A new musical version of a hit show about Cynthia Lennon comes to the Liverpool stage next month. This Girl – The Cynthia Lennon Story, written and directed by Mike Howl, will be premiered at the Hope Street Theatre from November 8-14. It enjoyed a sell-out run at the venue in 2019 in its previous incarnation as a straight play. The musical features eight new original songs and musical arrangements by Frankie Connor (The Hideaways), The Merseybeats’ Billy Kinsley and Alan Cro

You wait for one world premiere to come along and then, like buses, two turn up one after the other. And if Roberto Sierra’s Sixth Symphony (last week) and Anders Hillborg’s Viola Concerto (last night) were buses, they would be super-charged, souped-up engine charras. Hillborg – who was at the Phil in person for the premiere – and ebullient soloist Lawrence Power were out to showcase just what the unsung member of the string section can do, in an 18-minute musical blitzkrieg

Artist Luke Jerram’s stunning Gaia installation, a celebration of Edward Lear and the official opening of Shakespeare North Playhouse will form part of the Knowsley Borough of Culture celebrations next year. An exhibition of leading Impressionists, a public light spectacular, a show dedicated to illustrator Quentin Blake, a mass participation event celebrating sport and the return of Knowsley Flower Show and Feelgood Festival are also planned. Knowsley takes over the year-lon

While his usual Liverpool stamping ground is up the road at the Empire, four years ago Matthew Bourne brought his playful Early Adventures to the Playhouse stage. The more compact, intimate space and the content of those modest, sunny early works was a good fit and a really rewarding experience for the audience. So it’s great to see Bourne back at Williamson Square – albeit with a much darker dance offering this time. The Midnight Bell, inspired by Patrick Hamilton’s inter-wa

HG Wells’ deadly fin de siècle sci-fi tale has been through any number of storytelling permutations and genres since it was published at the fag end of the 19th Century – from films to video games, comic books, a Twitter iteration and a famous, bombastic rock opera spectacular. One of the key adaptations remains a 23-year-old Orson Welles’ 1938 Halloween broadcast, part of The Mercury Theatre on Air radio drama series and which has generated its own subsequent mythology. Did

Tate Liverpool is presenting the first UK retrospective of Scottish artist Lucy McKenzie. The exhibition, opening today, draws together around 80 of the 44-year-old’s artworks dating from 1997 onwards. They include tromp l’oeil works, large-scale architectural paintings, film, fashion and design which coves a wide range of the Glasgow-born McKenzie’s artistic practice. The exhibition highlights the themes that have interested McKenzie throughout her career so far, including h

Head deep into The Bunker in Hope Street this Halloween for a thrilling and intimate live storytelling event. Wing It Improv & Stories is presenting three nights of creeps, chills and things that go bump to frighten and entertain audiences. The Bunker (Halloween edition) will take place beneath Liverpool Arts Bar in Hope Street from October 29-31. Six original stories will be told in the space which is being transformed for the spooky site-specific event – with organisers pro

Venues are spreading plenty of seasonal cheer as pantos and Christmas shows return to stages across the Liverpool City Region this winter. Last Christmas was a mixed picture with some theatres offering festive fun while others were still dark as we struggled with the ongoing pandemic. But 2021 looks like it’s shaping up to be a return to as normal as we can get in these trying times, with a host of goodies under the theatrical tree. There are a trio of Cinderellas and a brace

An intergalactic voyage through the world of Doctor Who and a plunge into the world of the Tudors are among the 2022 programme announced by National Museums Liverpool. Meanwhile Lady Lever Art Gallery will mark its centenary year, and a new pop-up exhibition at the International Slavery Museum will showcase the best in contemporary talent. The hotly anticipated world premiere Doctor Who Worlds of Wonder will open at World Museum on May 27, promising a thrilling interactive jo

Liverpool’s Epstein Theatre is set to reopen its doors for the first time in nearly two years with a new management team at the helm. Epstein Entertainments Ltd is a joint venture between Liverpool producers Bill Elms, Chantelle Nolan and Jane Joseph. Elms, a theatre producer and PR specialist, has more than 30 years’ experience in the industry while mother and daughter team Joseph and Nolan run Regal Entertainments Ltd which manages St Helens Theatre Royal where Nolan is als