Manchester

Aladdin at the Palace Theatre, Manchester – you ain’t never seen a show like this

Colourful set designs, stunning costumes and high-energy from start to finish - you ain't never seen a show like this.

Abbie Bartlett Abbie Bartlett - 24th May 2024

Mesmerising set design, champagne casting and glistening costumes, Disney’s international hit ‘Aladdin’ has finally landed in Manchester.

We all know the story, young Aladdin is down on his luck in his life as a ‘street rat’ until he bumps into Princess Jasmine in a market and everything changes. After a run in with baddie Jafar, a trip into a spooky talking cave and the discovery of a magical lamp, Aladdin’s life changes completely.

Gavin Adams perfectly portrays a lovable Aladdin with energy you’d expect from the opening show, not this far into the tour. His vocals are exceptional, absolutely nailing his solo ‘Proud of your boy’ and keeping the audience rooting for him for the whole show.

The gorgeous Desmonda Cathabel plays Princess Jasmine, radiating warmth and kindness throughout she really is giving princess. She looked amazing in the iconic turquoise two-piece and honestly if they sold adult sizes in the gift shop, I’d have been all over it.

Desmonda Cathabel as ‘Jasmine’
Gavin Adams as ‘Alladin’

The chemistry of the two actors shone in their performance of ‘A Whole New World’ as the magic carpet flew through the stars. My failed attempt to understand how the illusion worked through this scene led me to one conclusion – that carpet was actually magic.

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Champagne castings doesn’t even do justice to Yeukayi Ushe as ‘The Genie’, an absolutely spellbinding performance that had the audience missing him the second he left the stage.

‘Friend Like Me’ was nothing short of jaw-dropping and i found myself on the edge of my seat with a huge grin throughout, all those around had similar reactions.

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Yeukayi Ushe as ‘The Genie’

His charisma and incredible vocals were the highlight of the show no doubt, the audience in the palm of his hand from start to finish.

A shoutout has to be made to Aladdin’s three friends, replacing the original sidekick ‘Abu’ the monkey i’m assuming due to animal cruelty related concerns. Nelson Bettencourt as Babkak, Adam Taylor as Omar and Nay-Nay as Kassim; they absolutely shine and add a perfect touch of comedy to the plot.

What’s a Disney show without an evil villain? Adam Strong makes for a very devious Jafar that you love to hate.

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The set design plays a huge part in the success of the show, transporting the audience to Agrabah through 4D illusions and attention to detail. The cave is really something, the whole stage dripping in gold and creating the perfect backdrop from the musicals best number, ‘Friend Like Me’.

It would be fair to say the show teeters on the edge of pantomime, but I mean that in the best way possible. If you ask me, pantomimes shouldn’t just be for Christmas so watching this in May felt like a real treat.

In classic Disney style, the target audience is of course children but there are enough jokes and stunning musical numbers to make it great for adults to. Colourful set designs, stunning costumes and high-energy from start to finish – you ain’t never seen a show like this.

Click here to book your tickets.

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Manchester

Nine arrested in multiple coordinated raids after ‘celebrating Hitler’s birthday’ in Oldham pub

Danny Jones Danny Jones Hitler birthday party neo Nazis Oldham pub

Nine arrests were made earlier this week after a group of suspected neo-Nazis were discovered celebrating Adolf Hitler’s birthday at a pub in Oldham last month.

Alarming stuff, to say the least.

The individuals in question were arrested following a series of coordinated morning raids across multiple areas of Greater Manchester, including Rochdale, Bolton, Trafford and Stockport.

Another man was taken into custody from an address in Southport, with those involved belonging to the North West arm of a far-right group known simply as ‘British Movement’.

Craft Union Pubs, who operate the establishment, said they were “absolutely appalled”. (Credit: Google Maps)

The pub in question was the Duke of Edinburgh in Royton, a town of around 21,000 people located in north Oldham; the owners, who were said to have been ‘tricked’ into allowing the celebrations, were shocked to learn the group were observing Hitler’s birthday.

Upon realising the true nature of the festivities after images were shared on social media, staff immediately reported the party to the local authorities and Greater Manchester Police (GMP) officers based in and around the borough were then made aware of the situation.

As seen online – including on British Movement Northern’s (BMN) own website – the pub were seen holding Nazi flags, SS bolts and the Iron Cross, even posting pictures eating a cake with swastika icing alongside captions which included the line, “the 136th birthday of Uncle A.”

Taking place on Wednesday morning, 7 May, several morning raids saw those present detained on suspicion of Section 18 Public Order Act offences, which relate to displaying written material which is threatening, abusive or insulting, intended to stir up racial hatred.

During the extensive operation, everything from imitation firearms to real weapons like swords and a crossbow, along with numerous other pieces of Nazi memorabilia were found. Police are still investigating the incident and searching the relevant premises in Oldham and beyond.

neo nazi party for hitlers bday in royton oldham
oldham neo nazi party swastika cake
Beyond shocking. (Credit: BMN)

GMP have been quick to contact Counter Terrorism Policing North West (CTPNW) to advise on the materials and assess further risk; for instance, following the recovery of a suspected grenade at a property in Bolton, Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) was deployed and the item declared safe.

Assistant Chief Constable Steph Parker said in an official statement: “Due to the nature of the materials we recovered at the warrants today, we have liaised with colleagues at CTPNW. This is a matter of course, and it very much remains a GMP-led investigation.

“It’s important that all avenues are explored to establish the extent of the criminal offences which have been committed, and whilst our investigation is still in its early stages, we do not believe there to be a risk to the wider public.

“This group clearly has a deep fascination with ideas that we know are unsettling for communities across Greater Manchester. We must take action when concerns are raised, and where weapons are suspected, to ensure people are free to live without fear of intimidation or harm.”

Naturally, GMP are encouraging people to stay vigilant and come forward with any further information or concerns they may have.

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Featured Images — British Movement Northern/GMP/Google Maps

Manchester

The shop where people queue OVERNIGHT for viral toys is coming to Trafford Centre

Thomas Melia Thomas Melia

There’s a viral shop in Manchester where people queue for hours to get their hands on viral toys, and it’s now making its way to the Trafford Centre.

After already taking Manchester by storm when it initially opened back in March this year, viral toy shop Pop Mart now has its sights set on another new spot in one of the North West’s most iconic and popular shopping malls.

Known for stocking all the latest viral collectable crazes, Pop Mart is set to open its second Manchester site at none other than the Trafford Centre (TC) and will definitely bring in the same queues as its Market Street predecessor.

This comes in line with the announcement of a huge retail takeover from clothing giants Bershka, who are teaming up with Pull & Bear and Zara at TC in the old M&S unit.

The Chinese toy and collectable shop has become in high demand for stocking just one certain toy character: Labubu

This cheeky toy character is quite a marmite topic for some, with many finding the plush toys to be cute and cuddly, while others deem Labubu ‘monsters’ to be a bit creepy and off-putting.

Are we pulling from an internal office debate? Maybe…

Regardless, Labubu are widely recognisable around the world, famed for their bunny-like ears and big, wide eyes; soft, shiny fur and, most notably, a large smile with their teeth on display.

It seems everyone is after one of these Labubu character toys, with Mancs making their commute to work through the city centre, startled by the sheer length of the queues at Pop Mart.

There's a huge amount of Labubu toy characters available to collect.
There’s a huge amount of Labubu characters to collect.
Labubu has blown up online and will now be stocked in two Manchester Pop Mart location.
Labubu has blown up online and will now be stocked across two Pop Mart locations across Greater Manchester.
Credit: Pop Mart

One social media user even commented, “I went past on the tram at 7.30 this morning and there were half a dozen people in the queue already!”

Trends may come and go, but it seems this latest viral craze is here to stay as it’s now having a second resurgence thanks to lots of celebrity endorsements, including Love Island star Olivia Attwood.

Their Market St corner has lots to offer, including blind boxes, mini figurines, accessories and, of course, those infamous Labubu toys.

We’re sure the Trafford Centre venue will be just as healthily stocked.

At present, there’s no official opening date for Pop Mart’s Trafford Centre store besides the ‘Coming Soon’ signage outside the shop front, but we’re sure it won’t be too long before you can get your next Labubu fix – we wouldn’t be surprised to see even more Greater Manchester locations follow.

@zizi68277 #labubu #popmart #popmartblindbox #fyp #viral #viralgirl #viral #delulu ♬ original sound – Labubu

Are you part of the Pop Mart craze or, more importantly, what do you make of the Labubu trend?

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Featured Images — The Manc Group

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