Liverpool’s BlackFest opens next month promising a busy programme of events. This year’s festival returns to the real world after going online in 2020, and features music nights, spoken word performances, exhibitions, film, literature events, workshops, surgeries and rehearsed readings. It’s launched on September 20 with an opening night ‘extravaganza’ at the Unity Theatre. The main festival programme runs until October 9. Venues include The Royal Standard, Tate Liverpool, Mu

Liverpool’s Ticket to Write festival returns to the Hope Street Theatre this autumn with four new plays being staged over two days. The festival, run by Make it Write Productions, takes place on October 8-9. Playwrights from the UK and across the world are invited to submit scripts inspired by The Beatles, with a shortlist chosen to receive full performances in front of a live audience. This year’s successful plays come from Liverpool – and California. The Ringo Kid, by Paul

Bullying, sexism, bulimia, homophobia, gun violence, alienation, and talk about suicide – granted it’s not your average night out at the Empire, even allowing for the strange times we’re living in. But if you appreciate your nihilism served with a supersized side order of cracking ensemble numbers, sly lyrics and a two-fingered salute to political correctness, Heathers the Musical is probably the show for you. Based on the now-cult 1989 film which gleefully subverted the pepp

A 7ft tall statue of Bob Marley will be unveiled in Liverpool next week as part of the city's Positive Vibration festival of reggae. Andy Edwards, the sculptor behind the Beatles statue on the Pier Head and The Truce at Liverpool's Bombed Out Church, has been commissioned to create the new work which is planned to stand – aptly - in Jamaica Street. It is being created in resin at Castle Fine Arts Foundry which has a site in nearby Bridgewater Street. Festival organisers say t

Smash hit musical favourite Hairspray returns to the Liverpool Empire next week. Even Covid can’t stop the beat, with the show – on a tour of the UK and Ireland – spending a week at the Lime Street theatre. Norman Pace plays Wilbur Turnblad, Brenda Edwards is Motormouth Maybelle, and West End leading man Alex Bourne dons the dress and heels to appear as Edna. Meanwhile Katie Brace is making her professional debut as the irrepressible Tracy Turnblad. Hairspray is based on the

More than 300 artworks are being brought together at the Walker Art Gallery next month in a major new autumn exhibition of the life and work of Walter Richard Sickert. Sickert: A Life in Art opens on September 18 and is the largest retrospective of his work in the UK for more than three decades. The German-born English painter, printmaker, teacher and critic was an important figure in the Post-Impressionist movement of the early 20th Century, and became a leading influence wi

This year's Liverpool Theatre Festival opens on September 1 and organisers have now revealed the final line-up of shows. The 12-day festival will showcase 16 shows across 23 individual performances at the Bombed Out Church. The festival opens on September 1 with 2GORGEOUS4U, a new play by Mark Davies Markham which stars Lynne Fitzgerald as beautician and former pop princess Clare who fell out with best mate and fellow singer Wendy back in the 90s. Find out what happens when t

Heathers the Musical has been forced to cancel the first five nights of its Liverpool run because of a Covid case in the company. The show was due to visit the Liverpool Empire from August 17-28. But now its revised run will see the cast perform eight shows over six days from Monday, August 23 to Saturday, August 28. Anyone with tickets for the opening week will be contacted by the theatre. The tour has also had to cancel the remainder of its dates at Leeds Grand Theatre this

A giant pop-up book and a 40ft tall megaphone will appear in Liverpool this weekend as part of the city’s Very Public Art initiative. The huge story book, titled Cowherd & Weaver Girl, will be installed in Chinatown from tomorrow, encouraging people to step inside its pages as part of celebrations of Qixi – the Chinese equivalent of Valentine’s Day which takes place on August 14 each year. Cowherd & Weaver Girl artist Laura Brownhill said: “Liverpool’s Chinatown is world reno

The Everyman and Playhouse’s new production Love, Liverpool has been forced to cancel the remainder of its run because of a Covid case among the company. The show, which opened at the Playhouse last week, was due to run until this Saturday. News of a positive Covid test in the cast initially led to the cancellation of Wednesday evening and the Thursday matinee. But the decision was later taken to axe all the remaining performances. Ticket holders are being contacted by the bo