Lorraine Worsley-CarterLorraine Worsley-Carter discovers the story behind Gorton Monastery and how a gift from Salford is adding to its history In the 1950’s a courting couple would meet by the Church of St Francis, always known locally as ‘The Monastery.’ The boy, my...
Hannah Joy TerryReturning for its 28th consecutive year, ¡Viva! Spanish and Latin American Festival lands at HOME, Manchester for a celebration of cultures and voices from across the Spanish-speaking world. Over the next three weeks the venue will host several UK...
Carmel Thomason“Where did all the happy endings go? Where can all the good times be?” asks Eglantine Price. Is there an adult in the audience who isn’t thinking the same? As the song goes, many of us are at ‘The Age of Not Believing’ but Disney always has the...
Martin ThomassonAlcina’s love island casts its spell on Martin Thomasson You all, of course, know the story of Alcina. She (disguised as a he) is in love with him (who sings a bit like a she), but he (who sings a bit like a she) is bewitched by her (not her...
Carmen is one of the most popular operas of all time, so it’s perhaps not surprising that Opera North chose to stage it for its comeback production after nearly two years of darkness during the Covid pandemic. As this bold new envisioning from...
Steve TimmsSteve Timms finds Nora: A Doll’s House to be a bold, impassioned piece of work and the most thrilling Exchange production he’s seen in a long time. Patriarchy is a word most people are familiar with, though may struggle to describe. So let’s...
The clown/jester Rigoletto is not well-liked, but is good at his job – essentially, to make fun of the vulnerable for the amusement of his boss, the Duke of Mantua, and the duke’s hangers-on. The Duke is a ruthless and incorrigible womaniser...
Georgina WellsNorthern Broadsides’ As You Like It is the first production I’ve seen staged in the round at The Lowry’s Quays Theatre, and it’s a layout that certainly suits both venue and play. It feels more novel and intimate than a proscenium arch staging...
Paul ThomasonAnyone for snot macaroni and toenail ice-cream? Paul Thomason experiences the gross-out fun of watching David Walliams’ story live on stage. Less than a week after children all over the land have been going to school dressed as one of many of...
Liz RatcliffeLiz Ratcliffe laughs and cries at The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time which she finds to be a masterpiece of acting and choreography, wrapped in a high-tech set I enjoyed reading Mark Haddon’s best-selling novel, The Curious Incident...