Manchester Bloggers
-
There is nothing finer than a good farce. And this was a fantastic farce. A bloody, violent, raucous ‘with references to drugs’ farce, but a great farce, with humour at the forefront. It’s New Year’s Eve in a quiet corner of Kent and a killer is in the house… We meet Jonny ‘The Cyclops’ –
-
Right I’m going to hang myself out to dry here. But it’s for the greater good. I don’t know why, I don’t know how. But I missed IDEAL the first time around…. Johnny Vegas stars as Moz, Manchester’s longest serving weed dealer, in a dope opera of epic proportions. Starring some of the hit BBC
-
I hope Nathaniel Hall won’t mind me adding in those brackets. But it’s quite integral to my blog post, because you see I’ve had the pleasure of seeing Toxic before. It premiered at HOME in the October of 2023, and I went, I saw, I felt and I duly did write. But when I was
-
This week has been rich. Rich in reminders of what keeps me living in Manchester, nearly 25 years after moving here. And it will be no surprise to regular readers (hi mum) that a mainstay of these reasons is the cultural offerings the city bestows. Over the last week, I’ve been lucky enough to experience
-
It’s that time again, the popular PUSH festival has returned to HOME for a biennial celebration of North West creative talent. As HOME reliably (and accurately) tell us, over two weeks (our) stages, screens and spaces will be dedicated to showcasing fantastic works from around the region, as well as offering opportunities for creatives to
-
Frankie never wanted to be a star, and after a chance encounter with a director, she finds herself transported to the ruthless world of Bollywood. As she climbs the sparkling staircase of stardom, Frankie must confront what she is willing to do for fame and fortune. Can she stay in the Bollywood family and still
-
I’m often drawn to starting my blog with a pithy or whimsical anecdote. Not so, this time. I feel inclined to do away with the preamble, the “how does this relate to me”s, the “int Manchester/theatre/art/food/drink (delete as appropriate) great”s of it all. Three couples. Thirty years. Mothers and daughters. Lovers, partners, husbands and wives.
-
I’m not really into ‘over sentiment’, as a rule. Nostalgia is a different story. I can lament about the good old days of last Tuesday with a wistful sigh, but in the moment, I can’t do twee. I feel awkward, embarrassed and also awkward again. But Little Women was truly hand-claspingly, heartwarmingly lovely. It just
-
I’ve done it. I’ve completed the holy trinity of moving, animal-based theatre. A triptych, if you like, of creature tear-jerkers which, for those who know me, will also know that that is my Everest. It all started with Watership Down, with a stop along the way to Born Free, with frequent accidental visits to Attenborough’s
-
Fairytales are scary. Wicked stepmothers, witches and wolves at every turn… They teach us important life lessons at an early age. What would you choose? The promise of adventure or the safety of the path? Written by Kevin Dyer, Little Red is a retelling of a fairytale for the age. With any retelling of a
-
I live oppositeish The Lowry Theatre and from my apartment I have been able to see the big red foreboding (not sure why foreboding – I guess it’s the redness of it all, the slightly off way the words are configured, the specific word bones itself?) billboard poster from my apartment for some weeks now.
-
It’s a good job the theatre recently became my new neighbour when I moved to Salford Quays in the summer, as I’ve rarely been away from the place recently. Back Wednesday night and I’ll be honest, I would kill for a 100 year nap right now. No sympathy here, my love. So the Christmas trees
-
I enjoy a ‘reimagining’, especially of a classic text or narrative with strong themes. It might not always ‘hit the mark’ or runs the risk of negative comparison to what an original that some might consider sacred. But it can also be enjoyed in its own right as a separate piece and do a service
-
Monday evening saw bucketfuls of rain in Salford but more importantly, press night of The Shawshank Redemption at The Lowry Theatre… Produced by Bill Kenwright and starring Joe Absolom and Ben Onwukwe, the title will score high recognition points, I’m sure, but not necessarily in this medium. Whilst starting life as Rita Hayworth and The
-
It’s 1934 in the heartland of America and we meet a group of wayward souls who cross paths in a time-weathered guesthouse. Standing at a turning point in their lives, they realize nothing is what it seems. But as they search for a future, and hide from the past, they find themselves facing unspoken truths
-
Did I mention that it’s 40 years since the Hacienda and all it entails was realised? Oh yes here’s where I mentioned it…Happy big 4-0 Hacienda! The night I entered Manc Mecca… Well here’s its sister from the same mister and if you haven’t heard, been or listened to Hacienda Classical, you don’t know what
-
1982 was a very special year. My brother was born in the January, the Hacienda was born in May. And the rest is history. That said, history came alive Saturday night when the shutters flew up on what is now the Hacienda apartments car park, and 1000 of us flooded in (note a last minute
-
I didn’t know what to do expect from this production. I mean I was aware of the story – it’s all love and hate and death and windy moors. But the description of this production told me it was… Shot through with music, dance, passion and hope… and I was admittedly reticent. This could be
-
I LOVE going somewhere new and nothing takes me more places than fringe theatre. Last Friday night it was the turn of Salford Arts Theatre and Two in a Bed Theatre Company’s Hold Me Close. The theatre company, isn’t new to me having seen their work before at The Kings Arms a couple of years
-
There’s light at the end of a very long and dark tunnel, my friends. We all know the worries and concerns for the theatre, and indeed arts and entertainment industry as a collective. But as 4 July becomes some sort of D-day, a heralding of freedom, venues who have been left out of the loop
honorary manc 