Carmel ThomasonWhoever said you can get too much of a good thing never saw Jason Manford in pantomime. The Salford-born comedian takes the lead at Manchester Opera House for the fourth consecutive Christmas alongside his popular panto sidekick and Britain’s Got...
Cathy CrabbA camp old time was had of it at the Opera House with Top Hat. A flighty on its shoes show with classic Irving Berlin songs and a stellar cast of triple threats. Jerry Travers (Phillip Attmore), a Broadway sensation, helps an old boy out by coming...
Tickets for the upcoming run of Miss Saigon at the Palace Theatre, Manchester (4-8 August 2026) went on sale today, Friday 14 November 2025, following the stunning success of the current tour. If you intend to go, hurry up and get a ticket...
Thomas CornerAfter a two year break, pantomime is back at Contact, Manchester with a fun-packed production of Rumpelstiltskin from The Big Tiny Company that is reinventing the genre. The Big Tiny’s unique approach to pantomime is guided by co-director Ben...
Why can’t every show be like Slava’s Snowshow? Creating a childlike sleeping fantasy of elation and melancholy, played out by fools. Lots of people, me included, say they hate or fear clowns. But that’s only when those clowns are hiding behind make...
Steve TimmsThe 90’s and noughties was a golden age for television comedy. Looking back, it’s hard to believe Father Ted, The Day Today, Knowing Me Knowing You, Big Train, The Fast Show, League of Gentlemen, Smack the Pony, The Mighty Boosh, Brass Eye, and The...
Returning to the Here & Now musical for the UK and Ireland tour, Rebecca Lock promises that audiences are in for a theatrical treat. “They can expect a rollercoaster of emotion,” she says, “and it’s so joyful, colourful...
This ghost story, directed by Matthew Dunster and written by Danny Robins, has enjoyed huge audiences and many rave reviews. A leap of faith is necessary to believe what happens, although it is directed and acted the best it could be. Two hapless...
Paul ThomasonWhether you were first introduced to the Addams Family from watching the original 1960’s TV show, the early 1990’s Angelica Houston movies, any of the numerous cartoon incarnations or are recently discovering the clan through Netflix’s heavily...
By Royal Appointment may be Daisy Goodwin’s debut play, but don’t let that confuse you as to the talent and experience that has gone into this new production about the late Queen and her dressers. Although she is new to stage writing, Goodwin is a...