Theatre

The Lion King will finally return to Manchester’s Palace Theatre this year

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Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson - 12th May 2022

Smash hit musical The Lion King will finally make a return to Manchester later this year.

The award-winning theatre show had to postpone its run at the Palace Theatre in the autumn of 2020 due to the ongoing coronavirus restrictions.

After a few date changes, the stage adaptation of the 1994 Disney film will be back in the city for a three-month run.

  • Credit: Deen van Meer
  • Credit: Deen van Meer
  • Credit: Joan Marcus

The spellbinding show marries puppetry (there are 232 puppets in every show) and costumes with a huge cast of actors to bring Simba’s tale to life.

The Lion King’s theatre adaptation features all the familiar hits, including The Circle of Life and Can You Feel The Long Tonight, with a soundtrack written by the likes of Elton John, Tim Rice and South African composer Lebo M.

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The musical follows young lion Simba’s journey to becoming King of the Pridelands, joined by other characters such as Timon and Pumba, Nala, Scar, and Zazu.

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It was won six Tony awards since launching on Broadway in the late 1990s.

Already seen by more than 110 million people worldwide, The Lion King will be at the Palace Theatre between 27 October and 24 December.

You can book your tickets for The Lion King in Manchester here.

Featured image: Brinkhoff-Mogenburg

Theatre

Award-winning The Kinks musical Sunny Afternoon to kick off UK tour in Manchester

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant Sunny Afternoon

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.

Unfamiliar with the show?

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.

Sunny Afternoon
Sunny Afternoon
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.

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Tickets are now on sale from just £15 each, and you can find out more information and get your hands on them here.

Featured Image – Kevin Cummins

Theatre

A queer comedy night is coming to Manchester next month

Thomas Melia Thomas Melia

A comedy night packed with raunch and hilarious storytelling is heading to Manchester and its fronted by one of comedy’s leading queer comedians.

Titled ‘Queer as F*ck’ (we love a good pun), this night is devoted especially to queer comedy and sees Welsh comedian Morgan Rees taking the wheel with a wonderful roster of acts set to play too.

Taking inspiration from the cult-favourite queer comedy, this leading comedian is no stranger to seeing his work in the limelight as he has written for some of the funniest flagship shows like Mock The Week and The Great American Joke-Off.

Rees also doubles as the co-writer for smash internet hit The Uncle Roger Show, starring fellow comic Nigel Ng, and will definitely be bringing some of his razor-sharp one-liners on the night.

Ben Hodge, the MC for the queer comedy night in Manchester.
Ben Hodge, the MC for the queer comedy night in Manchester.
Morgan Rees, the comedian headlining 'Queer as F*ck'.
Morgan Rees, the comedian headlining ‘Queer as F*ck’.
Jenny Hart, one of the acts lined up for the queer comedy night in Manchester.
Jenny Hart, one of the acts lined up for the queer comedy night in Manchester.
Credit: Press Images (supplied)

The event, which has the full title of ‘brew. haha: Queer as F*ck comedy night’ will be MC’d by trans-male stand-up Ben Hodge and lesbian comedian Louise Young.

The latter may be a familiar name as she is currently supporting Alan Carr and Tom Allen on their latest tour while also stopping off in Manchester for this very special occasion.

Along with Rees and co., finishing the line-up are two impressive performers ready to raise the roof at this comedy night in Manchester: gay author Martin Dixon and trans comedian Jenny Hart.

Obviously, Rees doesn’t want to give everything away, but he has revealed an insight into what guests can expect to be chuckling away at in their seats.

Morgan Rees is excited to talk about “bad one night stands, growing up queer in a Welsh working class town, coming out late, and starting my first relationship in my 30s – it’s all in there.”

Taking place at Contact Theatre, this much-loved arts space is tucked away just behind the University of Manchester and another impressive city centre venue, Manchester Academy.

And if all this comedy talk wasn’t enough to get you down there, brew will be serving up Detroit-style pizzas with a range of draft beers and ciders – what a night you’re in for.

‘brew. haha: Queer as F*ck’ is coming to the Contact in Manchester on Wednesday, 9 April and ttickets are already on sale.

You can grab yours HERE.

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Featured Images — Rachel Sherlock/Press Shots (supplied)

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