Cast your mind back to the days before streaming platform playlists. If thatâs before your time, the staging will give you a hint. Tom Rogers and Toots Butcherâ set places the action within a big box of blank tapes that frame the stage. Yes, weâre...
The staging is simple: four straight-backed chairs, a backdrop for projections and, overhead, two rows of clothing hung on lines (theatre is a place for costumes and dressing-up, but also, we are reminded, the theatre we are here to pay our respects...
The standing ovation said it all really. I was on my way up anyway, but my nine-year-old positively wrenched me the rest of the way out of my seat at the end of A Christmas Carol The Musical. Heâs watched a good bit of theatre over the years, but I...
Immersive art shows have a chequered reputation, but Lightroomâs collaboration with David Hockney is something of a triumph. Perhaps it is that Hockney often works in light (quite literally, given his now famous iPad âpaintingsâ). Or perhaps it is...
A story about the aftermath of the 9/11 terrorist attacks in the US doesnât sound like a topic for either your typical feelgood musical or Christmas production. But âCome From Awayâ is far from your average show. It tells the true story of what...
The Smiths remain one of Manchesterâs most beloved bands. The musical alliance between Morrissey and Marr gifted the world a catalogue of melodic pop songs with lyrics which spoke to those on the margins of life: the lonely, depressed and...
Itâs a mad, mad world â and sometimes feels increasingly so as we head towards the festive season â but none more so than in Wonderland, the magical underworld kingdom created by Lewis Caroll more than 150 years ago. Carollâs classic tale has been...
The BBC Philharmonic Orchestra: The Sound of Gaming was an ambitious and innovative classical musical event catering for three separate audiences simultaneously. The first, of which I was a part, was the in person audience in the BBC Philharmonic...
Mozartâs The Magic Flute is enduringly popular because it is the perfect mix of fantasy and fabulousness in an accessible opera that entertains and enchants regular opera-goers and those new to opera alike. Indeed, this Opera North autumn season at...
There was no shortage of Elf devotees in Manchester this week for an early slice of Christmas fun. We could tell by the amount of elf hats, Christmas sparkles and Elf merch adorning the crowds outside the Palace, that this show has a serious...
Carmel Thomason
Martin Thomasson
Nic Dowling
Steve Timms
Dave Porter
Paul Thomason