North West

Ghost Stories

Andy Nyman and Jeremy Dyson

Extraordinary Wall [of Silence]

The Company

Shirley Valentine

Willy Russell

Fram & Dunt

Green Door

Ann Brown

Wuthering Heights

Emily Brontë, a new version by Andrew Sheridan

Trojan Horse

Helen Monks and Matt Woodhead, translated by Ayesha Manazir Siddiqi

Ladies That Bus

Joyce Branagh. Composer: Helen Longworth

Rendezvous with Marlene

Ute Lemper

The Strange Tale of Charlie Chaplin and Stan Laurel

Paul Hunter

Vignettes

Laura Harper, Alexandra Keelan, Katherine McDermott, Jan McVerry, Ellen Taylo...

Two Clowns, One Cup

Grace Gallagher and Crystal Quinney Barella

Absolute Certainty?

Stewart Campbell

Kneehigh's Ubu

Carl Grose, adapted from the original by Alfred Jarry

What Happened to Agnes

Nishla Smith

My Night With Reg

Kevin Elyot

Band of Gold

Kay Mellor

Madame Chandelier’s Rough Guide to the Opera

Delea Shand

Cuttin’ It

Charlene James

We Will Rock You

Queen & Ben Elton

NW Productions

Round-up of regional productions opening week beginning Sunday February 23.

Like mother, like daughter!

Stage and screen actress Geraldine Somerville made her Manchester Royal Exchange debut as Laura Wingfield in The Glass Menagerie in 1989 and returns there to become Amanda Wingfield.

Liverpool première for Dim Lit Star

Life, love and friendship come together in a new play receiving its première at the Hope Street Theatre in Liverpool.

Studio-sized host of work

Manchester Royal Exchange Studio hosts an array of pieces of work over coming weeks.

Jewish Museum's city festival

Manchester Jewish Museum stages its first-ever Festival of Belonging.

Navy Lark docks in Liverpool

The first stage version of classic BBC radio comedy The Navy Lark sails into Liverpool.

At HOME with Little Wimmin

Figs in Wigs is back at HOME in Manchester with Little Wimmin.

Absurd nights out in Oldham

London Classic Theatre returns to Oldham with Alan Ayckbourn’s comic play Absurd Person Singular.

TV actress in Mersey drama

Stockport’s Lucy Dixon swaps the TV screen for live theatre in By The Waters Of Liverpool.

TV favourites at the Dukes

Families and little ones will see some of their television favourites on stage when CBeebies’ Sarah & Duck bring their live show to The Dukes in Lancaster.

Blackbird gets Liverpool première

Nick Bagnall will direct Blackbird in a Liverpool première at The Hope Street Theatre.

Odd odyssey for Liverpool troupe

Liverpool's international theatre troupe Teatro Pomodoro returns to the city with a new show this April.

Julie and Rosa Hesmondhalgh in conversation

Julie Hesmondhalgh and her niece Rosa will be in-conversation at Chorlton's Edge venue in March.

NW Productions

Round-up of regional productions opening week beginning Sunday February 16.

A Monster Calls at The Lowry

The UK tour of A Monster Calls comes to The Lowry in Salford.

Nolan sister for St Helens panto

Maureen Nolan leads the cast in Goldilocks and the Three Bears when it comes to St Helens Theatre Royal.

Liverpool scores again

Liverpool’s Royal Court will be bringing back one of its biggest shows this summer.

Just the ticket for Salford

The ticket agency at The Lowry in Salford has been named ‘best in the world’ by the International Ticketing Association.

Waitress service in Manchester

The first-ever UK and Ireland tour of Broadway and West End musical Waitress is coming to Manchester Opera House.

Monster attraction for Middleton

Frankenstein comes to Middleton Arena February 26–29.

Queer Lady M for Sale

1623 Theatre Company brings its new show Queer Lady M to Waterside, Sale, February 29 as part of a 2020 national tour.

Emergency Stop Gap for city

Word of Warning, Manchester’s roaming programme of performance, is back with Emergency StopGap.

Perfect Nonsense at the Dukes

Jeeves and Wooster turn up in Perfect Nonsense at The Dukes in Lancaster.

Curtains for Opera House

Joining Jason Manford when Curtains comes to Blackpool Opera House will be Ore Oduba as Aaron Fox.

National Connections for Keswick

Keswick’s Theatre by the Lake is a partner venue for 2020’s National Theatre Connections festival.

Riz Ahmed show for Manchester's MIF

Manchester International Festival presents a world première of a live music show from musician, storyteller, actor and activist Riz Ahmed.

Three Left Feet are stepping out

A new theatre company are finding their feet—three of them!—in Lancaster, with big steps ahead.

Operatic triple treat for Chester

English Touring Opera returns to Storyhouse in Chester with Handel’s Giulio Cesare, Mozart’s Così fan tutte and the St John Passion by J S Bach.

Sugar, a film from Open Clasp

NE-based women’s theatre company Open Clasp’s latest work, Sugar, is an intimate piece of theatre made for film.

NW Productions

Round-up of regional productions opening week beginning Sunday February 10.

Block booking for Blackpool

New Queers on the Block returns to Blackpool this month as part of a 2020 UK tour.

Quiz Night coming to a venue near you?

A UK tour of a new production, The Last Quiz Night on Earth, could be coming to a venue near you.

Insane Animals loose in Manchester

Cult cabaret duo Bourgeois & Maurice come to Manchester with the world première of Insane Animals.

Artists on parade for Lowry

The Lowry in Salford has a new cohort of artists.

Strictly ballroom for Cinders' Shirley

Shirley Ballas will star as The Fairy Godmother in Cinderella in Blackpool.

Empathy on speed dial?

Theatregoers are invited to set their phones to one side for an hour to explore technology’s effect upon compassion for The Empathy Experiment at The Dukes in Lancaster.

Paul Simon show homeward bound

A stage show celebrating the life and music of Paul Simon has more tour dates for 2020.

A Ripper yarn for youth performers

Liverpool’s Royal Court youth theatre and North West End acting school have combined to present a brand new play set in 19th century Liverpool: The Unlikely Candidate.

Girl power goes on tour

A new production of Emma Rice’s musical adaptation of Enid Blyton’s Malory Towers is set to tour.

From MD to chief exec for Mark

Liverpool Everyman & Playhouse has appointed Mark Da Vanzo as its new chief executive.

One (more) Good Night!

One Good Night is back in Manchester for its full-length première.

NW Productions

Round-up of regional productions opening week beginning Sunday February 2.

Love Never Dies tour includes Manchester

The first-ever UK tour of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Love Never Dies will play Manchester Opera House.

Old ones, new ones, for Week 53

The Lowry's cross-art festival, Week 53, will bring together new commissions and existing work.

Rent due at Hope Mill Theatre

Hope Mill Theatre in Manchester is staging a revival of classic rock musical Rent.

All present for Back to the Future

Rehearsal pictures have been released for the world première of Back To The Future The Musical which will open at Manchester Opera House this month.

Monster of a writing challenge

A creative writing challenge has been launched alongside the UK tour of A Monster Calls.

Some Mothers tour for St Helens

Some Mothers Do ‘Ave ‘Em comes to St Helens Theatre Royal.

Peter Andre smoothes his way into Grease

Peter Andre will star—at certain venues—in the 2020 UK tour of Grease.

Guy musical returns to the region

Guy: A New Musical, that premièred in 2018, comes to the Waterside in Sale.

Dialling up a new Murder tour

A new production Dial M for Murder is touring the UK.

Ballet world première for Manchester

English National Ballet will create a new version of the classic 19th century ballet Raymonda to be given a world première in Manchester.

Rojo's first ballet in ENB season

English National Ballet artistic director Tamara Rojo's will direct and choreograph her first ballet, Raymonda, after Marius Petipa, which will première in Manchester before a UK tour.

Love Never Dies tour to start in Leicester

Love Never Dies, Andrew Lloyd Webber’s follow-up to The Phantom of the Opera, is to go on its first UK tour and will open at Leicester’s Curve in September 2020.

NW Productions

Round-up of regional productions opening week beginning Sunday January 27.

Charity brings Shakespeare to Liverpool park

The Reader charity is bringing Shakespeare’s Globe on Tour to Calderstones Park, Liverpool.

Half-term panto treat

A February half term panto comes to St Helens Theatre Royal with The Wizard of Oz from February 15–23.

Rockets and Blue Lights at Exchange

Rockets And Blue Lights is a new play from Winsome Pinnock.

Empowering the Deaf community

Extraordinary Wall of Silence, a new devised show, traces the oppression and ignorance faced by the Deaf community.

Loyalty bonus for Grand patrons

Blackpool Grand Theatre sees the launch of a loyalty membership.

Dark comedy on Merseyside

Falling Doors stages a new play devised by local actors and creatives.

High hopes for Fell

Fell opens at Kirkgate Arts in Cockermouth on February 1, followed by a tour to other theatre, school and community venues in Cumbria.

Epic poem takes to the roads

Murray Lachlan Young tours his family theatre show and virtual reality experience The Mystery of the Raddlesham Mumps this spring.

Scratch foursome in Keswick

Theatre by the Lake has selected four acts to perform at its first ever scratch night.

Bourne's Nutcracker back at Lowry

Matthew Bourne’s take on The Nutcracker visits The Lowry, Salford.

A radical, relevant spring in Lancaster

Lancaster Arts aims to stay radical and relevant this spring.

Trojan Horse in Oldham

Trojan Horse is the story of a community torn apart by racial division.

Thriller homecoming for David

Manchester-born singer David Julien marks two years starring in Thriller Live in the West End by headlining the show in his home city, February 10–15.

First Time for Nathaniel in Lancaster

Nathaniel Hall brings his show First Time to The Dukes in Lancaster.

Jane Eyre in Sale

Blackeyed Theatre presents Jane Eyre at the Waterside arts centre.

Saint Petersburg Ballet to Chester

Saint Petersburg Classic Ballet returns to Storyhouse in Chester with Swan Lake.

The Little Prince lands in Manchester

The Little Prince lands in Manchester when Z-arts host this new show from Fuel Theatre.

NW Productions

Round-up of regional productions opening week beginning Sunday January 19.

Salfordly Comes Dancing!

The Lowry in Salford hosts a plethora of dance, from ballet to hip hop, through to March.

£57,000 charity cash for Lowry

The Lowry in Salford raised £57,000 over Christmas for the arts centre’s projects with vulnerable young people.

Merseyside author's home gets blue plaque

The new stage production of Helen Forrester’s By The Waters Of Liverpool opens at the New Brighton Floral Pavilion in Wirral.

If the slipper fits, you're Cinders!

Will the slipper fit YOU? Hope Mill Theatre in Manchester is looking for the star of its 2020 production of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella.

Oldham's regional première

Oldham Coliseum next month stages a production of James Fritz’s modern thriller Four Minutes Twelve Seconds.

Women's soccer scores in new play

Mikron Theatre will be premièring Amanda Whittington’s new play Atalanta Forever which looks at the story of pioneering women in football.

Ladybones for Lancaster

Ladybones comes to The Dukes in Lancaster on February 12.

NW Productions

Round-up of regional productions opening week beginning Sunday January 12.

Just So much for Cheshire fest

Just So Festival has unveiled the first wave of programming for this year’s festival at Rode Hall Estate, Cheshire.

Allt right for Liverpool comedy!

Nicky Allt is back at Liverpool Royal Court with a brand new comedy.

Ute Lemper's Manchester date for UK tour

Ute Lemper is to tour the UK with Ute Lemper: Rendezvous With Marlene.

Holocaust Memorial productions

Manchester Jewish Museum will mark Holocaust Memorial Day with two premières of musical and theatrical performances.

Making a splash at city Vogue Ball

Manchester's biggest-ever House of Suarez Vogue Ball at Manchester Academy 1 will be an underwater themed dance spectacular.

Wuthering new heights for Brontë adaptation

Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights gets a new adaptation when Manchester Royal Exchange’s production runs from February 7 to March 7.

Comedy greats are right at HOME

In 1910, the unknown Charlie Chaplin and Stan Laurel set sail for New York.

New York opportunity for trio

Manchester International Festival and Arts Council England will be supporting English artists in New York.

Word Of Warning's city dates

Word of Warning Spring 2020 sees two visits to The Lowry in Salford.

Cinders breaks box office record

Cinderella broke The Epstein Theatre’s box office records.

A little space for theatre companies

Theatre companies Gecko and Mind the Gap have joined forces to present a little space.

NW Productions

Round-up of regional productions opening week beginning Sunday January 5.

Soap stars throw a Birthday Party

Tristan Gemmill and Michelle Collins to star in Harold Pinter's comedy The Birthday Party at The Lowry in Salford.

Showtown museum dedicated to Blackpool's entertainment heritage

Showtown—Blackpool’s first-ever museum, set to open next year—had a suitably-showbusiness launch.

2019: musicals trump serious drama in Manchester

Manchester reviewer David Cunningham gives a detailed account of his top theatre visits of 2019, with some comments about the intrusive security policies of some theatres.

Review of the Year 2019 - The North West Stage

David Chadderton looks back on his 2019 in North West theatre.

Christmas in the North West

A look at the pantos, musicals, family shows and other theatre productions that will be playing in the North West over the festive period.