Switch_MCR are a Manchester-based theatre company creating new and exciting accessible work. The company was founded by Royal Exchange Young Company members and is now one of the biggest independent theatre companies in Manchester. This Double Bill performance was a collection of two new and exciting plays, Lekhani Chirwa’s Senses of Responsibility and Joseph Conway’s Blue Moss.
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Fairy Powered Productions is a website set up by lifelong theatre lover Susan Lindsay to cover news, views, interviews and reviews. A place for all things theatrical, it concentrates on the talent appearing in the regions as well as the West End.
The latest from Fairy Powered on MyTheatreMates
‘Some shows are just meant to be experienced in bigger numbers’: Unfortunate: The Untold Story of Ursula The Sea Witch – Underbelly Festival ★★★
Underbelly Festival is currently home to Unfortunate: The Untold Story of Ursula the Sea Witch and promises to be brimming with dark comedy, blue eyeshadow and a myriad double entendres.
‘Be prepared to laugh & cry’: DIVERSIFICATIONS – Old Red Lion ★★★★
Life is complicated, relationships especially so, and Natalie Ekberg’s new play Diversifications at the Old Red Lion offers valuable insights into how the decisions we make can affect both.
’An extraordinary debut’: THE BLUE HOUSE – Blue Elephant Theatre ★★★★
The trio of characters in Gaia Fay Lambert’s beautiful debut play The Blue House at the Blue Elephant Theatre live in the same house but are all crippled by loneliness and grief. Lambert’s words are evocative and reflective, weaving each character’s story of loss together expertly as they try to voice their feelings.
‘There are some fascinating stories here’: OFFSIDE – Touring ★★★
Women’s football today and in the past is the basic framework for Sabrina Mahfouz and Hollie McNish’s play Offside, but mental health, intrusive journalism, racism, coming out, parenting, women getting lumbered with housework, and women winning the right to go to university all jostle for a look-in.
‘Offers spectacle & wonder in every musical number’: ANYTHING GOES – Touring & London
Featuring Oliver Award-winning talent in the form of Denis Lawson and Simon Callow, as well as musical theatre royalty such as Kerry Ellis and Bonnie Langford, this energising performance of Anything Goes offers spectacle and wonder in every musical number.
‘The ultimate feel-good comedy’: SOME MOTHERS DO ‘AVE ‘EM – Touring ★★★★★
The ultimate feel-good comedy, Some Mothers Do ’Ave ’Em is wonderfully entertaining with gags galore and innuendos, matched with a great script and a brilliant and talented cast.
‘A refreshingly unsensational play about consent & coercion’: THE COLLAB – The Space ★★★★
Written in response to revelations about social media influencers, and playing in the aftermath of the Heard/Depp trial by TikTok, Lauren Morley’s The Collab is a refreshingly unsensational play about consent and coercion.
‘Unashamedly energetic & in your face’: LEGALLY BLONDE – Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre ★★★★
Legally Blonde is the freshest, frothiest and funniest pick-me-up in theatre. With a wonderfully diverse company, Regent Park Theatre’s production is joyous from the opening chords.
‘A memorably murderous evening out’: MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS – Chichester ★★★★★
Murder On The Orient Express at Chichester Festival Theatre is first class entertainment, packed with mystery, intrigue and standout performances. A memorably murderous evening out, highly recommended whether you are a fan of Agatha Christie or not.
‘Laced with subtle morals, themes & messages’: NOW IS GOOD – Chester ★★★
Directed by Joyce Branagh, Chester Storyhouse Theatre hosts the word premiere of Tim Firth’s brand new musical Now Is Good. In all, this play is something very different. It is laced with subtle morals, themes and messages. Celebrating life, tackling loneliness, being afraid to move on but yet offering hope and a sense of community over a fig roll and a sing song.
‘The storytelling is undeniably compelling’: Five Characters In Search Of A Good Night’s Sleep – Southwark Playhouse ★★★
Five Characters In Search Of A Good Night’s Sleep tells you pretty much what you’re going to get as a quintet of older people mull over their lives while courting elusive sleep in a series of monologues ranging from the mundane to the deeply moving.
‘Full of suspense’: THE END OF THE NIGHT – Park Theatre ★★★★★
Based on the incredible true story, The End of the Night takes place in the house of Felix Kirsten (Michael Lumsden), who has invited Nazi Heinrich Himmler (Richard Clothier) to meet with Jewish man Norbert Masur (Ben Caplan) who serves as a representative of the Jewish people.
‘An extra special, female empowering watch’: THE CHER SHOW – Touring ★★★★★
So many female performers and creatives currently at the top of their game in a male-centric world. This makes The Cher Show an extra special, female empowering watch.
‘Harper Lee’s beloved novel is in the safest of hands’: TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD – West End ★★★★★
It is easy to see why this story of racial prejudice in 1930s Alabama made such an impact on Broadway in 2018 when Trump’s presidency swept aside any notions that these attitudes were consigned to history.
‘The audience is swept up in a whirlwind of emotional twists & a macabre turn’: A GOOD TIME WAS HAD BY ALL – Hope Theatre ★★★★
A group of college friends organise a reunion dinner. So far, so normal. One is busy cooking in the kitchen, three – including the ‘outsider’ Georgia, recently engaged to Chris – are chatting in the dining room, the other is late, not replying to text messages from girlfriend Anna or answering his phone.
‘Great for the whole family, just don’t forget your tissues’: A MONSTER CALLS – Touring ★★★★★
A Monster Calls, which is based on the book of the same name, is an absolutely wonderful play about a boy as he struggles to come to terms with his beliefs about his mother, who is in the late stages of cancer.
‘An evening of escapism, wonder & joy’: HMS PINAFORE – Wilton’s Music Hall ★★★★
It’s not just the nice girls who love a sailor, everybody who has the chance to see this show will fall in love with the ridiculously talented crew of HMS Pinafore
‘Brilliant at representing how 19th-century issues are still relevant today’: PERSUASION – Touring ★★★★★
Adapted by Jeff James to combine 19th-century literature with modern-day music and clothing, this show takes two things that seem like polar opposites and smashes them together, creating a work of art.
‘This show is a true testament to all cast & creatives’: THE BOOK OF MORMON – Touring ★★★★★
We join Elders Price and Cunningham (Robert Colvin and Connor Peirson) as they try to speak to a tribe in Uganda and preach to them the word of God – the Book of Mormon.