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Review: War of the Worlds at the Liverpool Playhouse ***
HG Wells’ pioneering, prescient sci-fi classic has been presented in a myriad of ways over the 128 years since it was first published – from films and TV series (the Beeb’s 2019 version was partially shot in and around Liverpool) to Orson Welles’ famous 1938 radio bulletin version which put the frighteners into listeners in New Jersey to Jeff Wayne’s musical spectacular with its giant hologram face and tripod fighting machine. Wayne’s huge, immersive arena show underlines one
Review: Dear England at the Liverpool Empire ****1/2
When Bill Shankly told a journalist that football wasn’t just a matter of life and death but was “much more important than that” he was articulating his total dedication to the game. But he could just as easily have been giving voice to the feeling of generations of diehard England fans who have celebrated (and mythologised) the team’s highs and loudly mourned their many lows. Pressure and expectation weighs heavy on the shoulders of every successive England squad, both men a
Liverpool Empire set to be rocked by talented young performers
Talented young performers from the Liverpool Empire Youth Theatre are set to rock audiences at the Lime Street venue next month. They will perform the Queen-inspired musical We Will Rock You on the Empire stage over the Easter weekend of April 3-4. The smash hit dystopian musical from the pen of Ben Elton has played to more than 15 million people in nearly 20 countries worldwide since it was premiered 24 years ago. Set 300 years in the future on the Orwellian iPlanet, it foll
International Women's Day 2026 Liverpool events
A host of events are set to take place in Liverpool to mark International Women’s Day (IWD) which takes place on March 8. The theme for the 2026 is Give to Gain – a call to help forge equality for women and girls and free them from bias, stereotypes and discrimination through ‘abundant giving’ of time, support and opportunity. The organisers' message is that “when women thrive, we all rise”. This Thursday, March 5, The Guide Liverpool and Metquarter will host a special panel
Liverpool theatre shows this March
March is upon us. There are daffodils in the parks, chocolate eggs and hot cross buns – both traditional and not-so-traditional – in the shops, the days are getting longer and soon the clocks will ‘spring forward’. The days aren’t just getting longer with daylight at each end, but they are also, dare I say it, getting just that bit warmer too. With the hibernation of winter behind us, now is the ideal time to come out and enjoy everything Liverpool’s theatres have to offer. W
Review: The Memory of Water at the Liverpool Everyman ****
It’s been 30 years since Shelagh Stephenson’s darkly comic play premiered at the Hampstead Theatre, going on to transfer to the West End and Broadway and winning an Olivier to boot. And while the creamy tones of Nat King Cole might punctuate scene changes in this sparky revival at the Liverpool Everyman, it’s the sound of the Spice Girls which drags us back aurally to 1996, the year of genetically modified crops, royal divorces, Dunblane, Dolly the sheep and Trainspotting. In
Review: The Woman in Black at the Liverpool Playhouse ****1/2
Sometimes you simply have to pause and marvel at our desire to be scared witless – surely humankind being a strange outlier among the rest of the animal kingdom. True, the experience is accompanied by the knowledge the films, TV shows, plays, stories or ghost hunts which provoke that thrilling adrenaline spike are a safe kind of scare. We remain physically, if not psychologically, unscathed – who hasn't had the urge to check over their shoulders or under their beds at some ti
Review: The Peaceful Hour 2 at Liverpool's Royal Court ***1/2
Back in the day, many a Merseysider would make a late-night date with Radio City’s The Peaceful Hour – tuning in to drop off to its soothing musical vibes and the dulcet tones of one Pete Price Esq. It means before anyone even reaches for the radio dial on stage, there’s an immediate layer of nostalgia which underpins The Peaceful Hour 2, playwright Gerry Linford’s amiable, knockabout late night-set sequel to the titular comedy which was premiered at the Royal Court 12 months
Cast revealed for Little Shop of Horrors at Liverpool Playhouse
Liverpool favourite Michael Starke will return to the Playhouse this Christmas to appear in a new production of Little Shop of Horrors. He will play flower shop owner Mr Mushnik in the cult comedy-sci fi musical which comes to the Williamson Square theatre from December 3 to January 9, 2027. Starke previously appeared at the Playhouse for Christmas in 2016 when he played the Chairman in Michael Wynne’s music hall show The Star to mark the 150 th anniversary of the theatre. T
Liverpool theatre shows this February
With New Year now in the rear-view mirror, Easter on the far horizon and nights definitely getting just that little bit lighter, it’s the ideal time to squeeze in a trip to the theatre – or three. Liverpool venues have live performance covered in the shortest month of the year with a range of productions from big and bold musicals to intimate storytelling, and from comedy to hard-hitting drama. February kicks off with a return to the Empire stage for Tudor smash hit SIX the M
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