When a show has been around for 20 years there are two things we know already: one, it’s an audience pleaser and two, it has a string of fans who’ve already seen it multiple times and still come back for more. I fall into that bracket. Jersey Boys...
Fifty years on, ‘The Rocky Horror Show’ is still the most riotous party in town. At its centre struts Frank-N-Furter, an outrageous role of glam-rock legend. Quays Life caught up with Tottenham’s Stephen Webb, the latest actor to...
Any kid of the 1980s will have a story to tell about their response to ‘The Karate Kid’. It was the ultimate underdog hero movie capturing the same spirit Stallone brought to adults with Rocky. We remember the music too. Joe Esposito’s uplifting...
A ‘miracle’ to some, a ‘gangster’ to others, the grown-ups around Matilda Wormwood can all agree on one thing: this is a five-year-old far too smart for her own good. Now on its 15th year of touring, Dennis Kelly and Tim Minchin’s ‘Matilda: The...
It is a rare treat to see Barnum live. The 1980’s musical is rarely staged, both for the scale of it and the difficulty in finding a leading man who can not only sing, dance and act, but can also wow the audience with death-defying circus...
My first ever stadium gig as a child was watching the late Tina Turner at Gateshead International Stadium in 1990. It was billed as a farewell tour – which of course it wasn’t. Much to the delight of her fans, this born performer was back at the...
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...
In the early 2010s, when Ray Davies was first telling his story of 60s icons The Kinks on stage, who would have thought flying the Union Jack flag and talk of Britishness could be so controversial? Forget the high jinks of an intoxicated Dave Davies...
As soon as you walk in the doors of the Palace Theatre, it is clear why Moulin Rouge, which takes residency at the venue for the next 6 weeks, is billed a ‘Spectacular Spectacular’. This show is so spectacular you have to say it twice to grasp the...
There’s nothing like a bit of sun to lift the spirits. So, as Spring arrives, it feels there couldn’t be a better time for Mary Poppins to fly into Manchester and blow away any last wisps of winter cobwebs. This stage musical, from Cameron...
Carmel Thomason
Leslie James Kerwin
Cathy Crabb