Area manager

Review | The Lion, The Witch and The Beaver* – sorry, Wardrobe

The Manc

What an enchanting evening at The Lowry as we were transported to Narnia to review the live stage adaptation of The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe in Media City as the production began its festive run in Greater Manchester.

As we entered the playing space, the atmosphere was set with a pianist on stage, slowly drowning out the noise of the outside world and settling the audience in for a night of magic.

Launching ‘Act One’ with a touching rendition of the British wartime classic, ‘We’ll Meet Again’ by Vera Lynne, we meet the large ensemble, multi-instrumentalist cast.

This talented ensemble pivots around multiple roles throughout the performance, creating a shape-shifting atmosphere with some impressive seamless transitions, allowing us to “open our minds” and be absorbed into the mythical world of Narnia alongside The Pevensies.

Sweetly played by Joanna Adaran, Jesse Dunbar, Kudzai Mangombe and Bunmi Osadolor, they excel in exploring sibling dynamics such as rivalry, trust, but most of all, loyalty and love.

The most mind-blowing element of this performance, however, was the production; it truly is the unsung hero of the entire show, so we’ll so the singing on their behalf.

Set and costume (designed by Tom Paris), lighting (done by Jack Knowles), puppetry design and direction (by Max Humphries and Toby Olie), sound design (credit to Tom Marshall) and hair, make-up and wig designer (Susanna Perez).

All this carefully curated talent helped create a world where we had no choice but to believe in magic.

For us as an audience, it made things so much easier to immerse and delight in the world of C.S. Lewis’ imagination, as it is so wonderfully presented in front of us.

This was elevated once again by levitation and disappearing acts – the scene was set on the
boards and in the air.

Huge credit goes to Gwen Hales (aerial director) and Chris Fisher (magic and illusions); it felt as if anything was possible, and we needed no convincing that we were in the presence of pure enchantment.

However, arguably the most magnificent moment of the show was the reveal of Aslan himself.
As this grand puppet prowled onto the stage, you could hear gasps echo throughout the theatre.

Manoeuvred by three puppeteers, this skilful spectacle was a credit to bringing the story to
life in live theatre. The seamless, lifelike movements of breath and king-like presence were
both majestic and a credit to the production.

Accompanied by Stanton Wright, we had no doubt that this was the true hero of Narnia.

If you want us to sum up our review of The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe at The Lowry, quite simply, this show is nothing short of a marvel.

With constant playfulness and wit throughout – mainly brought to you from the broad Northern and oh-so lovable Mr Beaver (Ed Thorpe), and fellow believer in magic, ‘The Professor’ (Kraig Thornber).

It’s the lattermost that left us with a lasting thought, as he warmly reminds the audience that even when times feel dark, “the sun is always up there, we just have to look.”

The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe is running from The Lowry in Salford Quays all the way up until Sunday, 11 January 2026. Don’t miss the magic and grab your tickets HERE.

If you’re interested in finding out what else we’ve enjoyed at the theatre in Manchester recently, then look no further…

Read more:

• ‘The Karate Kid – The Musical’, inspired by the iconic 80s film, is coming to town
• Review | ‘Hopefully!’, you get lucky enough to see the spectacle that is Loyle Carner live
• Beloved play The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time is returning to Manchester

For all the latest news, events and goings on in Greater Manchester, subscribe to The Manc newsletter HERE.

Featured Images — The Manc Group/Press shots (Brinkhoff/Moegenburg supplied via The Lowry)

Popular American fast food franchise Shake Shack is coming to Manchester

Danny Jones

Greater Manchester is getting another big global franchise as Shake Shack is finally set to make its Northern debut.

With so many good burger joints and a million and one great places to grab a good portion of chips in town alone, they’ll have to hit the ground running to fight off the competition.

The well-known transatlantic multinational is nothing short of massive in the States, vying with the likes of In-N-Out Burger, Five Guys, Carl’s Jr. – also eyeing up multiple UK sites over the next few years – Whataburger and Wendy’s, just to name a rather large handful. Oh yeah, and Maccies, of course.

Yanks will debate until the cows come home (pardon the pun) about which is best, and many believe Shake Shack is right up there, so Manchester foodies have every right to be excited. Consider this a belated Thanksgiving contribution.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Shake Shack (@shakeshack)

The New York-founded company already has multiple locations on this side of the pond, such as several in London, which is where we first sampled it for ourselves.

Other venues include  Birmingham, Cambridge, Oxford and Cardiff, as well as one inside Gatwick Airport; as for the brand’s first Manchester branch, Shake Shack UK no. 18 will be coming to the borough of Trafford and one of the biggest shopping destinations in the region.

But what sets this burger and milkshake-driven brand apart from the others?

Well, for starters, you could argue they’re not even most famous for their patties, buns or shakes; the first time we ever heard about Shake Shack was regarding their fries – specifically, the crinkle-cut shape and that very American-style cheese sauce.

They have long proved divisive among the masses, but those who love them go NUTS for the stuff, and you’ll find all manner of fakeaway recipes online of people trying to make their best imitation of the side and sauce, specifically.

Put it this way, Colonel’s gravy on KFC chicken is what cheese sauce is on Shake Shack fries. It may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but fans will stan this scran to no end.

Case and point:

My first time at Shake Shack 👌🏼💚
The cheese fries might be my new hyper fixation 🍟 pic.twitter.com/3HVwAgxRtD

— Kasey Hockmuth (@hellokasey120) September 28, 2025

Honestly, you’ll find countless examples of this kind of post on social media…

Richard Franks, Business Director at Shake Shack UK, said: “Manchester’s a city that does things proper; it’s full of heart, graft and great taste. We’re so pumped to be growing Shake Shack across the UK, and to be opening our first Northern Shack at Trafford Centre. We can’t wait to be a part of this city.”

The major mall and North West tourist attraction’s Centre Director, Simon Layton, added: “We’re really excited to welcome Shake Shack’s first Northern restaurant to the Trafford Centre.

“We know our visitors are going to love getting their hands on those iconic ShackBurgers and crinkle-cut fries. It’s a huge moment for the North – and we can’t wait for everyone to experience it with us in 2026.”

Opening in place of the Costa in the Great Hall, the opening of Shake Shack Manchester at the Trafford Centre is scheduled for next March. Exciting times.

Read more:

• A new champagne bar, and the UK’s first ‘champagne boutique’, is opening in Manchester
• 25 of the very best burgers in Manchester city centre and the boroughs beyond
• A build-your-own banana pudding bar is opening in the city centre

For all the latest news, events and goings on in Greater Manchester, subscribe to The Manc newsletter HERE.

Featured Images — bryansjs (via Flickr)/LN9267 (via Wikimedia Commons)