Berlin-based Rimini Protokoll returns to the Manchester International Festival, but this time with a work—unusual for MIF, which usually only presents new commissions—that has already been performed in Germany last year, where it was crowned ‘Play of the Year’ by the critics of Theater Heute magazine. The roots of this piece are in the true… Continue reading All right. Good night.
Month: July 2023
Outside In and on the fringe
Outside In is part of this year’s Greater Manchester Fringe Festival on July 25, 26 and 30 at Gullivers in the Northern Quarter. Kidnapped from Brownies in an ice cream van, forced to tend to a Santa with explosive bowels in the Arndale grotto, haunted by a failed comedian, Ilaria just wants a gang. But… Continue reading Outside In and on the fringe
They
The Manchester International Festival (MIF) is an arts festival with a capital ‘A’. There is a tendency to favour works which are extreme or obscure. The attraction for the MIF of Kay Dick’s dystopian They: A Sequence of Unease is clear. Set in an alternate reality / near future in which mobs of philistines systematically roam the… Continue reading They
Manchester Anthem for Edinburgh
Hit solo show A Manchester Anthem, winner of VAULT Festival ‘Show Of The Week Award’ and Pleasance ‘Pick of VAULT Award’, heads to Edinburgh Festival Fringe August 2–27 (except 7 & 16) at The Green, Pleasance Courtyard (33). Actor Tom Claxton delivers a high-energy performance as working-class Mancunian Tommy, bidding a final farewell to his hometown… Continue reading Manchester Anthem for Edinburgh
Alma
By the time she is presented, at the end of a dynamic two-hour-no-interval show, with her 2020 Olivier Award for Outstanding Achievement in Dance, undeliverable three years ago for obvious reasons, the queen, if not diva, of flamenco, Sara Baras, has already proved, to a packed auditorium, why she is worthy of it. Baras transcends… Continue reading Alma
Anna Hibiscus’ Song for Sheffield
Anna Hibiscus’ Song at Tanya Moiseiwitsch Playhouse, Sheffield, July 7-15 is a theatrical adaptation of the children’s book by Atinuke. Staged in the intimate Playhouse, it’s told through music, dance, puppetry and traditional African storytelling. Suitable for children aged 3+ and their families, the performances will be interactive and colourful. The cast includes Althea Burey (Narrator,… Continue reading Anna Hibiscus’ Song for Sheffield
English National Ballet School 2023 Summer Performance
English National Ballet School (ENBS), founded in 1988 by the then ENB artistic director (1984–1990) Peter Schaufuss, with only twelve students as a feeder for the main company, now auditions three hundred every year for thirty places. It has come a long way in thirty-five years. Tonight we see the standard of raw material and… Continue reading English National Ballet School 2023 Summer Performance
Glastonbury to Blackpool just like that!
West End performer Daniel Taylor bursts into Blackpool Grand Theatre this month fresh from Glastonbury Festival with his show The Very Best of Tommy Cooper. His one-man show celebrates one of Britain’s best entertainers and was billed as one of the top ten attractions at this year’s festival. Daniel was last seen at Blackpool Grand in… Continue reading Glastonbury to Blackpool just like that!
Buzzing
In Manchester’s Spinningfields district, there is a wall-sized display of (artificial) flowers spelling out the word Buzzin’. Presumably this is intended to suggest a dynamic, industrious area instead of the yuppie theme park for which it is often mistaken. Through the customs checkpoint and into Salford, the Kings Arms hosts a show which uses the same word… Continue reading Buzzing
To Bee buzz into Manchester Fringe
To Bee Productions have been awarded the Suburbia Grant from Manchester Pride to produce Arisha’s OK Cabaret: An Operatic Extravaganza at this year’s Greater Manchester Fringe. Arisha is a trans/non-binary artist, who tells their story of homelessness in times of crisis, found family and the strength of queer relationships whilst training in music theatre at… Continue reading To Bee buzz into Manchester Fringe