David Cunningham

NW reviewer

Reviews

Lear

William Shakespeare

HER Productions, Unseemly Women and Girl Gang Manchester

Hope Mill, Manchester

7–18 June 2023

Wish You Were Dead

Peter James, adapted by Shaun McKenna

Joshua Andrews and Peter James

The Lowry, Salford

23–27 May 2023

Blue Now

Derek Jarman with music by Simon Fisher Turner

WeTransfer, Fuel and Basilisk Communications

HOME, Manchester

22 May 2023

The Spongebob Musical

Book by Kyle Jarrow based upon the series by Stephen Hillenburg, music by var...

The Path Entertainment

The Opera House, Manchester

16–21 May 2023

Jungle Book Reimagined

Script by Tariq Jordan, direction and choreography by Akram Khan

Akram Khan Company

The Lowry, Salford

13 May 2023

STARS: An Afrofuturist Space Odyssey

Mojisola Adebayo

Tamasha and Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA)

Contact, Manchester

9–11 May 2023

Vignettes 4

Laura Harper, Nikki Mailer, Steph Lacey, Houmi Mlura, Alex Keelan, Lekhani Ch...

HER Productions

Hope Mill, Manchester

27 April–10 June 2023

Quality Street

J M Barrie

Northern Broadsides and New Vic Theatre

Octagon Theatre, Bolton

25 April–6 May 2023

Waldo’s Circus of Magic and Terror

Hattie Naylor and Jamie Beddard with music by Charles Hazlewood

Extraordinary Bodies, Bristol Old Vic and Theatre Royal Plymouth

The Lowry, Salford

20–22 April 2023

The Beekeeper of Aleppo

Nesrin Alrefaai and Matthew Spangler adapting the novel by Christy Lefteri

Martin Dodd, UK Productions Ltd, Nottingham Playhouse and Liverpool Everyman and Playhouse

The Lowry, Salford

18–22 April 2023

News

Your chance to look behind the Green Door

16 May 2020

Ann Brown’s harrowing but inspirational play Green Door is to be available online.

Features

Look! Up in the sky! It's a bird! It's a plane! It's…

27 January 2023

A reviewer checks out First Breath—a light sculpture projected into the sky at The Factory, the new base of The Manchester International Festival.

Do you have the time?

24 September 2022

A reviewer samples 12 Last Songs, a performance art event in which non-actors demonstrate their skills and answer questions about their occupations over 12 hours.

Meet the new boss…

25 June 2022

Keisha Thompson celebrates her appointment as Artistic Director/ Chief Executive of Manchester’s Contact in rare style with Cocktails and Cinquains.

Getting immersed in Immersive theatre

1 February 2022

A reviewer wonders if audiences can ever really win with Immersive theatre.

Ring in the new…

4 December 2021

Manchester’s Royal Exchange Theatre announces the 2022 season; David Cunningham was at the launch.

We’re all in this together

14 November 2021

A reviewer looks at the complexities arising from expecting artists to be socially responsible and decides to run away.

Walking ‘The Walk’: Taking part in 'When the Birds Land'

3 November 2021

A reviewer takes part in the climax of an event to raise awareness of challenges facing refugees by welcoming Little Amal to Manchester.

Exchange disrupts its building's history

22 October 2021

David Cunningham attends the launch of the Royal Exchange Theatre's Disrvpt programme, looking at whether associations with the slave trade in the 18th century via cotton traders are putting off audiences today.

Not Drowning but Waving—Dancing in ‘Sea Change’

3 July 2021

After a lengthy rehearsal period, a reviewer has the chance to dance in Sea Change—the opening ceremony of the 2021 Manchester International Festival.

A Dancer Dances: taking part in ‘Sea Change’

24 June 2021

A reviewer switches from observer to participant and reports on the development of Sea Change—the opening ceremony of the 2021 Manchester International Festival.