A live West End recording of one of the best-loved musicals of the last decade is to be screened in two of Greater Manchester‘s biggest cinemas.
And you’ll only have one night to catch it.
Theatre lovers and musicals fans will probably want to make their way down to Vue in the Printworks, or Odeon at the Trafford Centre, at the end of this month, as the smash-hit Broadway and West End production, Heathers: The Musical, will be screened for one-night-only as part of a special nationwide cinema event.
You may recognise that Heathers: The Musical is based on the 1989 cult classic film starring Winona Ryder and Christian Slater.
The musical adaptation – which was first staged in LA back in 2010, before moving to Broadway in 2014, and then to the West End in 2018 – follows Westerberg High student Veronica Sawyer, whose dreams of popularity finally start to come true when she’s taken under the wings of the three beautiful, yet impossibly cruel, girls named Heather.
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But when mysterious new kid, teen rebel J.D, arrives in town, Veronica realises that “while it might kill to be a nobody, it’s murder being a somebody.”
Live recording of popular West End musical Heathers to be screened in Manchester cinemas / Credit: Heathers: The Musical
Brought to cinemas by Kaleidoscope Entertainment, the version of the production to be screened across the UK is a live recording of the West End show captured in its original London home, The Other Palace, and features some of the incredible 2022 cast.
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Musical star Ailsa Davidson takes on the role of Veronica Sawyer, while Simon Gordon is J.D., Maddison Firth is Heather Chandler, Vivian Panka is Heather Duke, and Teleri Hughes is Heather McNamara.
The recording also stars Mhairi Angus as Martha Dunnstock and Vicki Lee Taylor as Ms. Fleming / Veronica’s mum.
The cast is completed by Liam Doyle, Rory Phelan, and Andy Brady, as well as Oliver Brooks, Jermaine Woods, Benjamin Karran, Chris Parkinson, Eleanor Morrison-Halliday, Mary-Jean Caldwell, Hannah Lowther, and May Tether.
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The West End production was directed by Andy Fickman, who called the gig a “career high”.
We're thrilled to share the trailer for Heathers: The Musical as we count down to its ONE NIGHT ONLY screening in cinemas on 28 March
“But when we got a chance to film the stage capture at our beloved theatre in London where it all began, that was an even bigger high,” he added.
“And thanks to our partners at Bill Kenwright Studios, Village Roadshow, and now Kaleidoscope, we get a chance to share that the magic at cinemas all across the UK.
“I can’t stop smiling and I hope audiences feel the same way.”
Five historic Greater Manchester theatres named as ‘at risk’ of closure
Emily Sergeant
Five historic theatres in Greater Manchester have sadly been named as being ‘at risk’ of closure on an annual list.
Each January, Theatres Trust – a charity campaigning to protect the UK’s theatres – publishes its annual Theatres at Risk Register, highlighting a number of theatres across the UK that are under threat of closure, redevelopment, or severe decay, but all of which have the potential to be revived for their local communities with the right support.
This year’s list is made up of 43 buildings – five of which are in Greater Manchester, and have all featured in the past.
Each of the buildings named by Theatres Trust this year have been noted for their architectural merit, cultural heritage, or value to the local community as a performance venue.
The five venues in Greater Manchester are the Grade II-listed Tameside Theatre in Ashton-under-Lyne, Co-op Hall in the Bury town of Ramsbottom, Victoria Theatre in Salford, the famous Hulme Hippodrome, and Manchester’s oldest surviving theatre building, the Theatre Royal.
Alongside the five venues within our region, there are also a number of other venues listed across the North West as a whole.
Several venues in Lancashire have been named, including two in Blackpool and one in Morecambe, both on the coast, as well as Epstein Theatre in Liverpool and the Garrick Theatre in Southport.
Five historic Greater Manchester theatres have been named as ‘at risk’ of closure / Credit: Flickr
Theatres Trust has added five more theatres to the list this year too, all local authority owned and located outside of major cities, one of which is the Oswaldtwistle Civic Arts Centre in Lancashire, named at risk due to pressures on local authority budgets, leading to Councils seeking savings by closing their theatres.
Some good news, however, is that since the list began in 2006, more than 80 theatres have been restored, revived, or had a suitable replacement built.
And on a more local note, Theatre Royal Hyde has been removed from the 2025 Theatres at Risk Register, as although it has not returned to theatrical use, it is being maintained and used by its current owners, so the threat of harm to the building has been greatly reduced.
Featured Image – Wikimedia Commons
Theatre
An unmissable Whitney Houston tribute event is returning to Greater Manchester
Thomas Melia
A much-adored and cherished Whitney Houston tribute show is returning to Greater Manchester later this year for not one but two different shows, each channelling the charisma and energy of the pop legend.
To celebrate the 10th anniversary of the phenomenal theatre production, ‘Queen of the Night’, the show is visiting a multitude of stages and venues all across the UK.
0161 had to receive at least one date on this tour, partly due to being the music capital of the North and also due to the fact that this is a city many fans of the 80s diva will forever hold close to their hearts.
Houston played her final ever concert performance of her career here in this very city back in 2010, taking up residence in AO Arena for two nights of world-renowned ballads and mesmerising live vocals.
This tribute show is set to include some of the diva’s biggest and much-loved hits like ‘I Will Always Love You’, ‘How Will I Know’ and ‘The Greatest Love of All’, the audience is sure to be singing along.
Adenike Adewale is taking on the role of the American R’n’B Pop singer and is no stranger to the stage or TV, featuring on The Voice in 2021 where she sang a Whitney classic, making it to the semi-finals.
Fast forward to 1 June and the tour returns to Greater Manchester and legendary city centre space, Bridgewater Hall: an incredible room more than fit for renditions of the powerhouse vocalist.
A pair of stunning venues, two stunning shows and one incomparable voice.
It’s not only our lovely region the Queen of the Night experience will be visiting; our friends over at The Hoot have plenty of nearby opportunities to sing along too, with Yorkshire dates in Hull, Halifax, Harrogate and Bradford to name a few.
I’m definitely saving all my love for when this show visits us later this year in March, and after I buy out the front row for all my friends I’ll certainly relate to the smash 1993 single ‘I Have Nothing’.
Tickets are on sale already now – you can grab yours HERE.
Emily Sergeant -
8th March 2023 
