The theatre adaptation of the groundbreaking cult classic movie The Full Monty has thrusted its way onto the stage in Manchester, making us both laugh and cry… sometimes at the same time.
On opening night, the Manchester Opera House is quite the experience, the foyer awash with excited northern women – your Nanny Pats to your Auntie Jeans and just about everything in between. There’s a hungry twinkle in all of their eyes as they practically clamber over each other to get through the doors and into their seats.
For anyone who may not have seen the 1997 classic (or you just hadn’t been born yet), the show is set in Thatcher-era Sheffield, where many of the steelworks were being closed down.
It follows Gaz (Danny Hatchard) and his best friend Dave (Neil Hurst) who, along with other members of the cast, have been let go from their jobs and are struggling to make ends meet.
Gaz’s antics have got him in trouble and he risks losing access to his son unless he can pull together the child maintenance cash.
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The local Working Men’s club is visited by the sexy male strippers The Chippendales, inspiring him to pull together a group of out of work pals to strip for cash.
The film was ahead of its time, featuring a storyline of openly gay characters (Guy, played by Jake Quickenden and Lomper, played by Nicholas Prasad) which was relatively unheard of with section 28 and the ‘promotion of homosexuality’ being prohibited at the time. This theme is carefully and comically handled within the show, although some ‘of the time’ vernacular is used early on.
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The Full Monty is currently at Manchester Opera House. Credit: Ellie KurttzThe Full Monty is currently at Manchester Opera House. Credit: Ellie Kurttz
The set on stage is based around the steelworks, with everything having an industrial feel – you are immediately taken back to the 90s terraced streets of Sheffield.
The cast are all lively. You can tell they’re excited for their first night. It was, however, a bit of a slow start in my opinion. Possibly down to me slowly being reacquainted with the storyline which I hadn’t clued myself back up on, or maybe it was the slightly dated jokes, but it took me a little while to warm up.
Whilst Neil Hurst (Dave), Bill Ward (Gerald) and Ben Onwukwe (Horse) all gave particularly stand out performances throughout the show, all of the cast performed brilliantly and were a big hit with the audience.
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We’re definitely outliers with some of the jokes, as the rest of the audience are absolutely howling practically the whole way through.
The Full Monty. Credit: Ellie Kurttz
We’re practically deafened upon the arrival of Jake Quickenden – the mums, the huns and all the grans can hardly contain themselves. One woman is even asked to calm down as she was disturbing other audience members.
As the story continues, the lads recruit their former boss and Conservative party supporter Gerald (Bill Ward) to teach them to dance. An unlikely friendship is formed, showing how hard times can cross party lines.
The final performance is something to behold – a fantastic display of body positivity, where there is literally a body for everyone. The women in the audience are losing. their. minds. One has to be asked to ‘sit down’ three times by Opera House staff.
All in all it’s a light, funny and heartwarming performance that is well worth having a ladies’ night out to watch. The show is on a short run, closing on Saturday 17 Feb, so get your tickets while you can.
Mary Poppins at Palace Theatre, Manchester – a spoonful of magic
Dec Kelly
The 2025 UK tour of Mary Poppins has arrived at Manchester Palace Theatre like a gust of wind from the East – bold, magical, and utterly charming.
This beloved musical, co-produced by Cameron Mackintosh and Disney Theatrical, continues to soar with a reinvigorated staging that captures both the heart of the original and the spectacle expected by modern audiences.
From the moment the overture begins, there’s a tangible sense of excitement.
The production is visually rich, transforming Edwardian London into a pop-up storybook come to life.
The set changes glide seamlessly, and the use of projections and stagecraft delivers the kind of magic that keeps children wide-eyed and adults grinning like them.
Mary’s iconic flight is breathtaking and still manages to feel like the first time you saw it.
Stefanie Jones returns to the role of Mary Poppins with an effortless elegance. Her portrayal is delightfully crisp, with just the right balance of mystery and warmth. She sings with clarity and control, and her comedic timing keeps the show light and pacey. She is, quite literally, the glue that holds the show together – and she does it with a wink and a twirl of her umbrella.
As Bert, Jack Chambers brings a buoyant energy that never fades. His charm is infectious, especially during “Step in Time”, a tap number that turns the theatre into a playground. Whether he’s defying gravity on rooftops or leading a chorus of chimney sweeps, Chambers is a joy to watch – charismatic, agile, and sincere.
The score, with classics like “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious”, “A Spoonful of Sugar”, and “Feed the Birds”, remains timeless.
The orchestra handles the blend of whimsy and emotion with skill, and the choreography is as inventive as ever – especially in ensemble numbers that explode with colour and movement.
The 2025 UK tour of Mary Poppins doesn’t just revisit a classic – it refreshes it. While the story may be light on plot and character depth, the production more than makes up for it with theatrical magic and dazzling stagecraft.
It’s a visual and musical feast that reminds us why this timeless tale continues to soar. Mary Poppins is, indeed, practically perfect in every way.
You can grab tickets for Mary Poppins at the Palace Theatre in Manchester HERE.
Award-winning The Kinks musical Sunny Afternoon to kick off UK tour in Manchester
Emily Sergeant
Multi award-winning musical Sunny Afternoon is set to kick off its UK tour here in Manchester later this year.
Following a sell-out run at Hampstead Theatre, the musical production featuring all the hit songs by legendary rock band The Kinks opened to critical acclaim at the Harold Pinter Theatre in London’s West End, where it ran for two years ahead of its sensational UK and Ireland tour throughout 2016/17.
It also collected four Olivier Awards, including Best New Musical and Outstanding Achievement in Music for Ray Davies, along the way.
Award-winning The Kinks musical Sunny Afternoon is kicking off its UK tour in Manchester / Credit: ATG Tickets
Set against the backdrop of Britain on the cusp of the rebellious 60s,Sunny Afternoon is described as being an ‘exhilarating and moving’ celebration of the music, life, and the band that changed it all, The Kinks.
Sunny Afternoon celebrates The Kinks’ raw energy, passion, and timeless sound.
Charting the ‘euphoric highs’ and ‘agonising lows’, the smash-hit production tells the band’s story through an incredible back catalogue of chart-toppers – including ‘You Really Got Me’, ‘Lola’, ‘All Day and All of the Night’, and of course, ‘Sunny Afternoon’ itself.
Tickets are on sale now from just £15 each / Credit: Kevin Cummins
Producers Sonia Friedman Productions and ATG Productions announced last week that the show would be returning for another UK tour later this year, and it’ll be opening right here on one of Manchester‘s most iconic stages.
The hit musical will open at Manchester’s Palace Theatre on 10 October 2025 and it will run right through until 18 October.
Sunny Afternoon has music and lyrics, and an original story, all by the band’s frontman Ray Davies, along with a book by Joe Penhall, direction by Edward Hall, design by Miriam Buether, and choreography by Adam Cooper.
Kristen MacGregor-Houlston -
16th February 2024 
