Theatre

Watch as the cast of The Lion King musical perform in a tiny Manchester bar

The musical arrives at the Palace Theatre this month.

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson - 6th October 2022

Earlier this week, and ahead of the return of one of the world’s biggest musicals, the cast of The Lion King performed inside a tiny bar in Manchester.

The stars of the theatre adaptation of Disney’s massive hit film took to the stage at Sonata Piano Bar & Cabaret Lounge, a hidden gem off an alleyway near St Ann’s Square.

They sang stirring renditions of hits like Can You Feel the Love Tonight, Circle Of Life, and He Lives In You, alongside a small orchestra.

Making appearances were Stephenson Ardern-Sodje (who plays adult Simba), Nokwanda Khuzwayo as Nala, Jean-Luc Guizonne (Mufasa), and Thenjiwe Nofemele (Rafiki), while Zazu’s Matthew Forbes acted as compère.

In just a few weeks’ time, these phenomenal performers will be up on stage in front of huge audiences at the Palace Theatre – but for one night only it was a much smaller audience treated to their talents.

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You can watch video below, find out more about The Lion King’s lengthy Manchester run further down this page, and book your tickets here.

Read more: A sneak peak into Factory International, Manchester’s enormous new £186m arts space

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The Lion King musical is an adaptation of the 1994 Disney film of the same name, and features a soundtrack written by the likes of Elton John, Tim Rice, Hans Zimmer and South African composer Lebo M.

It’s set to return to the Palace Theatre between 27 October 2022 and 19 February 2023.

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.

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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.

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

You can book tickets for The Lion King at the Palace Theatre in Manchester here.

Featured image: Deen van Meer

Theatre

The Rocky Horror Show at the Palace Theatre, Manchester – a night of unapologetic fun

Clementine Hall Clementine Hall

The cult classic musical, The Rocky Horror Show, began its two week run in Manchester last night.

If you’re looking for an understated, subtle musical that’ll have you elegantly tapping your foot to the beat – then this is not the show for you.

The Rocky Horror show is wonderfully weird, wildly extravagant and about as over the top as you can get. It’s about as camp as Christmas, and it’s a night out that you won’t forget.

For someone who is completely new to the Rocky Horror world, the experience of attending the show can be quite daunting as you join the queues of fishnet-wearing fans to scan your ticket.

Image: Supplied

But as soon as you’re seated and the first round of hecklers get started as soon as the curtain flies up, the anxiety melts away.

This is a show where you’re encouraged to sing and dance along, which we all did without hesitation.

The atmosphere in the Palace Theatre was nothing short of electric, from start to finish there were roars of laughter erupting from every tier of the auditorium and why? Well, there’s a couple of reasons.

Image: Supplied

Headlining the cast was Australian super star Jason Donovan starring as the iconic Dr. Frank N.Furter, and his performance was well and truly mesmerising.

Not only did Jason play the sassy sweet transvestite side of the role so perfectly, strutting across the stage with a corset and feather boa, but there were also moments of stillness that felt rather moving.

All in all, a captivating performance which underlines Donovan’s star studded status in the musical theatre universe.

Images: Supplied

Throughout the entire cast there wasn’t a weak link, Connor Carson and Lauren Chia are suitably sexy and strong as Brad and Janet.

Job Greuter delivers a freakishly brilliant Riff Raff whilst Jackie Clune gives a masterclass in comic timing as the omnipotent Narrator.

A standout moment was of course the Time Warp singalong, where the whole cast led us in the iconic dance as we shimmied back and forth in the stalls.

Overall, if you’re looking for a fantastic night out of frivolity and fun then the Rocky Horror Show is for you and we’re looking forward to seeing theatre-goers clad in gold hot pants and fishnet ties strutting around Manchester over the next two weeks.

The Rocky Horror show is at the Palace Theatre until Saturday 31 May and you can get your tickets here.

Read more: An outdoor cinema is screening a Wicked sing-a-long this autumn

Featured image – Press image

Theatre

An outdoor cinema is screening a Wicked sing-a-long this autumn

Thomas Melia Thomas Melia

There’s an outdoor cinema screening a sing-along version of the global phenomenon Wicked later this year near just outside of Greater Manchester.

Arley Hall, in Cheshire, is hosting a very special screening of one of the biggest films of 2024, Wicked, where guests will be allowed to sing along during the film.

This one-off event will come as a relief to some fans of the movie-musical, as back when it was released, one attending was encouraged not to sing along as it may disrupt the film itself.

With a musical stacked with hits like ‘Popular’, ‘Dancing Through Life’ and obviously the huge number that is ‘Defying Gravity’, how could you not take a moment to test out the vocal cords?

Wicked screening Arley Hall
Maybe we’ll see some mini Elphabas and Glindas showing up at the Wicked sing-a-long, Arley Hall.
arley hall events
Sit back, relax, and defy some gravity.

Now, Arley Hall has teamed up with events and entertainment company Adventure Cinema for an outdoor experience that promises to be a fantastic, family-friendly day out watching Elphaba and Glinda on the big screen.

There are various ticket options available for this Wicked sing-along showing, which are all priced under a reasonable £30 range.

The standard ticket, which requires you to bring your own camping chair or blanket, is only £17.37, while the premium ticket (including a premium deck chair and prime position) costs £25.21.

Throughout the weekend, Adventure Cinema are making themselves comfy in Arley Hall‘s grounds, as they are set to play some huge movie titles and host even more wonderful events.

For instance, there will be an ‘Outdoor Cinema ExtrABBAganza’ courtesy of Mamma Mia!, a double-whammy thanks to ‘The Gruffalo’ and ‘The Stick Man’ playing back to back as well as ‘Andrea Bocelli 30: The Celebration’ and ‘Pretty Woman’ too.

ABBA event at Arley Hall
There’s an ExtrABBAganza coming to Arley Hall the same weekend.
arley hall screenings
Just you, your blanket and a crowd of Wicked fans ready to sing their hearts out.

While we wait eagerly for the second part of the Wicked movie-musical adaptation, why not let yourself loose and see if you can out-sing the witches of Oz – Think I’ll leave the singing to Cynthia and Ariana.

The movie-musical became one of the backbones of pop culture in 2024, generating various quoted phrases and viral moments, including the unforgettable ‘Holding Space’ meme alongside many others.

Anyone looking to attend the Wicked sing-along at Arley Hall on Friday, 19 September from 6pm to 10:15pm can find all ticket prices and more information HERE.

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Featured Images – DreamVisions86 (Deviant Art)/Jeff Buck (via Geograph)

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