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Review: Talking Head Twice at the Unity Theatre ***1/2
Liverpool Improvisation Festival returns to the Unity this May with a programme of shows from some of the genre's brightest talent. Ahead of that, LiF organiser Wing it Impro took the chance to present a new idea currently in development in what was a well-received scratch performance which brought the Unity’s 2026 Up Next Festival to a close. Boasting the tagline 'Inspired by Bennett. Shaped by you', Talking Head Twice offers a huge nod to the nonagenarian playwright and all
Review: Knickerbocker Glory at the Unity Theatre ****
When you call yourself Choc-a-block Comedy, it inevitably creates a certain level of expectation. But Trading Standards can stand down, because Laura Robinson and Aidan Rivers’ droll double act happily lives up to its name in this chock-a-block comedy confection whipped up and staged as part of the Unity Theatre’s Up Next Festival. In Knickerbocker Glory, the recent LIPA acting graduates (Robinson appeared at the Unity several times during training, while you might recognise
Grenfell film coming to the Bluecoat in collaboration with Tate Liverpool
Artist Steve McQueen's film installation Grenfell is set to be screened at the Bluecoat this spring as part of a national tour of selected cities. The moving artwork is being brought to the School Lane venue in collaboration with Tate Liverpool from May 16 to June 21. The residency includes the ninth anniversary of the fire which swept through the London tower block and claimed the lives of 72 people on June 14, 2017. Following the tragedy, a Government Inquiry was launched t
Review: Spinster at the Unity Theatre ***1/2
One of the key elements of the Unity’s annual Up Next Festival is the disparate range of work on show over one busy four-day period. That packed programme reached its zenith with a trio of double bills on Friday evening, mixing and matching six short pieces, from ‘architects of the absurd’ to a dark comedy exploring the background of the pandemic to a cabaret in the middle of a compost heap. First out of the starting blocks in the initial double bill of the night was Martha J
Review: Mark Simpson's The Immortal at Liverpool Philharmonic Hall ****
Mark Simpson has revealed what he calls his ‘big and wild’ ambitions were ignited by the performances he watched and music he experienced as a youngster listening to concerts at the Philharmonic Hall. But while he may have dreamed a dream, one wonders if the Liverpool schoolboy really imagined he’d one day be feted as the orchestra that so influenced his youth premiered his own compositions in the same concert hall. Over the two decades and counting of his professional career
Paul O'Grady retrospective set for Williamson Gallery
A major retrospective dedicated to Paul O’Grady is set to be premiered in Birkenhead this winter. The Paul O’Grady Story comes to the Williamson Art Gallery and Museum from December 4 and runs throughout 2027. The show, which delves into the late star’s personal archive to give an insight into his life in front of and behind the lens, will be free to visit thanks to a substantial lottery grant which has enabled it to be presented at the Slatey Road venue. The exhibition will
Review: Bember at the Unity Theatre ****
One of the few positive things to emerge from the Covid pandemic was the Unity Theatre’s Up Next Festival – designed to support and nurture new work by local talent. This year’s Up Next is the fifth annual festival, and over four days (it runs until Saturday) it is showcasing 20 pieces at various different stages of development, from rehearsed readings to fully formed productions. Up first at Up Next on its opening night was Bember, Winnie Grace Southgate’s dark comedy/comi-t
The Scouse Nativity returns to Liverpool's Royal Court for Christmas 2026
Smash hit seasonal show The Scouse Nativity is set to return to Liverpool’s Royal Court for Christmas 2026. The festive production, penned by Kevin Fearon, was a huge success when it was first staged at the Roe Street theatre in December 2017 . Now the show, which offers a Scouse take on the ‘greatest story ever told’, is returning in an all-new production, running from November 6 to January 16, 2027. Tickets are on sale priced from £19. It's Bethlehem 0 AD (or possibly 0 BC)
Liverpool Music Heritage Trail celebrates 60 years of key musical moments in the city
A new music heritage trail linking 12 key Liverpool locations has been launched in the city. The free, self-guided trail is marked by plaques designed to look like vinyl records and the Beatles Legacy Group, which is behind the new attraction, says it hopes it will inspire a new generation of Liverpool artists as well as music fans and visitors. Billed ‘a whistlestop tour through 60 years of Liverpool music from 1957 to 2016', the tour aims to explore some of the places, peop
Liverpool Empire dates for Live Aid musical Just for One Day
Live Aid musical Just for One Day is set to come to the Liverpool Empire as part of an inaugural national tour. The musical, written by John O’Farrell and directed by Luke Sheppard, will be staged at the Lime Street landmark from August 3-7, 2027. Just For One Day - The Live Aid Musical is the story behind the greatest concert in music history, and features hit songs by Bob Dylan, David Bowie, The Who, U2, Queen, Madonna, The Police, Elton John, Paul McCartney and Diana Ross
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