Paul ThomasonGrease is back in Manchester for a welcome return with this energetic touring production featuring a youthful cast. This current version is a blend of one of the greatest movie musicals of the last half century and the original 1971 stage show it...
Celebrating all things British, The Brit Fest is a fantastic new weekend, summer festival in the north west. Dates are already set for next year and if the inaugural three day event is anything to go by, this family-friendly festival is likely to be...
From the very first jump scare at the start of scene one, this welcome return to The Lowry of “2:22 A Ghost Story” grabs your attention and doesn’t let go. Barely audible baby noises emitting from a monitor begin the play with a...
Author Neil Gaiman‘s work has been successfully brought to both the big screen (with the animation Coraline) and the small screen (Good Omens) and now this Joel Horwood adaptation of his fantasy novel of the same name arrives on the huge Lyric...
Anyone for snot macaroni and toenail ice-cream? Paul Thomason experiences the gross-out fun of watching David Walliams’ story live on stage. Less than a week after children all over the land have been going to school dressed as one of many of...
Kick off your Sunday shoes and enjoy the power of 80s pop in Footloose live at Opera House Manchester. Paul Thomason reviews: The musical Footloose, adapted from the 1980’s movie of the same name, invites you to kick off your Sunday shoes and...
Kids will love experimenting with Geomag Mechanics to build unusual shapes and playthings, developing their STEM skills while having fun, writes Paul Thomason The Geomag Mechanics Gravity Loops and Turns set is a construction toy that allows...
If I told you there was an Andrew Lloyd Webber show on at the Palace Theatre based on a book by Julian Fellowes, best known for his historical dramas such as Downton Abbey and Gosford Park, you may be surprised to find out it is the comedy “The...
Participating in imaginative play while impersonating adults performing everyday tasks is an incredibly important activity for young children to undertake. The Danish company Dantoy have produced a breakfast set that allows toddlers to pretend to...
Glitzy Pantomime has returned to the city centre with this spectacular version of Aladdin. The main elements of the rags-to-riches story are all here, even if some short cuts are taken so that more time can be spent with the set pieces. Aladdin and...