A busy section of Manchester city centre has been heralded as one of the ‘Coolest Street in the World right now’.
Cutting Room Square in Ancoats has made it on to Time Out’s list, praised for its ‘seamless mix of culture, exquisite dining and rich sense of history’.
Time Out also said it was the ‘coolest street in the UK’s coolest city’ – although ranked it behind Great Western Road in Glasgow (which placed third) and Deptford High Street in London (17th).
Cutting Room Square snuck on to the list of the 33 coolest streets in 21st place, the first time that anywhere in Manchester has been listed.
More than 20,000 global city residents were surveyed, before Time Out’s local editors factored in food, drink, art, fun, culture, nightlife and community vibes.
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The top spot this year went to Rue Wellington in Montreal.
Cutting Room Square in Ancoats. Credit: Manchester City Council
Last year’s winner, Melbourne, made it into second spot with a different street, with the Australian city’s Gertrude Street named the second-coolest street in the world.
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Time Out said of Cutting Room Square: “If there’s one place that brings together Manchester’s proud industrial heritage with all of the advantages of a forward-looking city, it’s Cutting Room Square, right in the middle of Ancoats.
“Sit in the open air, take in the five giant copper monoliths that look out over the square, and gaze out over the foreground of the converted warehouses and St Peter’s church.
“On the other side are some of the finest, award-winning places to dine – in Manchester or anywhere. Cutting Room Square’s seamless mix of culture, exquisite dining and rich sense of history makes it the coolest street in the UK’s coolest city (there, we’ve said it).”
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They went on to recommend eating at Rudy’s, drinking at the Edinburgh Castle, and attending a concert at Halle St Peter’s.
James Manning, Travel Editor at Time Out, said: “In most of the world, pre-pandemic life has returned with a bang.
Cutting Room Square in Ancoats. Credit: Twitter – @_MaxInAMillion_
“With people excitedly making plans and going out in their own cities and on city breaks again, our list of the Coolest Streets in the World takes in the key thoroughfares which clued-up locals — including our expert editors and contributors — recommend strolling down right now.”
Rob Martin, Time Out’s local correspondent in Manchester, added: “There are many wonderful streets to enjoy in Manchester but one place has, well, the cutting edge.
“Its mix of traditional and modern, of culture and cuisine, of art and architecture, history and forward momentum, epitomises what the city is all about, making it a worthy entry.”
Featured image: Rudy’s Pizza
Manchester
Dirty Dancing at Palace Theatre, Manchester – at least one audience member had the time of her life…
Daisy Jackson
For anyone who has watched Dirty Dancing so many times they can practically recite the dialogue, taking on the Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey roles is no small feat – and turning that lakeside romance into a live musical comes with even bigger expectations.
The stage production at the Palace Theatre in Manchester has all the familiar ingredients: the dancing, the music, the forbidden romance and, of course, that lift. But while there are moments when the theatre version captures the exuberance of the original, it doesn’t always manage to recreate its magic.
Charlie Varlet as Baby does a great job of embracing the knock-kneed awkwardness of the teenage star, slowly blossoming into a beautiful dancer who is almost eerily similar to the film’s Jennifer Grey.
And Joel Benjamin plays a striking Johnny, moving lightly for such an enormously muscular actor.
But there are moments where their chemistry fizzles out, too much of the script that focuses on their bickerings and misunderstandings to make you buy into their love story.
At points, it feels almost slapstick, and the result is a restless audience that keeps hooting and hollering at a topless Benjamin when he’s trying to deliver a serious monologue about Johnny’s upbringing. One woman shouts ‘LUCKY YOU’ and cackles as Baby sits in bed with him. It’s not a Magic Mike show, guys.
Where Dirty Dancing the musical shines is when it really makes the most of its full ensemble, with huge dance numbers that see limbs and skirts flying right across the stage.
Ellie Ferguson as Penny in Dirty Dancing. Credit: Danny Kaan
And it’s hard to take your eyes off Penny (Ellie Fergusson), even when she’s lurking in the crowd, so impressive is her stage presence and the execution of her dance routines.
Having a lot of the musicians on the stage is a fantastic touch too – you spot people playing saxophones and clarinets and guitars in a lot of the scenes and it adds a real party atmosphere.
The set design does its best to replicate the iconic moments of the film, but the cast shaking themselves dry under a blue light can’t come close to the magic of the lake scene.
If you’ve watched the film so often you can recite it word for word (guilty), you won’t find a lot of surprises up on the stage – the theatre adaptation sticks pretty tightly to the original plot and script.
Baby (Charlie Varlet) and Johnny (Joel Benjamin)Dirty Dancing is at the Palace Theatre in ManchesterCredit: Danny Kaan
It means that a lot of the moments that would translate best to stage – the underground dance party in the staff quarters, the montage of Baby learning to dance, the Hungry Eyes scene – are condensed into the first half of the musical.
The second half feels a little flat in comparison, just a lot of bickering and storming around the stage… up until that grand finale, when Johnny bursts from the back of the theatre and storms the stage to complete that iconic lift.
It’s worth all the trundle just for that final euphoric moment.
Dirty Dancing is at the Palace Theatre in Manchester until Saturday 3 October, then will return next summer. You can grab tickets HERE.
‘Once in a lifetime’ package holidays to Iceland from Manchester have returned for winter
Emily Sergeant
Jet2 has relaunched its ‘once in a lifetime’ trips to Iceland direct from Manchester just in time for the winter months.
It’s no secret that Iceland is a common feature on people’s bucket lists, right? Packed with natural wonders and home to culture-filled capital city, Iceland is the ultimate winter getaway.
No matter whether you want to sample fresh seafood, explore everything Reykjavik has to offer, or use it as a base for some unforgettable excursions, Iceland is known for delivering the perfect mix of adventure and city break appeal.
And now, with holidaymakers already flocking in their thousands to book flights to this stunning Nordic destination for next winter, the UK’s largest operator of city breaks has just relaunched its biggest-ever Iceland programme – with dozens of direct flights from Manchester Airport.
People travelling from Manchester can choose from up to six weekly flights, meaning they have even more opportunity during some of the most popular winter travel periods.
Jet2 has relaunched its ‘once in a lifetime’ winter package holidays to Iceland direct from Manchester / Credit: Nicolas J Leclrercq | Tom Podmore (via Unsplash)
As well as providing customers with ‘plenty of flexibility’ when it comes to which month or period they want to travel, Jet2 says the flights are also ‘perfectly timed’ for those who are keen to get a chance at witnessing the spectacular Northern Lights in all their glory.
As it stands, scheduled Monday and Friday services will operate throughout the season from 4 October to 6 December 2027, before resuming from 28 January to 24 April 2028, and this increases to up to six weekly services during school holidays.
There’s both direct flight-only trips to book, or package options with Jet2CityBreaks direct from Manchester – which include flights with Jet2.com, 22kg hold luggage, transfers to and from the airport, and a choice of hotels in central Reykjavik, all for a deposit as little as £60 per person.
Daisy Jackson -
25th August 2022 
