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Review: The Constant Wife at the Liverpool Playhouse ****1/2
What would you do if you discovered your other half was cheating on you? Pack a bag and leave? Throw them out and change the locks – having first taken scissors to their wardrobe? Or go down the Beyoncé route and channel you pain into an acclaimed best-selling album? Constance Middleton (Kara Tointon), the heroine of Laura Wade’s larky, sparky, stylish adaptation of W Somerset Maugham’s 1920s ‘comedy of manners’, opts for a more measured but no less decisive and devastating r
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
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 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
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
Review: Inspector Morse at the Liverpool Playhouse ***1/2
Inspector Morse was a TV staple in the 1980s and 90s, regularly pulling in audiences of up to 18 million and spawning not one but two successful spin off series – the latter, Endeavour, starring Liverpool’s own Shaun Evans. Morse's star John Thaw was just 45 when the first series was screened, albeit he wore middle age in worn-in fashion, which suited Colin Dexter's curmudgeonly character. Tom Chambers, who takes on detective duties in this first stage outing, is currently 48
Top musicals coming to Liverpool in 2026
The news may feel unremittingly gloomy, so what better distraction from real life than the chance to immerse ourselves in the Technicolor world of stage musicals for an hour or two? The UK is rich with triple threat talent and a range of all-singing, all-dancing shows, and lots of them are heading for an auditorium near you over the next 12 months. Some – like Legally Blonde, Dirty Dancing, Little Shop of Horrors and Mamma Mia! - are dependable favourites, some are sheer musi
Comedians coming to the Liverpool Playhouse in 2026
Mike Wozniak heads for the Liverpool Playhouse to kick off a busy year of comedy at the Williamson Square venue. The Bench is a new stand-up show in which a story about a bench will be prominent. Previous experience of or strong opinions about benches not required. Catch Wozniak on January 23 and again on September 11. It’s Nameste from Omid Djalili on February 12 when he peacefully bows to his inner anger and unleashes a torrent of comedic vitriol upon the current state of
Cracking comedy to catch in Liverpool in 2026
Is everyone in Liverpool a comedian? If not, the UK’s unofficial ‘capital of comedy’ certainly punches way above its weight when it comes to knowing how to enjoy a good laugh. So it’s perhaps no surprise funny men and women from across the country – and beyond – are always keen to bring their live shows to the city. Along with bespoke comedy clubs and regular comedy nights, star names and rising talent also perform at mainstream venues like the M&S Bank Arena, Liverpool Playh
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