On its first visit to Liverpool in 2014, the equivalent of one in seven of the city’s population flocked to the Empire to see Wicked. Audiences are out in force again this time, with more than 60,000 tickets sold before the show even opened, and a party atmosphere in the Lime Street theatre’s massive auditorium. It’s not difficult to understand the excitement, with the blockbuster musical offering a meaty story - with some themes to discuss with young audience members on the

Given it’s almost 70 years since Lerner and Loewe penned Paint Your Wagon, it’s had relatively few stage outings – certainly compared to other musicals of the time. Meanwhile the 1969 film, best-known for Lee Marvin singing Wand’rin' Star, strays so far from the path of the original plot in its search for movie gold that people who have only seen the big screen version will find they’re watching practically a different story on stage. So we come to this revival, opening the E

Liverpool International Music Festival is set to be all-ticketed for the first time in its six-year history. Music fans coming to the 2018 festival, which takes place over the weekend of July 21-22, will need to either buy advance day tickets for £5, or £10 per day close to and during the festival weekend itself. Advance VIP tickets are £15, giving access to the luxury VIP area for over 14s only. The move, which council chiefs say will off-set some of the costs of staging the

Raiders of the Lost Ark is set to get symphonic treatment at the Philharmonic Hall. The smash hit film that first introduced whip-wielding hero Indiana Jones will be screened with music by a live orchestra at the Hope Street venue this week. Legendary film composer John Williams penned the epic score which includes the famous Raiders March which was subsequently used in all successive films in the blockbuster franchise. Raiders of the Lost Ark, which stars Harrison Ford in th

Mark Thomas is bringing Showtime from the Front Line to the Playhouse this week. The political comedian, writer and activist returns to Liverpool following his previous shows, Trespass and The Red Shed, this time with his real-life tale of setting up a comedy club in the heart of Gaza. He will be joined on stage at the Williamson Square theatre by Faisal Abu Alhayjaa and Alaa Shehada, two performers, actors and now aspiring comics from the Jenin Club – the comedy venue he ope

Life in Port Sunlight has come under the microscope in a new exhibition of photographs on show in the village. But you will have to be quick to see them because Pete Carr’s Portraits of Port Sunlight is only open until Friday March 9. It features 20 photographs, on show at The Lyceum in Bridge Street, which capture moments in the day of people who live in the garden village, a popular destination for tourists and which was created by Lord Leverhulme more than a century ago. T

Back in 2008, Dave Kirby scored a hat-trick of successes at the Royal Court with Brick Up, Lost Soul and Council Depot Blues. The first two have returned to the theatre in recent years, but the last time the latter was staged was almost a decade ago. Now the story inspired by Kirby’s own time working for the ‘rat jugglers’ (as the Liverpool Corporation’s house clearance department was nicknamed) is back, and with practically the same cast reprising their roles from 2008 and 2

It's become a defining moment in Liverpool’s history. But behind the headlines and the long fight for justice, it’s important to remember that the terrible tragedy of Hillsborough happened to people like you and me, ordinary people just going about their ordinary lives. Playwright Ian Salmon had to work on April 15 1989, but his dad and two brothers all travelled to Sheffield for the FA Cup semi-final against Nottingham Forest. His father watched the horror unfold from anothe