North West

Street Scene

Kurt Weill (music) and Elmer Rice (book) -lyrics by Langston Hughes and Rice

The Turn of the Screw

Benjamin Britten (score) Myfanwy Piper (libretto -after the story by Henry Ja...

Crongton Knights

Alex Wheatle, adapted by Emteaz Hussain

The Marriage of Figaro

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (music) and Lorenzo da Ponte (libretto)

Little Wimmin

Louisa May Alcott, freely adapted by Rachel Gammon, Suzanna Hurst, Sarah Moor...

Swan Lake

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

Transitions Dance Company Triple Bill 2020

The Last Temptation of Boris Johnson

Jonathan Maitland

Knot

Nikki Rumer and Jean Daniel Broussé

Bourgeois and Maurice's Insane Animals

George Heyworth and Liv Morris

There's a Dead Body in my Baby's Sandpit

Devised by the cast and company.

One Good Night

Aisling Caffrey

A Monster Calls

From the novel by Patrick Ness, inspired by an idea by Siobhan Dowd

Quality Street

J M Barrie

Back to the Future The Musical

Book by Bob Gale, music & lyrics by Alan Silvestri and Glen Ballard, based on...

Ghost Stories

Andy Nyman and Jeremy Dyson

Extraordinary Wall [of Silence]

The Company

Shirley Valentine

Willy Russell

Green Door

Ann Brown

Wuthering Heights

Emily Brontë, a new version by Andrew Sheridan

Fram & Dunt

Ladies That Bus

Joyce Branagh. Composer: Helen Longworth

Trojan Horse

Helen Monks and Matt Woodhead, translated by Ayesha Manazir Siddiqi

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...

See HOME at home with new online commissions

Manchester's HOME has announced Homemakers, a series of new commissions from artists including Bryony Kimmings, Theatre Ad Infinitum, Javaad Alipoor and Plaster Cast Theatre to be received by audiences in their homes.

Coronavirus: NW theatre closures

Following Boris Johnson's recommendation that people stay away from theatres, many NW venues have closed, but the situation is still uncertain and constantly changing.

NW Productions

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

Students are unTaPped for two days

Third year students present end of year festival: unTaPped 2020.

£10,000 prize for new comedy play

The fourth Liverpool Hope Playwriting Prize sees writers invited to submit their comedy scripts for a chance to win £10,000.

Taking Pride in a Tea Dance

Highlights for Pride in Trafford include the Northern première of Romy & Michele’s Saturday Afternoon Tea Dance.

Carlos's Evolution for Salford

Ballet superstar Carlos Acosta and his company of young Cuban dancers embarks on a ten-venue nationwide tour, which brings Evolution to The Lowry in Salford.

Callow and Francis in world première

Simon Callow and Clive Francis star in the world première of I'm Sorry Prime Minister I Can’t Quite Remember at The Lowry in Salford.

Dan's 17 Days becomes a play

A new play by award-winning playwright Phil Pearson tells Dan Logan's life story, based on 17 Days written by Dan's mother Anne Logan Huxtable.

Z-Arts is full of Dust

Dust sweeps into Z-arts, Manchester.

How tickled he'd be...

Lady Anne Dodd unveiled a mural tribute to Ken Dodd outside Liverpool’s Royal Court Theatre.

Dare To Know and Drowning in Oldham

Dare To Know theatre company debuts Drowning at Oldham Coliseum.

Double Puss 'n' good!

Families can experience classic furry-tail Puss in Boots at The Dukes in Lancaster.

Poet In Da Corner at HOME

Poet in Da Corner comes to HOME in Manchester in a production from London’s Royal Court Theatre.

Finn makes music in two cities

Finn Anderson will be The Cameron Mackintosh Resident Composer for a co-hosted residency at The Lowry and Hope Mill Theatre starting next month.

Lesley gets in on Act

Lesley Joseph will join the musical Sister Act.

Curious Incident starts new tour in Salford

Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time launches its third UK tour at The Lowry in Salford.

Coliseum opens a new Jungle Book

Oldham Coliseum presents a musical adaptation of Rudyard Kipling’s famous story The Jungle Book.

A new musical every month!

A team of impro comedians are bringing a new monthly musical show to Manchester with The Totally Improvised Musical.

Invite to a Psycho Beach Party

Vertigo Theatre Productions surf their play Psycho Beach Party as part of Greater Manchester Fringe.

Russell and Triplett reunite for Piaf in Nottingham

Jenna Russell and Sally Ann Triplett are to reunite for their first performance together since 1987 when they appear in the Nottingham Playhouse and Leeds Playhouse co-production of Piaf.

NW productions

Round-up of regional productions opening week beginning Sunday March 8.

NW Productions

Round-up of regional productions opening week beginning Sunday March 1.

Rocking up in Manchester

School of Rock—The Musical arrives at the Palace Theatre in Manchester next summer.

Beauty of a show for Liverpool

Beauty and the Beast family panto comes to Liverpool’s Epstein Theatre.

BoJo shows his face in Liverpool!

BoJo’s World, a political satire play by Succour Punch Theatre, is a children’s television show-style political satire.

HOME-spun podcasts

HOME in Manchester has launched the HOME Theatre Podcast.

Day out in Blackpool

Darren Day joins the cast of Footloose The Musical as Reverend Moore when the UK tour is at Blackpool Winter Gardens July 20–25.

Smile Club sets up in Lancaster

Described as “Black Mirror meets The Handmaid’s Tale”, the darkly comic play Smile Club arrives at The Dukes in Lancaster.

Radio star on Manchester Fringe

Comedian, writer and broadcaster Robin Ince will be performing two new shows in Manchester and Salford as part of the 9th Greater Manchester Fringe.

A new shot at the Living Dead

Night of the Living Dead re-created shot-for-shot comes to HOME Manchester.

Jason's big roll in Blackpool

Jason Manford will see his name added to an illustrious Roll of Honour in Blackpool.

Quality on Mersey

A major co-production, between five leading regional theatres of The Merchant of Venice comes to Liverpool Playhouse.

Bolton Octagon's One Man band of goodies

With its multi-million pound redevelopment nearing completion Bolton’s Octagon Theatre has announced its autumn-spring season.

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.

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.