A brand-new innovative take on Macbeth is coming to a rather surprising venue in Oldham as part of a new production by the Coliseum.
It may be BY Oldham Coliseum Theatre, but this new stage show is taking place at a rather different kind of location entirely.
Teaming up with North West actor Nick Bagnall and director, who has already served in an associate role at the Liverpool Everyman and Playhouse, this will be his very first production, and unlike most other Shakespeare performances you will have come across.
With his various plays serving as ever-perfect pairings for adaptation, his version of arguably the world’s most famous tragedy is coming to an iconic site in its own right, which just so happens to be a nightclub.
Yes, Nick Bagnall and Oldham Coliseum Theatre‘s twist on Macbeth will be coming to none other than Liquid and Envy on Retiro Street.
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A legendary local institution known for more late-night entertainment, the native artist is using it as a staging ground for a very unique interpretation.
While this version will still revolve around the same themes of ambition, masculinity, power and identity, it will instead be set against a late-1970s backdrop, in a world filled with gangsters, casinos and similarly shifting social codes.
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Perhaps not as contemporary as current modern-day (we’ve seen plenty of that even in the past couple of decades alone), but it still looks set to be a creative take on the timeless tale; a retelling of Romeo and Juliet is also part of their autumn/winter programme.
Speaking ahead of the debut, Nick said picking Macbeth was a no-brainer. “Macbeth asks profound questions about power, identity and what it means to be a man,” he said. “Those questions feel urgent in a proud industrial town like Oldham that is navigating huge social and economic change.
Romeo and Juliet is also coming to the OCT (Credit: Supplied)
“I want to blow the dust off Shakespeare. This isn’t about putting the play on a pedestal; it’s about creating an experience that grabs people by the throat, whether they have seen Macbeth ten times or never encountered it before.
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“We want people who have never set foot in a theatre to walk into Liquid & Envy and feel this story belongs to them. Staging Macbeth inside a working Oldham nightclub creates its own intrigue.”
Martina Murphy, Chief Executive of Oldham Coliseum Theatre, went on to add: “This is a huge moment for the Coliseum. Nick’s Macbeth is uncompromising, thrilling and unmistakably of this place, and it announces exactly the kind of theatre we intend to make.
“As we continue our journey back to Fairbottom Street, we are determined to keep creating ambitious work that surprises audiences and reaches people wherever they are. Macbeth demonstrates that the Coliseum isn’t waiting for its building to return before making theatre of national significance.”
Check out the full list of scheduled performances set to arrive later this year:
Macbeth at Liquid and Envy in Oldham – 2026 dates
October
Friday 23 – 1:30pm (preview)
Saturday 24 – 1:30pm and 6:30pm (previews)
Monday 26 – 7pm (preview)
Tuesday 27 – 7pm (press night)
Wednesday 28 – 7pm
Thursday 29 – 1:30pm and 7pm
Friday 30 – 6:30pm
Saturday 31 – 1:30pm and 6:30pm
November
Monday 2 – 7pm
Tuesday, 3 – 1:30pm and 7pm
Wednesday, 4 – 7pm
Thursday, 5 – 1:30pm and 7pm
Friday, 6 – 6:30pm
Saturday, 7 – 6:30pm
It’s also worth noting that these shows have been put together with accessibility in mind, with the two-week season including a relaxed performance, an audio-described version, a fully captioned version, as well as two interpreted with British Sign Language. Things we love to hear.
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The Coliseum’s new Creative Director has also ensured that tickets remain affordable, with £15 concessions and preview passes costing just £20, as well as a discount for Oldham locals.
You can see the full list of ticket options and find out more information about this exciting production right HERE.
Safe to say that we can’t wait to see how this thing turns out. It’s not the only inventive theatrical take on a classic that’s coming to Greater Manchester later this year, either; find out more down below.
Featured Images — Publicity pictures (supplied/Nick Bagnall (via Instagram)
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 -
24th July 2026 
