Theatre in Liverpool
Theatre show previews and reviews
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The Intrusion: Examining Climate Crisis Through Comedy – Finding Hope In The Bleakness of Extinction
Bric à Brac Theatre and Told by an Idiot present The Intrusion, a dark comedy exploring climate crisis and survival after civilisation’s end. Premiering at Leeds Playhouse (March 1-8) before touring northern venues, the Kafkaesque play uses humour and original music to examine extinction. Developed with experts and community insights, the production features Kitty Devlin (Bridgerton), Alex Hinson, and Siobhan Cha Cha. Directed by Anna Marshall, it offers an “anarchic look” at a desperate situation,…
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In Conversation – Wes Williams (Grin Theatre)
For over a decade, Grin Theatre has been a driving force in LGBTQ+ representation within Merseyside’s theatre scene. Founded in 2011, the company has provided a powerful platform for queer creatives through its dynamic productions, workshops, and mentorships. From the beloved annual Queertet festival to thought-provoking plays that challenge audiences, Grin continues to evolve, collaborating with theatre companies across the North West to amplify LGBTQ+ voices. In this interview, we speak with Wes Williams, the…
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Jodie Comer To Bring Prima Facie To Liverpool For Final Tour
Jodie Comer will reprise her award-winning role in Prima Facie for a final tour in 2026, with the production making a highly anticipated stop at Liverpool Playhouse. The Killing Eve star, originally from Liverpool, will return to her hometown for the last leg of the tour, running from 17 to 21 March. Written by Suzie Miller, Prima Facie tells the powerful story of a barrister who defends men accused of rape before experiencing sexual assault…
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A Play Within A Play, Within A Dying Moment: ‘Dead Mom Play’ at Unity Theatre
Dead Mom Play, at Liverpool’s Unity Theatre, dared to confront the raw, uncomfortable edges of grief and artistic creation, and did so with a surprising blend of dark humour and theatrical self-awareness. What initially seemed a straightforward narrative of a young playwright facing his mother’s impending death quickly unfurled into a meta- theatrical exploration of the very act of storytelling and creative performance. The premise, a young playwright grappling with his dying mother and the…
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In Conversation – Lisa Allen, CEO & Creative Director of Shakespeare North Playhouse
When Lisa Allen took the reins as CEO & Creative Director of Shakespeare North Playhouse in September 2024, she stepped into a venue with a strong foundation and a passionate community behind it. With a deep appreciation for the theatre’s role in both artistic excellence and local engagement, Lisa is leading the Playhouse into an exciting new chapter. In this interview, we discuss her first impressions of the venue and the town’s rich history of…
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Review: Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake At The Empire Theatre
Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake, a groundbreaking reimagining of the classic ballet, continues to resonate decades after its debut as we saw tonight at the Liverpool Empire. This 30th-anniversary production of Swan Lake, while perhaps less shocking than its 1995 premiere, retains its anarchic spirit and emotional core, offering a potent exploration of family dynamics, repressed desire, and the search for identity. Bourne’s genius lies in his ability to blend the familiar narrative with a fresh,…
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In Conversation – Ben Blais And Griffin Bellah, Dead Mom Play
Have you ever experienced a play that made you laugh and cry in equal measure? Dead Mom Play, a dark comedy about a young man confronting his mother’s death, has resonated with audiences and critics alike. With reviews highlighting its “funny and moving” nature (Edinburgh Festival Fringe) it’s a play that promises to stay in the mind for a long time. You are highly recommended to catch a performance at the Unity Theatre on Saturday…
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Summer 2025 Season of Outdoor Pop-up Theatre Announced By The Reader
The Reader has announced five new open-air theatre productions for summer, as well as a new family show added to the Easter line-up. Shared Reading charity The Reader has unveiled a new programme of open-air theatre for summer 2025, featuring Jane Austen, Shakespearean favourites, Gilbert and Sullivan and a fun family show. Five performances will be staged outdoors in one of the city’s hidden historic gems – the art-deco style Garden Theatre in Liverpool’s Calderstones…
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Hilarious Family-Friendly Show Invites You To ‘Make Your Own Myth’
Award-winning theatre company, Rubbish Shakespeare Company are joining forces with Silly History Boys to proudly present the first UK Tour of The Story Forge: Make Your Own Myth – a hilarious hour of high-octane adventure, told through their distinctive fusion of clowning, silly storytelling, physical comedy and live music. The Story Forge: Make Your Own Myth is an immersive, all-ages family show, where two larger-than-life history professors and a live musician make new myths from children’s ideas. Audiences will…
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Review: The Merchant of Venice 1936 At The Playhouse Theatre
A single candle flickers, a fragile point of light against the encroaching darkness. Hebrew prayers, ancient and resonant, murmur through the air, a whisper of tradition in a world about to be torn apart. Then, the illusion shatters. This is not the gilded cage of Shakespeare’s Venice, but the grimy reality of London’s East End, 1936. This production of The Merchant of Venice, a bold and unsettling reimagining, is a theatrical time machine, transporting us…
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Review: OutHaus – Tenderfoot Theatre Company At Edge Hill University Arts Centre
OutHaus, a work-in-progress production by Tenderfoot Theatre Company, embodies a raw, exhilarating energy that belies its developmental status. This isn’t your typical tentative workshop performance, fraught with nervous glances and hesitant line deliveries. Instead, this 90-minute theatrical romp pulsates with a vibrant, infectious enthusiasm, grabbing the audience from the first moment and refusing to let go. It’s a testament to the company’s commitment to dynamic storytelling and a clear passion for the themes they explore.…
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Review: Woman | Women At The Shakespeare North Playhouse
The press release to Rowena Gander’s Woman | Women boldly promises it to be a show that challenges traditional, normative ideas of lesbian relationships through a mixture of physical theatre and comedy. A show that will take a deep dive into the themes of pace, compatibility, attachment and internalized homophobia, showcasing how these issues resonate differently across individuals. This is a labour of love for Ms Gander, the culmination of experience gained over many years…
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Review: 1984 At The Liverpool Playhouse
1984 by George Orwell is both a prophecy and a warning about totalitarianism, what it looks like and, through the main character, what it feels like when there is no freedom either to act or think and when the leader of The Party, Big Brother, decides what are facts and what is true. The power of the story is that every generation over the last 75 years has found something to relate about their own…
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Liverpool Will ‘Follow The Star’ This Christmas In A Family Theatre Show For Everyone
An accessible, child-centred show, performed by a diverse cast of international and learning disabled performers is set to be a Christmas hit this year in Liverpool. In Star of Wonder at the Unity Theatre, audiences of all ages and abilities are invited to join three friends on a wondrous journey to follow a star. What follows is a hilarious, magical and memorable show for all the family, full of clowning, magical interaction and brilliant puppetry. Created by the award-winning Liverpool-based collective Teatro…
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New Stage Production of George Orwell’s 1984 Comes To Liverpool
To commemorate 75 years since the publication of George Orwell’s groundbreaking novel, this thrilling new stage adaptation, features Keith Allen and is directed by Lindsay Posner (3 Sisters on Hope Street, Everyman, 2008). 1984 is an iconic story of surveillance, oppression and forbidden love and is adapted for the stage by Ryan Craig (Charlotte and Theodore, Ustinov Studio; The Holy Rosenbergs and Our Class, National Theatre), who was nominated as Most Promising Playwright at the…
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Review: ‘Giselle’ At Liverpool Empire Theatre
Witnessing the English National Ballet’s revival of their 1971 Giselle was an experience to savour, one that elevated the standard for this beloved classic to new heights. The company executed each element to near perfection—Mary Skeaping’s renowned choreography and direction, the meticulous recreation of David Walker’s original set, the evocative lighting and costumes, and the orchestra’s powerful score under Gavin Sutherland’s expert direction. Together, these components coalesced into a afternoon matinee performance of extraordinary intensity…
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English National Ballet – Mary Skeaping’s Giselle Coming To Liverpool’s Empire Theatre
This Wednesday 23 October sees the start of a four performance run at the Liverpool Empire of English National Ballet’s acclaimed 1971 production of Giselle. The celebrated choregrapher and director Mary Skeatings interpretation of the 1841 standout of the classical ballet canon has garnered much praise for its artistic synthesis of peasant countryside life and the eternal forces of the supernatural. Giselle is a haunting story of innocence and betrayal – a timeless tale about…
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Woman | Women Theatre Show Takes Deep Dive Into Fast-Paced Nature of Lesbian Relationships
A new stage production is fusing performance art and physical theatre to explore how lesbian relationships do not follow traditional societal expectations. Woman | Women is a physical and comedic show that takes an academic deep dive into the fast-paced nature of same sex relationships between women. The autumn tour also features pre-show discussions on sexuality and creativity in an open conversation format. The show, which will tour Ormskirk, Liverpool, and Prescot this November, is the brainchild of…
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Review: ‘Birdsong’ At The Liverpool Playhouse
As familiar as most of us are with the word ‘war’, it still – rightly – has the power to shock. The terrible events unfolding across the world, daily beamed into our homes are tragic testimony to that and never should we become inured. Birdsong, Sebastian Faulks’ best-selling epic romance set against the horrors of trench warfare in the First World War’s battlefields of France is now more than 30 years old and remains his…
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Sebastian Faulks’s Birdsong Is Coming To The Playhouse
Sebastian Faulks’s epic story of love and loss, Birdsong, returns to the stage in a brand-new production for 2024 at the Liverpool Playhouse from Tuesday 8 to Saturday 12 October. Featuring award-winning actor Max Bowden (EastEnders), this production marks the 30th anniversary of the international best-selling novel. The critically acclaimed show, adapted by Rachel Wagstaff and directed by Original Theatre’s Artistic Director, Alastair Whatley, tells the story of one man’s journey through an all-consuming love…
