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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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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Salford’s community has created a set of banners celebrating the city, and they are now touring the places where the people live who created and inspired them.

The Salford Voices Banner Exhibition, from award-winning Salford arts company Art with Heart, was made by local residents at Broughton Community Centre with artists Chris Alton and Emily Simpson.

The exhibition, which draws on several generations of the community, opened at Salford Museum and Art Gallery earlier this year. It is now on a seven-venue autumn tour, which began at Media City. The remaining stops include leisure centres, a shopping centre and community hubs across the city. These events on the tour allow a space to see the banners and have an interactive experience that resonates with visitors and invites them to reflect on Salford’s history.

The banners came out of artist-led workshops and a visit to the People’s History Museum, where participants explored the long tradition of protest and community banners. It includes art from younger generations who are looking to Salford’s future, while others reflect on its past and on what has made the city what it is. The designs bring together Salford’s landmarks, green spaces, waterways, industrial heritage and its modern media and technology industries.

The banners include a range of symbols from birds to represent migration to a sycamore tree from one contributor’s garden, each allows a different interpretation of Salford and personal approach.

The exhibition has been designed so that everyone can experience it. It includes audio description by access consultant Ada Eravama, and two small tactile banners let blind and partially sighted visitors explore elements of the work through touch.

Rosie Sergent, a freelance producer and artist who founded the zine project Drawn Poorly, is one of the artists running the tour’s craft pop-ups. “This is celebrating different art groups,’ she says, “and taking it out and about in public places allows people to physically come and see this artwork.

“We are interested in making things happen and allowing a space for people to create art which is authentic to them. Salford seems to be overlooked and is known as the second city, but there is a huge amount of history, warmth and sense of community here that these banners represent. As well as celebrating all the different arts groups which create Salford.”

Alongside the banners, free craft pop-ups offer Salford-themed activities such as zine-making, poetry and portrait drawing. The sessions are led by local artists including Rosie Sergent, community artist Phoebe Foxtrot, illustrator Alison Erika Forde, writer and performer Jenny May Morgan and mural painter Becki Miller.

Visitors can also sign a Centenary Celebration Book, made by Salford family bookbinders Walker Print, and write about the kind of place they would like Salford to be in 100 years’ time. Signatories so far include City Mayor Paul Dennett, Coronation Street actor Cath Tyldesley, members of the Salford Red Devils supporters’ club and the city’s Local History Society.

Where to see it:
• Worsley Leisure Centre: Monday 12 October, 3pm–7pm
• Broughton Hub: Wednesday 14 October. Banners on display 3pm–5pm, then zines, craft and portraits with Phoebe Foxtrot 5pm–8pm
• Swinton Gateway: Monday 19 to Friday 23 October in the upstairs exhibition space, with pop-up activities on Monday 19 October, 4.30pm–8.30pm
• Irlam and Cadishead Leisure Centre: Tuesday 27 October, 1.30pm–5.30pm
• Walkden Shopping Centre: Wednesday 28 October, 11am–3pm
• Langworthy Cornerstone: Monday 2 to Friday 6 November, 9am–8pm, with a closing celebration on Friday 6 November, 11am–1pm

Visit artwithheart.org.uk for more information. Read our interview with artist Emily Simpson.

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This new co-production between HOME, Northern Stage, the Citizens Theatre, and in association with Royal & Derngate is the director’s first Shakespeare play, and he draws us into each character with an intimate eye.

The result is an overwhelming feeling of claustrophobia and paranoia that eventually become the undoing of Othello. Setting the action in an isolated military outpost during the 1980s Falklands War adds to the pressure cooker feel of uncertainty and simmering violence. It adds an element of modern day to this 400-year-old drama and with it a brutal realism of ongoing social battles with racism, class and misogyny. We recognise soldiers under stress of battle, the testosterone-fuelled environment, the harsh authority of rank and the need to let off steam in Cassio’s drunken scene as squaddies party to crowd-pleaser Dexys Midnight Runners’ ‘Come on Eileen’. Knowingly, Almeida notes: “Othello is full of war, politics and public life. Yet the real damage happens between people who love one another”.

When we first meet Othello (Dwane Walcott) he is sharp and assured in the face of military and personal conflict. The love between him and Desdemona (Phoebe Smyth) feels genuine and joyous, as well as a source of strength for them both.

Maanuv Thiara’s Iago unravels their bond with terrifying ease, as if playing a game. Thiara plays ‘honest Iago’ as the conman hiding in plain sight. He is no pantomime villain, but a snake oil salesman who draws people in despite their better judgement. He is the psychopath whose carefree smile keeps us fascinated in this psychological thriller. It is an engrossing performance.

Natasha Jenkin’s sparse set of caged metal and barbed wire amplifies the cold darkness of the unfolding events. This is layered, to mixed effect, by Erin Guan’s video projections which see Roderigo (Matthiew Sys) filming and magnifying parts of the action on screens behind and overhead. This works well for Cassio’s fight scene but feels distracting in others. The menacing bass soundscape from Matthew Tuckey, also feels an unnecessy addition, being both distracting and uncomfortable in its vibration if you’re sitting close to the speakers.

The cast is excellent all round. However, there are two confident stage debuts that warrant special mention. Smyth brings spark and wit to Desdemona that makes us feel for her as more than a mere pawn caught up in man’s power struggle. Will Stanton as Cassio is reminiscent of watching a young Andrew Garfield. His is an assured performance delivered with exceptional clarity.

As with all Shakespearian tragedies we know we are being led to a bloody end, and Almedia delivers this with unwavering violence that is rightly shocking.

Othello is at Home Manchester from 30 September to 10 October 2026 before continuing on tour.

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