10 shows you should see in Liverpool this autumn

We may have enjoyed a tropical heatwave this summer, but now it's definitely time to sit down and think about Liverpool theatre world’s autumn offerings.

It won’t be long until the city’s many venues are opening their new season of in-house and touring productions.

And this coming season features a huge range of shows, from massive musicals to ingenious storytelling moments, with a number of premieres thrown in for good measure.

With so much going on it’s hard to choose. But here’s my run-down of 10 shows that you definitely won’t want to miss this autumn.

Bouncers – Royal Court

August 31-September 15

John Godber’s classic stage comedy gets an ‘urban remix’ at the hands of the newly-formed Boisterous Theatre Company – a troupe that lives up to its name.

Bouncers was a hit for the company when they staged it in the downstairs Studio earlier this summer, and now they have been given a chance to perform it in the main auditorium.

The energetic production, directed by Miriam Mussa, features a live DJ set.

Read more about Boisterous Theatre Company

Read a review of Bouncers

Book tickets HERE

The Lovely Bones – Liverpool Everyman

September 25-October 6

Alice Sebold’s chilling best-seller is brought to the stage in a new adaptation by Bryony Lavery.

Susie Salmon is just like any other young girl. She wants to be beautiful, adores her charm bracelet and has a crush on a boy from school. There’s one big difference though – Susie is dead.

The premiere is presented by the Birmingham Repertory Theatre, Royal & Derngate Northampton and Northern Stage, in association with the Everyman and Playhouse.

Read more about The Lovely Bones.

Book tickets HERE

By The Waters of Liverpool – Liverpool Empire

October 2-13

Fans of Helen Forrester’s Twopence to Cross the Mersey will want to see this new production which carries the story on in to adulthood.

At 17, Helen had fought and won two bitter battles with her parents; the first to educate herself, the second for the right to go out to work. Her parents are as financially irresponsible as ever, wasting money while their children still lack adequate food and clothing.

But for Helen, things are looking up as she begins to make new friends and develop some social life outside the home.

In 1939, now aged 20 and with Britain on the brink of war, Helen has never been kissed by a man. That is until she meets a tall strong seaman and falls in love.

Book tickets HERE

A Taste of Honey – Epstein Theatre

October 9-13

Daniel Taylor Productions returns to the Epstein Theatre after its double bill of Shakespeare earlier this year – and takes on Shelagh Delaney’s ground-breaking 1958 kitchen sink drama.

Delaney wrote A Taste of Honey when she was just 18, and the play – which addresses questions of class, race and gender - became considered as one of the most influential of its generation.

It was adapted for the big screen in 1961 starring Liverpool actress Rita Tushingham alongside Dora Bryan.

Book tickets HERE

Blood Runs Deep – Unity Theatre

October 10-13

This new psychological thriller from writers Emma Culshaw and David Paul gets a Liverpool premiere at the Unity this autumn.

Single mother Karen Richards is on the run with her unsuspecting son, praying she can hide their chilling family secret and live a normal life. When an unwelcome visitor arrives at her home, the truth catches up with her, resulting in terrifying consequences.

The play is produced by Break A Leg Productions in association with theatre producer Bill Elms and is their second collaboration after comedy drama The Ruby Slippers.

Book tickets HERE

All You Need is LSD – Unity Theatre

October 16-20

Told by an Idiot returns to the Unity this autumn with a new play by Leo Butler.

In 2015, Butler accepted an invitation from former Government drugs tsar, Professor David Nutt, to be a guinea pig in the world’s first LSD medical trials since the 1960s. Monty Python, Being John Malkovich, and Alice in Wonderland all resonate in this exhilarating and original comedy as he jumps down the rabbit-hole of a medical trial in search of enlightenment - and a good story.

Along the way he meets an array of characters from Aldous Huxley and The Beatles, to Steve Jobs and Ronald Reagan, whose own stories in the history of LSD are hilariously and poignantly uncovered.

Book tickets HERE

Alan Bennett’s The Habit of Art – Liverpool Playhouse

October 23-27

Everyman alumnus Matthew Kelly returns to Liverpool to star in this revival of Alan Bennett’s 2009 play.

The Habit of Art centres on a meeting between the poet WH Auden and the composer Benjamin Britten. Exploring friendship, rivalry and heartache this multi layered masterpiece examines the joy, pain and emotional cost of creativity.

David Yelland and Veronica Roberts are among the cast in the show from The Original Theatre Company and York Theatre Royal.

Read more about the new Everyman and Playhouse season.

Book tickets HERE

Still Alice – Liverpool Playhouse

November 6-10

Actress Sharon Small plays the titular Alice, a professional at the top of her game.

But, diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s at the age of 50, she is compelled to confront her new reality and draw on her resilience to remain independent for as long as possible.

Lisa Genova’s best-selling novel is adapted here by Christine Mary Dunford and the production is directed by David Grindley.

Book tickets HERE

The Scouse Cinderella – Royal Court

November 23-January 19

Last Christmas they tackled the greatest story ever told.

Now the folk at the Royal Court are taking on the most famous fairytale of them all – and giving it a decidedly Liverpool twist.

Baron Joe Hardupson is skint, and the council want to turn his mansion into student accommodation. Then his daughter goes to a party, pretends to be something she isn’t and gets so drunk she loses a shoe.

Expect a Prince with a foot fetish, a pumpkin that turns into a Delta, ‘minging’ sisters, a lairy fairy and probably some dwarves who’ve got lost.

Kevin Fearon is writing the script, Hannah Chissick directs, and the cast features Paul Duckworth, Michael Fletcher, Stephen Fletcher, Lindzi Germain, Hayley Hampson, Andrew Schofield and Keddy Sutton

Book tickets HERE

Calendar Girls the Musical – Empire Theatre

November 27-December 1

Tim Firth and Gary Barlow’s musical version of Firth’s hit stage play and film script was originally called Les Girls, but has reverted to its better-known title.

The award-winning production is based on the inspirational true story of the women of Rylstone WI in Yorkshire who became real-life calendar girls to raise money for Leukaemia Research in 1999.

The touring production’s cast include Fern Britton, Anna-Jane Casey, Sara Crowe, Karen Dunbar, Ruth Madoc, Rebecca Storm and Denise Welch.