Fitting the life story of a Grammy-award winning, two-time Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee into a two-act musical is no easy task. But the current production of Tina – The Tina Turner Musical, which is in residency over the 2025 Christmas period at the Palace Theatre in Manchester, is an emotional, gripping and entertaining production for both Tina Turner loyalists and those not as familiar with her work.

Blackpool Grand Theatre has launched its Christmas season with a sparkling, joy-filled production of Nativity! The Musical—a show that bursts with festive cheer from the very first moment. Adapted from Debbie Isitt’s much-loved 2009 film, this stage version manages to capture all the warmth and humour of the original while embracing the unique magic that only live theatre can bring.

Brick Lane Music Hall, a hidden gem situated in the heart of the docklands. Founded by Vincent Hayes MBE in1992. This resurrected church is the home of entertainment on a grandiose level. A theatre dining experience serving laughter, music hall cabaret and party time fun. When you walk in you are struck by the attention to detail to replicate early 20th century British theatre.

Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol: A Ghost Story is a fresh and compelling retelling of the timeless classic we all know and love. The story follows Ebenezer Scrooge, a miserly, work-obsessed man completely isolated from friends and family, whose life is transformed after the haunting visits from the three spirits of Christmas, Past, Present, and Yet to Come. This production captures the essence of Dickens’ moral tale while adding new layers of theatrical magic.

A perfectly floppy-haired Hugh Grant. A “quite pretty” Keira Knightley. A child dressed up as a lobster for the school nativity. ‘Tis the season for Love Actually, of course. The Yuletide classic gets a cheeky send-up in The Other Palace’s Lovers Actually, penned by Neil Hurst and Jodie Prenger. With Alex Jackson directing, the creative trio have crafted a Christmas musical parody that’s fun, festive, and — most importantly — full of filth.

Matthew Bourne’s production of The Red shoes is a true masterclass in storytelling. Directed and choreographed by Bourne, it enchants audiences and speaks volumes without a single word being spoken. From the opening moment, the stage is charged with a dramatic intensity that pulls audiences in to a world of passion, ambition and a life in the 1940s. The staging is a work of art and a credit to designer Lez Brotherston, A single stage curtain on a proscenium arch creates the starting and ending backdrop to this story of a young dancer dreaming to make it, who’s passion for dancing becomes an obsession, torn between two men, her tragic fate was sealed the moment she put the red shoes on.

Cheek by Jowl do what they do best as director Declan Donnellan and designer Nick Ormerod thrust us into the heart of Euripides' great tragedy with an intelligent and immersive in-the-round production which takes the challenges of an ancient past and reimagines them in the here and now, with this production performed in Bulgarian, translated from the Greek by Dorothea Tabaskova, and with English surtitles, translated from the Greek by Lucinda Dawkins.

A Murderous Midsomer maze of twists, turns and dead ends! Originally penned by Caroline Graham in 1987, the first ever TV episode of Midsomer Murders - The Killings at Badger’s Drift aired in March of 1997 and became the highest rated single drama of the year. With the firm TV favourite John Nettles as Detective Chief Inspector Tom Barnaby and Daniel Casey as his sidekick Sergeant Troy - the dead body of Emily Simpson, the elderly ex school teacher; gentle and orchid-loving; is discovered in her idyllic cottage in the seemly sleepy village of Badger’s Drift in the county of Midsomer.

Following a hugely successful revival in Chichester, Top Hat is bringing old-school Hollywood glamour to venues around the UK and is about to tap dance into the hearts of tonight’s audience in Manchester. Based on the iconic Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers movie with a sparkling Irving Berlin score, Top Hat – under the assured helm of the multi-award winning director/choreographer Kathleen Marshall - weaves its comedy via many classic tropes – mistaken identity, spying on each other, marital disharmony and love triangles – with lashings of charm, showmanship, and the breezy, effervescent joy that defines a true musical comedy.

Murder at Midnight is a new comedic murder-mystery that unfolds over the course of a chaotic New Year’s Eve, inviting the audience to watch the crime unravel in real time. Unlike a traditional “whodunnit,” this production doesn’t rely on keeping you guessing about the killer’s identity. Instead, the fun lies in discovering how everything went wrong, why it happened, and what the increasingly frantic characters will do to cover their tracks.

Douglas Adams' wildly inventive intergalactic adventure has landed in West London, allowing audiences to escape Earth by hitching a ride on the Heart of Gold spaceship with its infinite improbability drive. Accompanied by all the Hitchhikers' characters, the crew try not to panic as they seek the answer to the eternal question of life, the universe and everything. This beloved sci-fi classic has been given an immersive theatre adaptation by co-creators Arvind Ethan David and Jason Ardizzone-West with a cast of energetic and multi-talented performers.

The term legacy is often over used but the work of experimental theatre director Robert Wilson who sadly passed away earlier this year is rightfully celebrated with his production of Shakespeare's celebrated play that lends itself perfectly to his innovative exploration of time and space on stage. Opening to the travails of a ship at sea, we meet Prospero (Vesslin Mezekliev) and his daughter Miranda (Zhaklin Daskalova), and learn how 12 years ago his brother, with assistance from Naples, had usurped him as Duke of Milan.

Following the A66 to Keswick leads to the start of a magical journey along the Yellow Brick Road at Theatre by the Lake this festive season. The set is simple and beautiful. The opening scene with the full moon over the Lakeland fells with a storm brewing. This ain’t Kansas, but it is a beautiful retelling of Dorothy’s adventures with the scarecrow, tin man and lion.

‘A Fairytale for Christmas’ returns with all the charm, sparkle, and heart that has made it a staple of the festive season. Blending Irish musicality with classic Christmas nostalgia, this year’s production proves why audiences return year after year. It is a warm, generous show that wears its joy proudly and delivers exactly what its title promises, wrapping tradition, talent, and musical storytelling into a glittering seasonal package.

Reece Dinsdale is Yorkshire acting royalty and is once again back at his spiritual home Leeds Playhouse taking on the iconic role of Ebenezer Scrooge in their festive version of A Christmas Carol. The Normanton born actor played Jack Rover in what was then the West Yorkshire Playhouse’s very first production when they opened with Wild Oats, and since then he has starred in eight more shows at the Leeds theatre.

Written by Sonia Jalalay and directed by Nicholai La Barrie, Lyric Hammersmith’s new production of Jack and the Beanstalk doesn’t totally follow the classic pantomime story. Introducing the story is the Fairy Godfather (a hilarious Jade Hackett), who explains that the people of Hammersmith are in a critical imagination deficit. With an ‘imagination meter’ framing the whole stage, our Fairy Godfather wants us to hit the top level of HEIOMGN: Huge-Epic-Imagination-OMG-Nirvana.

Dylan Evans’ revival of Otto Schenk’s masterpiece brings the glamour and enchantment of 19th Century Vienna back to the Met with Strauss’ elegant romantic lyric comedy in three acts. Count Waldner (Brindley Sherratt) and his wife, Countess Adelaide Waldner (Karen Cargill) have fallen on hard times, much because of his love of gambling and her loftier aspirations, although a fortune teller (Eve Gigliotti) suggests things may be about to change by marrying their eldest daughter into money.

Cast your mind back a few years and it’s easy to recall how the concept of a ‘zero hours contract’ was presented to the public as a gift to those seeking employment. Workers could choose when to work, without the onerous restrictions of a full or part-time contract. Students, single mothers, people with caring responsibilities and even those struggling with mental health problems would be able to dip in and out of work without compromising their other concerns.

Oscar Brudenall-Jones writes and stars in this one act play about Aaron, a man dealing, or not dealing, with the death of his father from Covid-19. Aaron is on a train journey to Cornwall to scatter his dad's ashes, currently hidden in a tub of chocolates. We are taken along for the ride, both physical and mental as we see Aaron's roller-coaster of emotions reaching breaking point the closer he gets to his destination.

The economics of modern theatre production are currently on full display at the Octagon Theatre in Bolton, with their festive offering of ‘A Christmas Carol’ beginning its run for a mammoth eight weeks. This is a decision that may bear fruit at the box office but does little to enhance the artistic merit of this normally excellent producing house, staging a show that is threadbare and tonally inconsistent, leaving me with little of the Christmas cheer I hoped to find.

What a way to kick off panto season! Gallus in Weegieland at The Tron theatre is glam, gorgeous, and very glaswegian. Expecting the typical tired panto schtick and gags, I was very gladly mistaken - this is a panto that cares. With an actually engaging storyline accompanied by original songs by Ross Brown (who's multi-tasking and multi-instrumentalism in playing the score was incredibly impressive), I was grinning from ear to ear.

The Everyman Rock ‘N’ Roll Panto, Jack and the Beanstalk An evening of pure joy, flying fairies, giants, Beanstalks and magical escapism and unbelievable musical talent. With a cast of 8 high energy performers and 2 off stage understudies. This group is astoundingly talented. The musicians are visible throughout on a raised platform and I couldn’t believe how many instruments each performer was able to play, effortlessly interchanging from acting, to playing a flute then singing and dancing then onto guitar.

There are certain birthdays in your life that make you think. What is that makes you happy? What does it mean to love and be loved? And just what does your future hold? In Here and Now: the STEPS musical, we meet Caz approaching her 50th birthday, asking those questions of herself and her close group of friends who all work together at the local supermarket.

Cult comedy, gleeful chaos, and an abundance of absurdity are served up with style in this Rainhill Village Hall production. Individuality Productions deliver an impressive rendition of the popular, Monty Python’s Spamalot.  ‘Lovingly ripped off’ from the 1975 film Monty Python and the Holy Grail, this musical by John Du Prez and Eric Idle, centres on a very daft parody of Arthurian legend with plenty of catchy show tunes thrown in.

As its unashamedly frank title suggests, Sophia Chetin-Leuner’s Porn Play isn’t afraid to tackle the taboo. At the Jerwood Theatre Upstairs at the Royal Court, Director Josie Rourke has staged a production that’s willing to match the script’s boldness. From the off, Designer Yimei Zhao’s pillowy, plush, almost vulvic set draws the audience into the action at a perhaps uncomfortably close proximity.