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Review: Present Laughter at the Liverpool Playhouse ****
“A torrent of wit and fun, and at what a pace Mr Coward turns it on.” Thus wrote one reviewer when Present Laughter reached Liverpool's Royal Court in November 1942 on an extensive tour of the provinces as part of Coward’s Play Parade triumvirate of audience pleasers which also included This Happy Breed and Blithe Spirit. Eight decades on, the writer/actor/director/all-round wit’s light-hearted farce – emphasis on the light - is back in town, this time around the corner in W
Christmas Shows and Pantos in Liverpool and beyond in 2026
Christmas is on the horizon – oh yes, it is – and that means just one thing. It’s panto time again. A century ago, pantomimes opened on Christmas Eve and ran through well into the New Year. Over the intervening years, however, the start of the festive season has got earlier and earlier with the first shows in 2026 opening in early November. As usual the Royal Court and the Everyman are the vanguard of the festive frivolity, but there are also a host of other seasonal shows cl
Shows on Liverpool stages this October
Autumn, the season of mists and mellow fruitfulness – and also of a plethora of new productions in Liverpool’s theatres. Several productions which opened last month are continuing into October, among them Titanic drama Unsinkable, which runs at the Hope Street Theatre until October 3. You can catch Arthur Miller’s classic Death of a Salesman at the Liverpool Everyman until October 10. And down the road at the Royal Court, the new stage version of Frank Clarke’s Letter to Brez
Comedy to catch in Liverpool this autumn
As autumn approaches, the nights start to get darker and the news seems to get bleaker, we all need a laugh. Happily, the nation’s funny men and women are willing to oblige, with a mighty host of comedians descending on Britain’s ‘capital of comedy’ between now and Christmas to give us all a big laugh. Along with comedy clubs and regular comedy nights, star names and rising talent are also appearing at venues like the M&S Bank Arena, Liverpool Playhouse, Philharmonic Hall, Ep
The King's Speech comes to Liverpool Playhouse in 2027
A new stage adaptation of multi-Oscar winning British historical drama The King’s Speech is set to visit Liverpool next summer as part of a UK tour. The production comes to the Liverpool Playhouse from June 22-26, 2027. Tickets go on general sale this Tuesday, September 1. A country on the precipice of another terrible war. An abdicated king. A constitutional crisis. And the only man who can provide hope for the nervous British public is Bertie – a man who is shy, unprepared
11 shows to catch in Liverpool this autumn
The summer may still be at its height but given how fast June and July have sped past it won’t be long until the autumn theatre season is upon us. And there is a packed programme of treats at Liverpool’s many venues this year. From big budget musicals to intimate dramas, high comedy to high tragedy, local stories to international tales, and classic texts to thought-provoking new work, there’s plenty for lovers of live theatre to choose from between September and Christmas. Se
Shows to enjoy at Liverpool theatres in July
It may be the summer months, but theatres rarely go completely dark any more and there’s still plenty to enjoy on stage in the city throughout July. Over at the Everyman, YEP (Young Everyman Playhouse) is presenting its own version of the Jekyll and Hyde story, radically reimagined by Evan Placey for the digital age. The story of ambition, addiction and the monsters we hide (online and ‘IRL’) runs from July 2-4 at the Hope Street theatre. Meanwhile roll up roll up, the Empire
Paul O'Grady's Lily inspires SAVAGE which comes to the Liverpool Playhouse in 2027
A ‘bold and deeply moving’ new comedy inspired by the late Paul O’Grady is set to come to the Liverpool Playhouse next spring prior to a West End run. SAVAGE, written by Liverpool playwright Jonathan Harvey and created with O’Grady’s blessing, tells the story of the life of the late star and his most famous creation – the ‘Blonde Bombsite’ Lily Savage. It will be staged at the Playhouse from March 16-20, 2027, and will feature Wirral-born RuPaul Drag Race UK winner Danny Bear
Bost celebrates 100 years with new Liverpool Playhouse residency
BOST Musicals has announced a new five-year residency at the Liverpool Playhouse as part of its centenary celebrations. The long-running organisation, founded as the Birkenhead Operatic Society Trust in 1926, will stage three shows at the Liverpool Playhouse between now and 2030. The inaugural production, Stephen Sondheim’s Follies, is set to be performed at the historic Williamson Square theatre on June 5-6. Directed and choreographed by James Lacey, the spectacular musical
Review: The Spy Who Came in From the Cold at the Liverpool Playhouse ***1/2
Berlin in 1963 was the central battleground between two conflicting ideologies which had recently brought the world to the brink of destruction. Twelve months after the Cuban Missile Crisis, two years after the Berlin wall was erected - dividing the communist East from capitalist West - both Kennedy (“ich bin ein Berliner”) and Khrushchev paid visits to the city in an appeal for hearts and minds. The perfect setting then, and perfect timing too, for the publication of John Le
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