I haven’t been to a pantomime since I was a child. As it turns out, pantos are much more enjoyable when you’re old enough to ...

Ebenezer Scrooge doesn’t usually travel by scooter. For generations of Christmas Carol retellings, he’s sulked and trudged.

The triumph of this Pied Piper reminded me of my life in London when, each Christmas, the Hackney panto was my theatrical ...

Alongside such ambiguous servings of kitchen sink grimness, there is a generous helping of kitsch and glam, notably the ...

It’s nose-bitingly cold outside, but the glowing red lights of the Copper Bar at Manchester’s Band on the Wall invite me in ...

When I meet Jason Wilsher-Mills at the Grundy, he greets me with a line that sets the tone for everything that follows: ...

Singin’ in the Rain is at the Royal Exchange, Manchester until January 25, 2026. For more information, click here.

Life is imitating art at Shakespeare North this festive season. Or perhaps it is the other way round. For when we first meet our Cinderella, in this new version written by Nick Lane, she is not a ...

The likely audience for this review, as for the Everyman’s Rock ‘n’ Roll Panto itself, broadly falls into two categories: regulars who want reassurance that it’s festive business as usual, and ...

When an opera production is revived 32 years after its premiere, does it still shine or is it covered by a layer of dust? The celebrated director Phyllida Lloyd’s production of La Bohéme for Opera ...

There’s a new kid on the block. The meteoric rise of Skof has been a phenomenon in itself. Opened in May 2024, Tom Barnes’ new Manchester gaff has already won a slew of awards. It received a Michelin ...