Beauty & the Beast is certainly a ‘tale as old as time’, and in this beautiful interpretation by Birmingham Royal Ballet the magical relationship between Belle and the Beast appears more captivating than ever.
Mates blogger: Kristy Stott
Kristy Stott is one of over 45 theatre bloggers who are part of the MyTheatreMates collective. This page features Kristy's posts on MyTheatreMates. Take a look at our full list of theatre bloggers and our aggregated feed of all our Mates' posts. We’re always looking for new theatre bloggers. Could that be you? Learn about how to join us.
Kristy Stott, editor of Upstaged Manchester, is an entertainment journalist, theatre critic and general arts lover. Kristy has been an avid follower of the Manchester theatre scene for as long as she can remember and has written for WhatsOnStage, the Library Theatre Company and Cornerhouse Manchester. Kristy is also news editor and presenter for Trafford Sound community radio.
The latest from Kristy on MyTheatreMates
‘A breath of fresh air’: FAT BLOKES – Manchester ★★★★★
Fat Blokes is not your typical dance show. It’s witty, queer, honest, and uncomfortable in all the right places. It’s nothing you expect it to be, but everything that it should be.
‘No ordinary night at the theatre’: FROM SHORE TO SHORE – Manchester ★★★★
Walking up the steps of Yang Sing, a restaurant on the edge of Chinatown, it is easy to see that From Shore to Shore will be no ordinary night at the theatre. (Indeed, it’s not at the theatre at all.)
‘Life-affirming & vivid’: BARBER SHOP CHRONICLES – Touring ★★★★★
Barber Shop Chronicles is a hugely impressive production. Life-affirming and vivid. Putting lives on stage which have not been seen there before.
‘The paring of the two is an inspired choice’: THE RITE OF SPRING & GIANNI SCHICCHI – Touring ★★★★
Opera North’s The Rite of Spring/Gianni Schicchi is an uneven pairing but a thoroughly enlightening and enjoyable evening nonetheless. Both works serve as great entry points to their respective mediums.
‘Brings out the fantastical elements’: THE MAGIC FLUTE – Touring ★★★
Opera North’s new production of Mozart’s The Magic Flute takes the composer’s final opera and brings out the fantastical and often comedic elements of what can at times be a dark story – several characters contemplate suicide on stage, but this version avoids ever feeling bogged down in these darker moments.
‘An explosion of sheer theatrical joy’: WISE CHILDREN – Touring ★★★★★
Wise Children is the ultimate love letter to theatre. Complete with stars, spotlights, showgirls and Shakespeare – this is a spectacle to behold.
‘Honest & gritty autobiographical work’: SPARKPLUG – Touring ★★★
Manchester-based Box of Tricks Theatre Company has spent two years developing SparkPlug with dual heritage writer/performer David Judge.
‘Family-friendly frolic at its best’: BILLIONAIRE BOY – Touring ★★★★★
Billionaire Boy captures the spirit of David Walliams’ novel perfectly. There is humour, warmth, disgust, friendship, minor audience participation, a bit of Fortnite and love. And did I mention humour?
‘A deliciously dark gem of a show’: THE ANIMALS & CHILDREN TOOK TO THE STREETS – Manchester & Lyric Hammersmith ★★★★★
1927’s The Animals & Children Took to the Streets is a deliciously dark gem of a show. With a running time of just 70 minutes, you might assume that the action would be rushed. Instead, the three performers take their time, wringing every last drop of twisted humour out of each rhyming couplet.
‘A complete triumph’: THE BAND – Touring ★★★★
The Band is not just a musical for Take That groupies – it’s a musical for anybody who grew up with a boyband. This is a musical which celebrates the music of Take That and so much more besides.
‘It’s heartwarming to see these tales stand the test of time’: DOCTOR DOLITTLE – Touring ★★★★
Over 50 years since the release of the original 1967 film starring Rex Harrison, Leslie Bricusse’s Doctor Dolittle The Musical receives a major new revival stage revival.
‘Surpassed every expectation’: THE PRODUCERS – Manchester ★★★★★
The Christmas musical at the Royal Exchange is fast becoming a Manchester tradition. After a run of hits, The Producers has a lot to live up to, but even so, it surpasses every expectation. Raz Shaw’s production of this classic and controversial Mel Brooks musical turns the camp, the glitter and the hilarity up to 11.
‘Will leave you thinking & laughing throughout’: JB SHORTS 20 – Manchester
As ever, JB Shorts has a great reputation and never disappoints. With its host of gripping, 15-minute plays by some of TV’s top writers and starring local talent, I would recommend JB Shorts to anyone looking for a great night out for less than £10.
‘Everything that a pantomime should be’: CINDERELLA – Oldham Coliseum ★★★★
With an abundance of laugh out loud moments, Dave Bintley’s lively musical score of sing-along chart-toppers, a sterling cast of seasoned performers and a pleasing price-tag – Cinderella at Oldham Coliseum is the best traditional panto in the North.
‘Scorchingly brilliant’: DEATH OF A SALESMAN – Manchester ★★★★
Sarah Frankcom steps up to direct Arthur Miller’s masterpiece Death of a Salesman and the result is scorchingly brilliant production which shoots straight into the heart of a modern-day audience.
‘Ambitious, experimental & impressively large-scale’: EVERYTHING THAT HAPPENED & WOULD HAPPEN – Manchester ★★★
With Everything that happened and would happen, MIF stages another trailblazer event designed to give us a taste of what we can expect from The Factory.
‘Nothing short of superb’: QUEEN MARGARET – Manchester ★★★★
Queen Margaret is an extraordinary production which combines the insight and depth of a Shakespearian history play with contemporary humour and ingenuity.
‘Deserves the utmost acclaim’: OthelloMacbeth – Manchester ★★★★★
By exposing the dire consequences that arise from the misuse of power in relation to two of Shakespeare’s plays, HOME and Lyric Hammersmith have produced an innovative piece of theatre that deserves the utmost acclaim and remembrance for its sheer creativity and ambition.
‘An evening of escapist fun at the theatre’: THE COMEDY ABOUT A BANK ROBBERY – Touring ★★★
Laying its cards on the table from the very start, The Comedy About a Bank Robbery is just that – a comedy about a bank robbery. Taking the well-worn but equally well-loved form of a farce, the play makes for an entertaining evening but isn’t without flaws.