Carmel ThomasonHave you seen the Stick Man? I must be the only person in the theatre who hadn’t, which is why I massively under-estimated this character’s popularity when the show first visited the Lowry a year or so ago. As I was to learn from my nephew – his...
The music of The Band needs no introduction – covering three decades of Take That hits, each one instantly recognisable. Neither do its young stars, the winners of TV talent show Let It Shine. So far, so predictable. Then Gary Barlow throws a curved...
MTA first reviewed this production from Manchester comedy duo, LipService when it premiered at Oldham Coliseum in January. I missed it that time around, so was delighted to catch it at the Lowry, where Maggie Fox and Sue Ryding kick off their autumn...
When Edith Nesbit was four-years-old her father died suddenly, ending the idyllic security of her childhood. In many ways, The Railway Children is the story of her life as she would like it to have worked out. Written at the turn of the 20th...
Where did the time go? That’s the central question of Shirley Valentine. For anyone in the audience who remembers the 1980s, it’s a question we’re all asking – not least on hearing Jodie Prenger is in the lead role. ‘She must be playing it younger,’...
The glimpse of a bare bum on stage is guaranteed to induce a burst of laugher. And herein lies the enduring appeal of Hans Christian Andersen’s morality fairy tale. It’s cheeky, silly and pokes fun at the pomposity sometimes only an innocent child...
The advances in digital technology have connected us in ways we could never have imagined. At the same time, our obsession with being ‘connected’ is also a cause of disconnect and overload. How we find a comfortable balance between the two is the...
It’s hard to believe six years has passed since Manchester saw the premiere of Ghost the Musical with Richard Fleeshman in the lead. Based on the 1990 film with Patrick Swayze and Demi Moore, this supernatural murder mystery romance already had an...
Babe The Sheep-Pig is a story that has captivated young imaginations for more than 30 years. ‘A sheep-pig, that’s silly!’ my five-year-old theatre buddy laughs before we arrive. It is a ridiculous concept that twists and turns into a fantastical...
It’s a Horrible Christmas at the Lowry this year, but judging by the reception of Friday’s audience it could be one of their best. The show is a seasonal spin-off from Terry Deary’s Horrible Histories, whose ingenious concept of mixing historical...