The pile of trophies stacking up for Jersey Boys says it all – 57 major awards at the last count. To be fair, I’m not sure if there is anything left for it to win. This panel awarded the UK tour the MTA Brynteg award for best musical at last year’s...
It is a testament to the size of Manchester’s theatre going public that many big shows are now making their way to the region not once, but twice on a national tour. Last year Cameron Mackintosh’s production of Barnum played at the Palace Theatre...
Inala means abundance of goodwill in Zulu. Indeed much goodwill has gone into the creation of this Zulu ballet and, at the risk of sounding like a line from Disney’s The Lion King, that love is almost tangible. Premiering last year at the Edinburgh...
As someone who travels a lot by train, the idea of a play about travelling 21000 miles of rail naturally appealed. I think that the concept will attract a lot of people. Writer and performer Hannah Butterfield has come up with a gem of an idea, but...
In Palestine, dabke is a dance often enjoyed at weddings and other big celebrations. It is a cross between a circle dance and line dancing, with people joining with arms around each other and kicking out their legs. It is something all cultures can...
For those quick to label Manchester International Festival as elitist, point them towards FlexN Manchester. In recent years Britain’s Got Talent has revealed a huge appetite for street dance in popular culture, and this show is a fantastic...
Manchester International Festival makes a fantastic cultural contribution to the city in commissioning events that bring together top talent from across the globe. But, sometimes it is good to be reminded of the extraordinary talent we have right...
The emerging urban gang culture of Victorian Manchester is a gift for dramatists who are only really beginning to scratch the surface of these complex and fractured lives. Last year, HOME staged the immersive and challenging, Angel Meadow, on the...
There’s something for everyone at The Lowry this Christmas, and for little ones the show of choice is We’re Going on a Bear Hunt. My two-year-old nephew had spotted the posters, and although it wasn’t a story I was familiar with, he recognised it...
If there’s one thing you can be sure of about the star of Snow White – Priscilla Presley is not in it for the money. She returns to her role as the Wicked Queen, after making her panto debut in Wimbeldon last year, seemingly for the joy of it, and...
Carmel Thomason