Manchester Theatre News & Reviews
HOME unveils thrilling new theatre season with West End hits, brand-new work, and a festive spectacular!
WHAT'S ON AT HOME, MANCHESTERHOME is thrilled to announce its new theatre season, offering an eclectic mix of performances that promise to captivate, entertain, and inspire audiences of all ages. This season, spanning from Aug 2024 to Feb 2025, showcases an array of events including a musical adaptation of a Christmas classic, a fun-filled family festival, plus gripping dramas, thought-provoking theatre, stand-up comedy and much more.
Audiences can look forward to an engaging blend of interactive experiences, uplifting stories, powerful narratives, and unique performances that highlight both local and international talent.
This Christmas, join HOME for a festive musical as Miracle on 34th Street takes the stage between Fri 6 Dec – Tue 31 Dec. Based on the classic tale, this brand-new production set in New York City is a story of hope, joy, and a sprinkle of festive magic. As a major department store is on the brink of collapse and their upcoming Christmas sale must be a success, when their Santa quits at the last minute, they’re left with a kind-hearted stranger who is convinced he’s the real deal to save the day, but when he is arrested, the fate of Christmas is in the hands of a child called Susan who must restore the world’s belief in Santa Claus.
Directed by Sara Joyce and produced by HOME, this spectacular new show is not to be missed this festive season.
Between Fri 2 Aug – Sun 4 Aug and Sat 10 Aug – Sun 11 Aug, HOME invites families to embark on an adventure filled with interactive performances, hands-on workshops, and endless fun for all ages at our family festival Little HOME. Discover the magic of storytelling with immersive theatre performances, including the fin-tastic stage version of Nick Sharratt’s Shark in the Park from the creative team behind The Hairy Maclary Show, plus enjoy spectacular circus acts, get stuck into arts and crafts at HOME’s Creativity Corner, and let your imagination soar with engaging games and activities.
From Mon 19 Aug – Sun 25 Aug, we welcome award-winning theatre show My Son’s a Queer (But What Can You Do?) to HOME as the acclaimed production makes its glittering debut in Manchester ahead of Manchester PRIDE. Written and performed by the multi-talented, social media sensation , My Son’s a Queer, (But What Can You Do?) has garnered widespread acclaim, evolving from a cult sensation to a WhatsOnStage award-winning and Olivier Award nominated production.
This triumphant and hilarious celebration of identity and creativity spotlights the joy and chaos of raising a queer child and is testament to the power of unconditional familial love.
Audiences can look forward to a variety of TV personalities and live music during the season; join the ever-tasteful writer and broadcaster Jay Rayner on Wed 4 Sep as he celebrates 25 years as The Observer’s award-winning restaurant critic with the publication of Nights Out At Home – LIVE, a memoir-in-recipes. Expect hilarious anecdotes and razor-sharp whit from Rhys Nicholson, as he presents his stand-up comedy concert Huge Big Party Congratulations on Fri 6 Sep. We welcome cherished broadcaster Carol Vorderman on Fri 13 Sep as she shares stories about her unlikely pivot from daytime television’s queen of mental arithmetic to one of the country’s most fearless political activists.
On Tue 10 Sep, experience the darkly humorous and beautifully peculiar performance of Olivier Award winning, Grammy-nominated Brechtian street opera trio The Tiger Lillies as they present their new show Come on Down. On Fri 20 Sep, international non-binary beat-boxing star SK Shlomo will take the stage with their award-winning gig-theatre solo show Breathe: a
rollercoaster love-letter to the lifesaving power of beats, bass and breathing.
Panos Kandunias presents the hilarious I Bought a Flip Phone between Wed 11 Sep – Sat 14 Sep. Join Charlie on a heartfelt exploration of modern digital burnout, with plenty of laughter and empathy, as he navigates his quest for connection and a little peace of mind.
Witness the imagined retelling of the final meeting between John Lennon and Paul McCartney in Two of Us between Thu 26 Sep – Sat 28 Sep. Presented by Watford Palace Theatre, this impactful production, based on the screenplay by Mark Stanfield, offers a moving exploration of friendship, fame, and forgiveness.
Jump into the ring with acclaimed artist and choreographer Jenni Jackson as she performs her brand-new show WRESTLELADSWRESTLE from Thu 3 Oct – Sat 12 Oct, explosively combining theatre, dance, judo, and pro-wrestling to transform Theatre 2 into a battleground of joy and reclamation. Inspired by her Bolivian mother, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and entertainment wrestling, Jenni dares to confront and reimagine a ‘historical’ racist incident she witnessed her mother endure when she was a child.
UK leaders in devised verbatim theatre The Paper Birds present a brand-new interactive show Feel Me on Wed 9 Oct and Thu 10 Oct. Feel Me asks, via your mobile phone, who and what you care about from the stories unfolding live on stage in front of you.
Dive into the world of folk horror on Fri 18 Oct with writer and broadcaster Bob Fischer as he presents Scarred for Life with Stephen Brotherstone, co-author of the acclaimed Scarred For Life books. Explore eerie films, stone circles, and ancient magic in this thrilling live show.
Join actor and activist Khalid Abdalla in Nowhere from Tue 22 Oct – Sat 26 Oct in this intricate and playful solo show. Inspired by his involvement in the Egyptian revolution of 2011, and his experience of the counter-revolution that followed, Abdalla takes us on a surprising journey of his own history, set against a cartography of seismic world events.
Catch online comedy sensation and rising star Henry Rowley on Fri 25 Oct as he brings his fast-paced stand-up and character sketches to the stage for the very first time in his brand-new show Just Literally. Expect a night of laughter and witty observations.
From Tue 29 Oct – Sat 2 Nov, HER Productions presents Kin, a poignant drama written by Christine Mackie (Coronation Street, Downton Abbey) which delves into complex family dynamics.
Join us for the world premiere of Follow the Signs from Tue 5 Nov – Sat 9 Nov, as we follow Chris, a Deaf Black man navigating his place in the world in this brand-new piece of fully BSL-integrated hip-hop gig theatre about identity and hope.
Breach Theatre presents a new 1980’s inspired musical After the Act between Tue 12 Nov – Sat 16 Nov. The brand-new production about pride, protest, and abseiling lesbians, is funny, camp and unapologetically queer, but also a clear-eyed exposure of the political playbook used to enact repressive laws. Thatcher’s Section 28, which banned the “promotion” of homosexuality in schools, was the landmark legislation that silenced a generation. Sharing the inspiring stories of teachers, students and activists impacted by the legislation, this is the story of how a moral panic gripped the nation, and a generation.
Experience the chaotic and captivating performances of Anton Brine on Fri 15 Nov as they combine bluesy guitar, crunchy bass, filthy brass, bangin’ drums, and tinny keys with the cigarette-stained vocals of the infamous Manchester-based six piece.
Writer and actor Peter Keeley takes the stage between Wed 20 Nov – Sat 23 Nov for his new show That Love Thing. Peter uses his own archive of poems and writing spanning 20 years to create a new autobiographical theatre show.
We welcome comedian, crash mat and winner of Drag Race UK Ginger Johnson to HOME on Fri 22 Nov as she presents her hilarious new show Ginger Johnson Blows Off! Join Ginger as she swaps her stilettos for safety goggles and takes a death-defying leap from the runway to the real world.
Enjoy I Wish from Fri 29 Nov – Sun 8 Dec as award-winning theatre artist and singer, Le Gateau Chocolat transforms into The Wish Giver for an unforgettable theatrical and musical extravaganza the whole family will cherish.
PUSH Festival 2025 takes place between Fri 24 Jan – Sat 8 Feb for our annual celebration of North West creative talent. Over two weeks, our stages, screens and spaces will be dedicated to showcasing fantastic works from around the region. Outstanding poet and musician Reece Williams returns to HOME on Tue 18 Feb – Sat 22 Feb to present his stage show This Kind of Black (Requiem for Black Boys) after a sell-out run in 2023.
Tickets are now on sale!