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.”
You may have heard of the funny Star Wars stripper show or even seen clips of it online, but rumour has it that nothing can quite prepare you for the cheekiness of seeing this romp in the flesh.
In case you’ve been completely immersed in the dark side until now, here’s what you can expect:
Now well over a decade into its success and more than 200 Las Vegas shows, ‘The Empire Strips Back’ made its long-awaited transatlantic debut earlier this year.
Getting away at London’s Riverside Studios from May and enjoying a run until this past August, the comedy-driven twist on the classic Star Wars stories and beloved sci-fi characters was an instant hit with us Brits.
It started in Australia way back in 2011 and has gone not only to tour across Europe, but land a coveted residency at the Rio Hotel and Casino in Nevada.
Fast, funny, feisty and by all accounts, fantastic.
Now set to seek out new padawans and storm-strippers all over the cosmos, and by that we mean the UK, ‘The Empire Strips Back: Burlesque Parody’ is coming to Manchester.
Set to land at Depot Mayfield in the New Year – next spring, specifically, we cannot wait to see how this goes down with Northern crowds.
The Manc leg is scheduled to kick off on 6 March and last until 8 May, 2026, with various dates and times of day available.
It’s also worth noting that this two-hour show, including intermission, is a strictly 18+ only event; if you’re interested, you can find out more info and grab your tickets right HERE.
An ‘extraordinary’ new Live Aid musical is coming to Manchester on its UK tour
Emily Sergeant
An ‘extraordinary’ new musical based on Live Aid is coming to Manchester as part of an upcoming UK and Ireland tour.
Producers Jamie Wilson Productions say they’re ‘thrilled’ to announce that Just For One Day – The Live Aid Musical will head out on a big UK and Ireland tour starting out in March 2027, and visiting loads of major cities along the way – including Manchester, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Birmingham, Nottingham, and plenty more.
The production take us back to 13 July 1985 – the day music united the world.
Live Aid was an unprecedented global music event that brought 1.5 billion people together, and they all have a story to tell about ‘the day rock ‘n’ roll changed the world’.
Now, more than 40 years on from that famous day, audiences in Manchester will get to discover the behind-the-scenes story of Live Aid in a whole new way, as Just For One Day – The Live Aid Musical is the story behind the greatest gig in music history.
What makes Just For One Day special? Nostalgia, relevance to today and a message for the new generation 🤘 pic.twitter.com/wRBV4Ar1Hv
— Just For One Day | The Live Aid Musical (@liveaidmusical) June 9, 2025
With hit songs by Bob Dylan, David Bowie, The Who, U2, Queen, Madonna, The Police, Elton John, Paul McCartney, Diana Ross, and more all featuring, these iconic artists made history at simultaneous charitable concerts in London and Philadelphia.
The musical is written by John O’Farrell and directed by Luke Sheppard, with musical supervision, arrangements and orchestration by Matthew Brind, choreography by Ebony Molina, and casting by Stuart Burt.
“Just For One Day brilliantly reimagines why Live Aid worked then and why the humanity of that day still matters now,” commented Bob Geldoff.
“I’m delighted that more of the UK and Ireland will finally get to see this extraordinary and compelling musical. The reaction the show gets continually surprises and amazes me, standing ovations and people come back time and again, introducing the Live Aid story to new generations.”
Emily Sergeant -
8th March 2023 
