Theatre through the eyes of a Manc
When I cast my mind back to sex education in school, the only things we were taught was how to put a condom on a banana and about the menstrual cycle. Lucy Danser's blistering play If This Is Normal shows how woefully inadequate this is in preparing teenagers for adulthood, and how talking about sex... Continue Reading →
Watching Megan Relph's one-woman comedy Proper Adult provided a refreshing reminder about exactly why I started blogging about theatre in the first place. The purpose of my theatre blog is to spread the word that high quality theatre can be found outside London, plus it doesn't have to cost an absolute fortune. In fact, you... Continue Reading →
It's wonderful to see the GM Fringe back in Manchester. It has always been the highlight of my year; giving audiences the chance to be able to watch affordable theatre in local venues that are spread across the city. It's also a great opportunity to discover local emerging talent and support the fringe community, rather... Continue Reading →
It's not very often that a piece of theatre has had such an impact on me that I end up watching it three times*. Danny and the Deep Blue Sea is one of these. It was one of the best shows I watched in 2019. Its characters moved me so much that they became seared into... Continue Reading →
Meet Kate. She’s a skank. Stuck in a job she hates, Kate dreams of being a writer. Anything to get away from her irritating co-workers; Anal Annie, Linda (who has the world’s most awful laugh), and her woefully dull manager, Chris. As relief from her mind-numbingly boring job, she investigates which of her colleagues have... Continue Reading →
Taran Knight's Our Kid was one of the highlights of the summer's GM Fringe Festival. It received critical acclaim and was nominated for several awards, including Best New Writing, Best Actor, and Best Drama. Thankfully for those who missed it at the GM Fringe, Knight has returned to the King's Arms, with a slightly extended version of... Continue Reading →
Zoey Barnes and Clementine Bogg-Hargroves are quickly becoming the best double act in Manchester's theatre scene. After the success of Skank at the GM Fringe, the couple's new collaboration, Austen Power, showcases Barnes' debut as a writer. And what an impressive debut this piece is! It tells of two sisters who inherit an independent, family bookshop from their father.... Continue Reading →
Welcome to The Community Centre, a place where you can relax and while away the time, or engage in "How to Charm Your Own Snakes" workshops. It is the lifeblood of the local Mancunian community, where elders can go to avoid paying their electric bills, and where people can skive off work. As the central... Continue Reading →
In an independent coffee shop, full of middle-class yummy mummies wilfully ignoring their kids, Jude has a meltdown. Jude doesn't like children. She considers kids to be "tit leeches" who validate your existence. "I've never shat myself in a pool", she proudly declares. In her 30s, Jude breaks conventions as a woman who doesn't actually... Continue Reading →
Platform 3 at Stockport train station may seem an odd location for a play, but it seems strangely fitting for Gare Du Nord Theatre's production, The Suitcase, The Beggar & the Wind, part of Manchester's GM Fringe festival. In a disused waiting room on platform 3, a beggar (Jon Martin) plays his guitar, and watches passers-by.... Continue Reading →
THE PLAY'S THE THING 