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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
Review: Letter to Brezhnev at Liverpool's Royal Court ****1/2
Back in the 1980s, a series of striking screen successes helped plant Liverpool firmly in the national consciousness – the three ‘Bs’ of Blackstuff, Brookside…and Brezhnev. All three were political (albeit without being actually ‘Militant’), but while each was concerned with themes like socio-economic decline, political neglect, class conflict, community solidarity or crushed ambitions, it was the big screen’s Letter to Brezhnev which widened its vista to consider the chilly
Review: Take Me Home County Road at Liverpool's Royal Court ****
Liverpool’s Royal Court has a history of nurturing the talents of its extended theatrical ‘family’ – encouraging staff, and also members of its regular cast, to develop their own ideas and projects. Linzdi Germain and Angela Simms’ knockabout hospital comedy The Royal springs immediately to mind. Actor Adam McCoy made his own Roe Street debut appearing downstairs in the Studio in Masquerade, penned by Laura Lees who was working in the box office at the time. Now in turn, McCo
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
Review: Taking the Piste at Liverpool's Royal Court ***1/2
On paper, the story of the Kirkby Ski Slope seems wildly improbable – so wild indeed that even those folk at the Royal Court, where no plotline is too outlandish, reportedly thought playwright Kieran Lynn had jumped the shark. But this is no fictional tale of council corruption and ineptitude, it actually happened. Perhaps it’s only really surprising that it’s taken half-a-century for someone to turn it into a piece of entertainment. Taking the Piste (not to be confused with
Letter to Brezhnev cast announced by Liverpool's Royal Court
Angela Simms and Ellie Clayton are set to play friends Teresa and Elaine when Letter to Brezhnev is staged at Liverpool’s Royal Court this autumn. Cinema's much-loved 1980s Liverpool-set love story is coming to the stage in an adaptation by its original screenwriter Frank Clarke. It will be premiered at the Roe Street theatre from September 11 to October 17. The cast also includes Liam Powell-Berry as Sergei, Thomas Cotran as Peter, with Michelle Butterly, Dominic Carter, Reg
Review: Conteh at Liverpool's Royal Court ****
When Aron Julius first had the idea of embodying Liverpool boxing legend John Conteh on stage, he felt sure there must already be a play out there he could bring to life for a live audience. There wasn’t it seems. So rather than abandon the idea, Julius decided to write his own. Initially conceived as a one-man vehicle, with the boxer directly relating the much-chronicled highs and lows of his life and career, Julius – at that time appearing in the Royal Court’s acclaimed pro
Lourdes of laughs in Cured at Liverpool's Royal Court
Laurence Clark’s new stage comedy Cured is set to be premiered at Liverpool’s Royal Court next month – and it turns out the award-winning writer and comedian drew on his own life when it came to the inspiration for his plot. For some, a pilgrimage to Lourdes is all prayers, candles and proper holy contemplation. For the mad bunch of disabled Scousers in Clark's play, it's bevvies, mucking about and getting off with each other… and definitely no bleeding miracle cures. After c
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