Gallagher carries Clarice Starling strongly. Clarice must negotiate the tortuous gap between learning the ropes at the FBI and extracting information from convicted serial killer Hannibal Lecter played vivaciously by John Partridge. Lecter acts as an oracle for the darkest corners of the human mind. At the same time, more is revealed about Buffalo Bill’s victims (alias for the character we discover is called Jame Gumb) played by Sam Jackson. As we get closer to seeing the disgusting nature of his crimes, with the moth – transformation made flesh – becoming the final key that leads Clarice into a deadly confrontation with Gumb, she also rescues the final damsel in distress – Catherine Martin who is played carefully on the knife edge of despair and dark humour by Lottie Amor.

For me, the story is very much about size: physical size, appetite, ambition and stature with the added minimising of women’s stature and the obvious danger and insidious nature of that. Gallagher’s Clarice looks vulnerable to those who underestimate her but is intellectually formidable and highly physically trained to defend herself. There are some interesting moments of that tension throughout.

Oddly though, there wasn’t all that much made of Hannibal actually being a cannibal which…hello?! I said I wouldn’t talk about the original but come one, Harris didn’t make that rhyme for nothing.

The production itself is high spec. Taylor’s set makes clever use of different levels while Hannibal’s glass cell can glide into different positions, allowing scenes and characters to overlap without the stage becoming cluttered. It gives the production a cinematic slickness while still feeling theatrical.

I was far more engaged with the second act, when the battle of wills heightens between Clarice, Hannibal and the FBI, parallelled by Jame Gumb and Catherine. Lottie Amor gives Catherine real survival instinct, she is biding her time, managing Gumb during the worst possible moment of her life and trying to persuade him to see her as a person rather than a pelt.

Clarice is doing a similar thing in a different arena – pandering, accommodating and continually proving herself to the men around her, to get where she needs to go. And balancing this by teasing vital information from Lecter. Ironically, Hannibal sometimes seems the easiest of them for her to manage.

The first half was too angry for me, but one quieter moment I felt worked well was when Clarice was dealing with the body of Kimberly Jane Emberg, the murdered young woman with the glittery nail polish who was the seamstress and instrumental to the plot. She listens, looks at and actually sees the young policemen who brought the body in and how he needed to stay with her.

The Silence of the Lambs at The Lowry is slick, grisly and visually impressive. For me it finds real bite after the interval, when the psychological games finally take control.

The Silence of the Lambs is at Lowry, Salford from 7-10 October 2026.

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