With news that an iconic North West comedian is to play the bingo caller in Everybody Loves A Winner –at the Royal Exchange, speculation is rife. Winner is the final show of the Manchester International Festival, a Royal Exchange – Manchester International Festival co-production. The highly acclaimed Neil Bartlett directs and devised the show.A world premiere and prestigious curtain-raiser for the 2009 Manchester International Festival this extraordinary new show will be devised by director and actors in rehearsal at the Exchange and tell a colourful story set in the vivid world of North West Bingo Halls.

The director is already promising to re-design the Exchange’s famous in-the-round auditorium – removing some of the seats and replacing them with Bingo Hall tables and chairs to allow some of the audience to play along as part of the action. (more…)

Following it’s West End transfer, the Take That musical, Never Forget is rumoured to be heading back to Manchester.

The show, centres on the members of the unlikeliest Take That tribute band and follows the rollercoaster journey of young Gary Barlow-like hero Ash (Dean Chisnall) and his mates (Craige Els, Stephane Anelli, Tim Driesen and Eaton James) in the pursuit of their dreams. Along the way, each of them discovers that pretending to be someone else can sometimes help you find out who you really are.

Never Forget has an original book written by TV’s Danny Brocklehurst (Shameless, Clocking Off), Guy Jones and Ed Curtis, who also directs. The production is designed by Bob Bailey and choreographed by Karen Bruce, with costumes by Christopher Woods and musical supervision by Mike Dixon. It’s produced by Tristan Baker, Bronia Buchanan and Charlie Parsons in association with Jason Haigh-Ellery. (more…)

Today sees the return of Alan Bennett‘s work to the region in the guise of Enjoy, starring Alison Steadman at the Lowry. This hit show plays for one week only, on the back of some brilliant reviews. But catch it while you can in Salford, as it is tipped to go to the West End with the Comedy Theatre being cited as a possible venue.

This rarely-performed gem, written in 1980, is set in Bennett’s home town of Leeds where an ageing couple are living in the city’s last back-to-back. With the demolition of the area in progress, Wilf and Connie are soon to be re-housed in a brand new maisonette with a waste disposal unit and non-slip vinyl flooring! When a sociologist comes to observe them in their daily life, normality takes a decidedly atypical turn…

With prices set to rise once it hits the big smoke, it is worth seeing it here at the Quays!

If you check out ticketmaster – the dates are booked in and tickets will be on sale in September. As predicted by the goss last week, the Queen musical, We Will Rock You is set to tour the UK, opening at the Palace on 20th March, continuing until 6th June.

Further details will follow in September. The London show is not closing though, as this will continue alongside the tour.

We will keep you posted via our news page.

There has been lots of speculation about a move for this popular Manchester venue for some time now. The Manchester Evening News reported in July that the venue was to close for years, following a refurbishment. The theatre which is housed in the Central Library building is a real gem, small and intimate, with a really interesting programme, year in, year out, so if it is to move, we hope that the building is worthy of these fine productions.

According to the M.E.N:

“The grade 2-star listed library – one of the biggest in Britain and visited by more than a million people a year – is riddled with asbestos and needs major work to secure its `structural integrity’. Huge sums are also needed to `halt deterioration’ of the town hall, opened in 1877 and seen by many as Manchester’s most famous landmark.” (more…)