A musical comedy based on Bollywood’s most successful film is set to open in Manchester in 2025.
Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, also known as DDLJ, follows the love story of lead characters Raj and Simran, who meet in Europe and then again in India where Raj wins her back as she’s already promised to a potential husband.
‘Come Fall in Love – The DDLJ Musical’ as its titled is coming to Manchester Opera House in 2025 and is directed by Aditya Chopra, the film’s original director.
Since its big-screen release in 1995, the show has never left cinemas in Mumbai, becoming the longest-running title in Indian cinema.
This new stage adaptation taking place in Manchester will feature 18 brilliant songs created especially for the theatre production with a huge emphasis on colliding cultures.
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The musical itself has already amassed success at its World premiere in California two years ago at The Old Globe, San Diego.
This musical version sees the introduction of ‘Rog’ who takes the place of the film’s male protagonist, ‘Raj’.
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‘Rog’ is described as a rich, charming British boy, also known as Simran’s father’s worst nightmare, it’s the battle of true love and tradition.
There’s a cabinet full of awards backing this musical as ‘Come Fall in Love – The DDLJ Musical’, has lyrics by Nell Benjamin, known for his involvement with Tina Fey and the smash-hit musical movie ‘Mean Girls’.
The recording duo Vishal & Sheykhar are behind the music for this project and are well-known for some huge songs in India.
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Support from Rob Ashford as the Emmy, Tony and Olivier award winner known for his efforts for the on-stage adaptation of Frozen, takes on the role of associate choreographer.
This musical comedy really is a full fusion of cultures with the tagline of ‘An East-meets-West Musical Comedy’.
Tickets for ‘Come Fall in Love – The DDLJ Musical’ go on sale 4 October at 10am here.
The best things to do in Greater Manchester this week | 7 – 13 October 2024
Emily Sergeant
It’s the first full week of October, and the spookiest time of year is just around the corner.
We’re into a new month and the seasons have well and truly changed now, so as we all start to fully immerse ourselves in everything autumn has to offer, there’s absolutely no shortage of things for the whole family to be getting up to across Greater Manchester.
Finding it a bit tricky to pick what to do though? We’ve chosen a few of the best bits for another edition of our ‘what’s on‘ guide this week.
Here’s some of our recommendations.
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Scare City 2024
Camelot Theme Park
Monday 7 October – onwards
Scare City 2024 / Credit: Supplied
Scare City has returned to the North West for its fifth year running with its “most immersive” horror experience to date.
Taking over the grounds of the abandoned Camelot Theme Park for “another year of terror”, just as it has done for the past three years following the success of its initial 2020 launch as a drive-in cinema, this year’s event features a selection of terrifying zones to weave your way through – some familiar, some brand new.
Tickets are now available to book at £26.95 for standard entry, or £36.95 for the ‘Gold Entry’ (both plus a £2.45 booking free).
Find out more and grab tickets to this year’s event here.
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STAB Horror Film Season
Cultplex
Monday 7 October – onwards
STAB Horror Film Season / Credit: Cultplex | Paramount Pictures
October is here… and so is STAB Horror Film Season.
Now a much-loved staple of Manchester’s spooky season, Cultplex’s annual horror film festival is back for 2024 from this week, and the Red Bank-based ‘mini cini’ will once again be taken over by a whole host of scary movies and more as part of the month-long festival.
This year’s lineup features sci-fi and supernatural classics such as The Exorcist and Alien, as well as full-on movie marathons, special spooky one-offs, and other events.
Manc visitors will be able to walk through the iconic Jurassic World gates, explore some richly-themed environments, and encounter a life-sized Brachiosaurus, Velociraptors, and the most fearsome dinosaur of all, the mighty Tyrannosaurus Rex.
NEW OPENING – Museum of Illusions / Credit: The Manc Group
The world-famous Museum of Illusions filled with optical illusions and interactive exhibits is now open in Manchester.
Inside the new attraction – which opened last week on Market Street, and is the only location in the UK – visitors are able to dangle upside down on a Metrolink tram, have their minds blown in the Vortex Tunnel, and probably learn a thing or two while they’re at it.
Visitors are promised mind-bending illusions and curious games around every corner.
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There’s even somee brand-new, Manchester-exclusive installations too, like The Reversed Room, and The Building Illusion, where you can dangle, Spider-man-style, from a classic city brick terraced building.
Injecting Hope: The race for a COVID-19 vaccine / Credit: Science Museum Group
More than 100 objects and stories collected during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic are now on display as part of a new exhibition at the Science and Industry Museum.
The groundbreaking new exhibition, titled Injecting Hope: The race for a COVID-19 vaccine, explores the worldwide effort to develop vaccines at pandemic speed, while uncovering the inspiring stories of scientists and innovators around the globe who collaborated to tackle the worldwide COVID-19 challenge along the way.
Manchester Literature Festival is back for 2024 this Friday.
This year’s festival offers unique experiences for audiences to interact with some of the finest writers and thinkers from across the globe in a welcoming place where people come together to share their passion for language, be entertained, learn, and reflect on their connections with place, politics and people.
MLF is all about nurturing the next generation of readers, writers, and creatives, and there’s a jam-packed programme of events.
Brought to the old Bowlers Cafe site by the same team behind the award-winning La Bandera, El Kabron is Manchester’s newest city centre opening, and it’s a small plates and snack bar inspired by the taverns of northern Spain.
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Here you’ll find tapas, pintxos (basically Spanish bar snacks served on bread or cocktail sticks), bocadillo-style sandwiches, lots of lovely cured meats. and so much more.
Stockport is currently hosting its inaugural Paint Jam, and this huge event covers a 1km walking tour from Merseyway to GRIT Studios on Canal Street, with four different locations showcasing their own taste of culture.
Breakdancers, food and drink options, and DJs will keep you company along the trail as you immerse yourself in everything the Greater Manchester borough has to offer.
Akse P19, Qubek, Hammo, Liam Bonini, Caroline Daly, and Kelzo are some of the artists involved.
Festival season might be winding down, but party season is officially upon us, as The Warehouse Project has finally kicked off for 2024.
Running right until the legendary New Year’s Eve party on 31 December, Depot Mayfield has been transformed into one of the UK’s largest nightclub venues – with acts from all over the world descending upon Manchester to perform innovative sets.
Everything you need to know about WHP24 can be found here.
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Red Rose Diner
East Lancashire Railway
Friday 11 October – onwards
Red Rose Diners / Credit: ELR
Greater Manchester’s iconic heritage railway is currently hosting one of the most unique fine dining experiences in the region.
Running on selected Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays throughout the summer, East Lancashire Railway’s ‘Red Rose Diners’ are described as being “the ultimate first class foodie experience”, as they start with a glass of fizz and stretch over an almost three-hour steam train journey through the Irwell Valley.
The experience includes a four-course dinner with complimentary sparkling wine, followed by tea or coffee and after-dinner chocolates.
Little Mancs who love LEGO can take part in some interactive building workshops in Greater Manchester this Sunday.
Aimed at young creators aged six to 12, the workshops – will take place down at Manchester Arndale and the Trafford Centre, as well as online for those who can’t make it in person – will be focused on themes such as entertainment, space, imagination, and gaming.
Kids can create their own ‘video game level’ or buildable characters, or have a go at building anything they want, all with a little help from the LEGO store associates for guidance.
Find out more and see if you can book FREE tickets here.
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Featured Image – Supplied | Science Museum Group
Art & Culture
Chester Zoo plants 19,000 new trees to help restore Cheshire’s lost woodlands
Emily Sergeant
Chester Zoo is helping to restore lost woodland areas in Cheshire by planting tens of thousands of new trees.
In a bid to transform a low-biodiversity silage field into a major new sanctuary for UK wildlife, almost 19,000 trees have been planted on the Chester Zoo‘s land in Upton in Chester – which spans more than nine hectares – making it the zoo’s biggest habitat creation project to date, and one of the largest tree planting projects to take place in Cheshire in several years.
Forming part of a wider wildlife corridor across the North West region, a diverse mix of UK native broadleaf trees species have been planted – including oak, beech, and hazel.
The tree species have been chosen to provide “high biodiversity benefits” and a “resilience to climate change”, according to the zoo, while the layout has been designed to help butterflies, small mammals, and birds thrive.
We’ve planted a WHOLE woodland to help save UK Wildlife 🌳🐝
Planting 19,000 trees is seriously hard work! 😮💨 But this special place will be a thriving sanctuary for hundreds of species including bees, birds, badgers, foxes, harvest mice and a whole of variety of butterflies and… pic.twitter.com/SzVq7yqbYk
Woodland once covered large areas of Cheshire, however, this has now significantly reduced from the county, largely due to several development projects, agricultural expansion, pollution, invasive species, and also disease.
Conservationists at the zoo are hoping the new woodland will provide a home for a variety of plants and animals, as well as help to improve soil health and carbon storage to combat climate change.
According to Chester Zoo, the location for this new tree-planting initiative has been specially selected to link with two smaller woods and form one continuous woodland, which will ultimately improve habitat connectivity for local wildlife, and increase resistance to pests and diseases too.
Chester Zoo has planted 19,000 new trees to help restore Cheshire’s lost woodlands / Credit: Chester Zoo
“Woodland cover in Cheshire is significantly lower than the national average, explained Dr Simon Dowell, who is the Director of Science and Policy at Chester Zoo, “that’s why it’s so important, and so exciting, to have created such a valuable new habitat here at the zoo.”
He continued: “Chester Zoo is widely known for its work to protect species in places right across the world, but it’s important that we look after nature on our doorstep too.
“Having already established a nature reserve at the zoo, the creation of this latest large-scale habitat will deliver benefits for wildlife for decades to come, making a vital contribution to reversing the decline in biodiversity we’re facing here in the UK.”
Thomas Melia -
23rd September 2024 
