Month: April 2021

Critically-acclaimed outdoor show C-O-N-T-A-C-T comes to Salford & Manchester in May

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Aria Entertainment and WEF Productions have announced that the critically-acclaimed
outdoor production C-o-n-t-a-c-t will run for six weeks from Tuesday 18 May – 29 June 2021.


This immersive, two-hander outdoor performance featuring a captivating 3D sound design will
run in partnership with The Lowry in two locations – Salford Quays and central Manchester following a hugely successful run in London in autumn 2020.

This innovative production opened to 4* reviews from The Guardian and the i, with The Times
calling it “a tantalising vision of a new kind of theatre.” It will be one of the first live theatre show to open in Manchester & Salford following theatre closures last year.

Originally created by Samuel Sené and Gabrielle Jourdain and premiering in France with
French production company Musidrama last summer in a world where social distancing became
the ‘new normal’, this timely story of a moving and unexpected encounter explores the themes
of mental health and anxiety through the eyes of Sarah as she is approached by someone she
believes to be a stranger. She discovers that he can hear her thoughts but how? Who is this
man? Dive into her mind in this unique sensory and immersive new show and experience
theatre like never before.

The show runs for 50 minutes without an interval and audiences download the audio from the
app which is a completely new piece of technology synchronizing the spectators and actors,
allowing the show to play with theatrical concepts and a new form of dramaturgy. Audiences of
no more than 17 per show will purchase their tickets online and will then receive a link to
download the app and exact location details.

The show complies with the safety and hygiene measures arts as set out by the government. This pedestrian performance is an outdoor promenade experience for small groups of up to 17 and adheres to strict social distancing
between audience members. It is also an audio experience which involves no direct speaking of
any actor in the play.

Tickets can be purchased via The Lowry’s website Contact | What’s On | The Lowry


An Evening With Bruce Dickinson in Salford

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Legendary Iron Maiden lead singer BRUCE DICKINSON is today delighted to announce a very special one man show for Summer 2021 – which comes to The Lowry on August 4.

‘An Evening With Bruce Dickinson’ is Bruce’s first-ever UK spoken word tour and follows sold-out shows across Europe and Australia.

This unmissable six-date tour – peppered with anecdotes from Bruce’s extraordinary life both on and off-stage, and delivered in his own inimitable anarchic style – visits Brighton, Salford, Bradford, Nottingham, Birmingham and London in August.

‘AN EVENING WITH BRUCE DICKINSON’ – FEATURING Q&A

 SIX 2021 UK SHOWS ANNOUNCED ON SPOKEN WORD TOUR

LIVE NATION today announces a very special Evening With show by IRON MAIDEN singer, BRUCE DICKINSON on his first-ever UK spoken word tour.

THE SUMMER 2021 DATES ARE:

AUG 1       BRIGHTON               THEATRE ROYAL

AUG 4       SALFORD                 THE LOWRY

AUG 5       BRADFORD              ST GEORGE’S HALL

AUG 8       NOTTINGHAM          THEATRE ROYAL

AUG 9       BIRMINGHAM           THE ALEXANDRA

AUG 10     LONDON                   O2 SHEPHERD’S BUSH EMPIRE

Tickets go on general sale at 10am, Thursday April 29 via ticketmaster.co.uk

Immersive drive-in cinema SecretCity comes to Manchester

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Reviewed by Nicky Jones

As one of the first live events to happen in Manchester after the third national lockdown,
it was a welcome treat to attend SecretCity’s Opening Night!

Happening at EventCity throughout summer 2021, we were given chance to have an early experience and watch the 2020 remake of The Secret Garden at the drive-in cinema.

Arriving into SecretCity, we were greeted by an immersive Alice in Wonderland enchanted tunnel, complete with a water pistol armed dancing mushroom and a zebra on stilts.

As we followed the journey round, we saw an Alice in Wonderland scene with a vibrant butterfly who threw a giant beach ball our way! This was a fantastic welcome, and really set the tone for the rest of the event.

Before the film, a DJ set was blasted out of speakers and on radio waves – perfect for a party in the car!

The SecretBar was a huge hit with attendees, including a popular beer garden area for catching up with friends. The drinks were flowing and plenty of hot food was on offer to warm us up.

Spectacular aerial artists and roaming performers put on a stunning show throughout the build up to the film.

Popcorn in hand, we headed back to the car for the film to begin. A light show and pyrotechnics were a feast for the eyes in the last few moments before the film began, whilst the DJ encouraged the audience to flash their car lights and honk their horns!

Various films are being shown throughout the summer on the UK’s biggest LED outdoor screen, but the stunning remake of The Secret Garden was the perfect choice for opening night.

There are plenty of photo opportunities at SecretCity – so dress up and enjoy a night out from the comfort of your own car!

Fancy it?
Tickets are £35 per car, available to purchase on: https://parknpartymcr.co.uk/secret-city/

What’s on the schedule?
Wonder Woman (1984) | Thursday 15th April | 9pm
Bridesmaids | Wed 21st April | 8:30pm
Onward | Saturday 24th April | 4pm
Greenland | Sunday 2nd April | 8pm
Mulan (2020) | Saturday 7th May | 4pm
The Greatest Showman | Sunday 8th May | 4pm

Jack and the Beanstalk

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Reviewed by Daisy Eagleton and Mum Michelle Eagleton

Opening Night verdict ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Daisy’s verdict, aged 10:

With phenomenal outfits and magical sets, this Jack and the Beanstalk Pantomime brought the excitement of the theatre to our family home.

Things such as: close-up shots and virtual interaction made this pantomime morespectacular than ever! Who would have thought a virtual pantomime would be better than a pantomime at the theatre?

The story opens with Fairy Mary (Jenna Sian O’ Hara) hilariously narrating about the life of Jack Trott and his family. As soon as the show started I was amazed by the beautiful and bright costumes worn by the cast, especially evil Mrs Fleshcreep’s glittering red gown and Princess Jill’s first intricate gold dress.

My favourite character was Simple Simon, Jack’s brother, played by Reece Sibbald. His jokes were so funny and his silly humourmade me and my 6 year old brother laught out loud – Mum and Dad were even laughing at some of them too. 

I loved the part when Jack Trott and Princess Jill went to school in Act 1 it was hilarious plus it featured the song: ‘Naughty Children’ from Matilda and ‘Savage Love’ which got my family dancing. Jack (Timothy Lucas) was a great singer and I also though his Mum Dame Trott (Jamie Greer) was brilliant and very cheeky!

This show was all-round amazing and I wouldn’t change anything about it.


Mum’s verdict:

St Helen’s have put on a great Easter panto here which we thoroughly enjoyed. The sound and visual quality was top class and despite us not being in the theatre watching it, it managed to capture the essence and still have us interacting with the characters at full voice.

There were some fab performances by all the cast, especially Simple Simon (Reece Sibbald) who my kids adored. A moment of pure escapism where we could laugh at toilet humour and regional one liners, plus listen to music from an array of eras – Tom Jones to Rick Astley!

If you are after just under 2 hours of entertainment over the Easter break then give this show a go, It is guaranteed to get you excited for when the Theatre Royal re opens its doors, which fingers crossed could be in the near future.

Jack at the Beanstalk is available online until Sunday 11th April tickets available https://www.sthelenstheatreroyal.com