The original stage play version of classic UK comedy, Rita, Sue and Bob Too!, is coming to Greater Manchester this February and it’s set to star Jake Quickenden in a leading role.
Released as a feature-length back in 1987, the cult favourite film set in North Yorkshire is still considered one of the most quintessentially British and incisive ‘dramedies’ ever made, depicting a very unfiltered and poignant look at working-class life during the Thatcher years.
The story has been brought to the theatre many times before, including down the road in Salford Quays, but this latest series of stage shows marks the first time Rita, Sue and Bob Too! the play is heading to this particular borough.
With a healthy slate of tour dates across the country, the Regal Entertainments production and recognisable cast is coming to Stockport for multiple nights next month.
Adapting the original semi-autobiographical play text by Bradford‘s very own Andrea Dunbar – where the tale takes place and whose upbringing the events revolve around – with direction from Chantelle Nolan, this is one of the biggest live productions of Rita, Sue and Bob Too! ever.
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Speaking ahead of the nationwide tour, Nolan says: “After over 20 years of producing brilliant entertainment in St Helens and in Liverpool, Regal Entertainments has developed a touring department, and we can’t wait to share our five-star productions with new audiences across the UK.”
“We’re very proud to attract the top stars from the worlds of theatre, film and TV to star in our productions […] Dunbar’s cult classic film was originally a hit play, and we know that it’s a show that you can see time and time again and still be rolling in the aisles with laughter, we are incredibly pleased with the ticket sales so far.”
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As well as the former X-Factor, I’m A Celeb, Hollyoaks and Dancing on Ice star in the leading role as Bob, other names on the call sheet include Jessica Ellis (also seen on Hollyoaks), Shameless and Coronation Street‘s Warren Donnelly, as well as ex-Britain’s Got Talent contestant, Siobhan Phillips.
As for the other two leads, Liverpool-born comic Kay Nicholson is starring as Rita and Lancashire actor Jenna Sian O’Hara as Sue. In case you’ve never seen or heard anything about it before, without spoiling anything, the two young schoolgirls get themselves into some rather adult circumstances.
Strictly an 18+ performance, the Stockport show is one of just a small handful of North West runs, set to take place at the iconic art deco theatre that is The Plaza from Tuesday, 18-Saturday, 22 February.
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As for Quickenden, the 36-year-old added: “I’m delighted to be joining the brilliant cast of Rita, Sue and Bob Too! Regal Entertainments have a fantastic reputation for producing exciting entertainment in Merseyside and I can’t wait to take the show all over the UK.
“Andrea Dunbar’s play is a classic and I can’t wait to play Bob.” If you’ve not come across it before, maybe ask your mum and dad or perhaps a grandparent – we’re sure they’ll fill you in…
Featured Images — Press Image (supplied via Regal Entertainment)/Film 4
Theatre
Beloved local actor David Threlfall is returning to Manchester theatre after nearly three decades as King Lear
Danny Jones
Much-loved local actor and director David Threlfall is set to return to the Manchester theatre circuit after nearly three whole decades as he prepares to play King Lear at the Royal Exchange.
That’s right: Frank Gallagher himself is about to be one of Shakespeare’s most iconic characters in one of his most legendary plays.
Returning to the very same stage on which his career first began budding after 27 years since last treading the boards, the Shameless, Nowhere Boy and Hot Fuzz star will be donning the titular role in arguably the greatest tragedy of all time at the Manchester city centre theatre this coming autumn.
First announced last month, we’ve finally learned more about this significant comeback and can barely contain our excitement.
The seasoned thespian who is best known for playing UK TV’s well-known and perpetually drunk Northern dad, not to mention embodying fellow British performer Tommy Cooper, has plenty of roots in playhouses, but it’s fair to say he’s been gone from Greater Manchester for a hot minute.
Set to lead the cast in the new adaptation, directed by Matthew Dunster – himself a local Lancashire lad schooled in Chadderton – this feels like a proper homegrown production.
For anyone who’s never really experienced the historic tale by ‘Old Bill, the Bard of Avon’, to put it in the Royal Exchange’s words, it “charts a kingdom where power corrupts, families become enemies and prosperity devolves into war.
“At its centre is the mind of a man who can no longer understand what it means to be human. Lear is a searing portrait of a king unable to distinguish truth from lies. As the storm rises and night falls, language, identity and meaning break down completely.”
To be fair, you could argue there are some similarities between him and the Gallagher patriarch; he’ll also be in the middle of this run when he turns 73 – meaning it’ll be even longer since he last played the Royal Exchange Theatre (RET) in his mid-40s.
As for this version by Dunster – who himself is returning to the RET once again also (for his sixth different stint, no less) his talented cast includes the likes of Isobel Akuwudike, Ed Coleman, Lisa Diveney, Rupert Hill, Johnathan Slinger and more.
It’s also worth noting that Threlfall has featured in a Lear retelling in the past.
Way back in 1983, he played Edgar in the small-screen movie made right here in 0161 by Granada Television, where he acted alongside HUGE names such as John Hurt, Diana Rigg, Robert Lindsay, as well as the late, great TV, movie and all-around acting star, Laurence Olivier.
Born in Crumpsall, raised in Burnage, and made at the REC and various other theatres across the country, this feels like a momentous homecoming for the ever-familiar Manc face.
With shows booked from Friday, 2 October until Sunday, 15 November, and tickets priced at just £12 for standard seats, you can secure yours right HERE. It’s also worth noting that this isn’t the only Shakespearean adaptation coming to the region later this year, either…
Featured Images — Channel 4/The Manc Group/Publicity picture via Royal Exchange Theatre)
Theatre
Huge sale on Manchester theatre tickets launches, with shows from £11.70
Daisy Jackson
Theatre ticket prices have been slashed in a huge flash sale in Manchester, with big discounts on some of the world’s most famous shows.
Fans will be able to see iconic musicals, plays, and ballets from as little as £11.70, thanks to the ATG Tickets Summer Saver sale.
The theatre ticket platform’s sale has seen tickets reduced by up to 25% for productions performing at both the Palace Theatre and the Opera House Manchester.
Shows taking part in this year’s summer sale include Matilda The Musical, Annie, Matthew Bourne’s Cinderella, Back to the Future The Musical, and even Magic Mike Live.
Theatre shows included in the flash sale in Manchester include smash-hit musical Jersey Boys, which returns to Palace Theatre this September.
ATG Tickets has lowered prices for the musical, which features the greatest hits of Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons, to as low as £11.70.
Tickets for Jersey Boys range from £12.08 to £54.45 in the flash sale, with excellent availability at the time of writing.
Also included in the Manchester sale is Trainspotting the Musical, where tickets are as low as £14.99.
30 years on from the film that changed everything, and following its successful world premiere run in London’s West End, Trainspotting The Musical performs at the Palace Theatre this November.
Burlesque The Musical is included in the theatre tickets saleBack to the Future The Musical in Manchester also has tickets on sale
Next up for Manchester is Burlesque The Musical, which returns to the city for a run of shows at Opera House Manchester next January.
Tickets for Burlesque The Musical, a powerhouse show with songs by Christina Aguilera, Sia and Diane Warren, are priced from just £11.70 in the ATG Summer Saver.
And finally, Back To The Future The Musical returns to Manchester in Summer 2027, with a good handful of tickets now available from just £14.89.
The multi award-winning musical – based off the beloved 1985 film of the same name – had its world premiere in Manchester back in 2020 but the run was cut short by Covid. Now it’s heading back out on a UK tour.
You can see all the theatre shows included in the ATG Summer Saver tickets sale HERE.
Danny Jones -
9th January 2025 
