Following the likes of Rebecca, Brief Encounter and Malory Towers, Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights is the latest literary work to get the Emma Rice treatment, and arguably it wears it best of all. Wuthering Heights The passion, wildness and...
I’ve always been drawn to plays with enigmatic titles. Some writers have a particular flair for this, Philip Ridley being easily the best (Pitchfork Disney, Mercury Fur, Piranha Heights). The Royal Exchange has some form in this area; I got excited...
Tim Foley won the 2017 Bruntwood Prize Judges’ Award with his sci-fi comedy, Electric Rosary. Ahead of the play’s world premiere on the Royal Exchange main stage he talks to Carmel Thomason about writing, coffee and robotic nuns Writer Tim...
The tale may be as old as time, but this brand-new production of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast is ever a surprise. Imagine an enchanted castle where you’re served dinner by dancing plates, entertained by a quick-fire candlestick, warmed by a mumsy...
Do you hear the people sing? Yes, I do. And I hear them cry – there are even nose-blowing sobs to the left of me. I also hear the roar of approval with thunderous applause that sees the whole auditorium on its feet as soon the stage goes black. This...
It was a very smart move of Tim Firth to adapt his 1998 TV comedy, Neville’s Island, for the stage in 2013. It has rarely – if ever – been out of production since. It looks like being another smart move for him to realise (or be...
Writer Alison Carr wanted to create something that audiences don’t just sit and watch – they become part of it. The result was The Last Quiz Night On Earth – a quiz night AND the world is about to end. She talks to Quays Life about...
Northern 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...
Carlos Acosta’s energetic, vibrant production of this classic ballet is guaranteed to make you smile, writes Georgina Wells In his programme notes, Carlos Acosta calls Don Quixote ‘the sunshine ballet,’ and certainly Birmingham Royal Ballet...
Calling a play ‘The Last Quiz Night on Earth’ is asking for trouble. The latest from Manchester based new writing company, Box of Tricks was originally scheduled two years ago, but a global pandemic put the kibosh on a planned tour. Alison Carr’s...