Blackpool hosts a magic show with a dark twist
It operates from Wednesday to Saturday.
Mischief’s biggest comic disaster to date, it follows an ill-fated gang of magicians throwing a grand illusion party to raise money for charity. As the magic turns into chaos, the crashes spiral out of control with their fundraising goal!
The show premiered in the West End in December 2019 and resumed performances in October.
Created with magical legends Penn & Teller, the touring cast features Daniel Anthony (Mickey), Valerie Cutko (Eugenia), Sam Hill (Sophisticato), Kiefer Moriarty (The Blade), David Nellit (Mind Mangler), Jocelyn Prah (Spitzmaus ), Chloe Tannenbaum (Bar), with stunt doubles Ishbel Cummings, Rory Fairbairn, CJ Field and Jay Olpin.
Mischief’s West End hits include The Play That Goes Wrong, Peter Pan Goes Wrong, The Comedy About A Bank Robbery, Groan Ups and Mischief Movie Night.
Their six-episode television series, The Goes Wrong Show, aired in the UK, US, Canada and Australia.
Details: www.wintergardensblackpool.co.uk.
Manchester’s intimate Hope Mill Theater is staging a radical new take on 70s musical The Wiz: a soulful musical based on the wonderful Wizard of Oz.
It opens next Wednesday and will run until January 16.
It’s a cheerful retelling of L. Frank Baum’s classic novel reflecting contemporary African-American culture. A 1975 Broadway premiere won seven Tony Awards, including Best Musical.
Originally a funk and soul-based analogy, it is now becoming a contemporary take on black culture.
The award-winning venue was the dream of Joseph Houston and William Whelton, who, after a career in musical theater and living in London, were inspired by West End theaters and the high quality work they produced. With theater thriving in Manchester and no medium sized venues producing musicals, they created and established the independent venue in November 2015.
Details: https://hopemilltheatre.co.uk/whats-on
A young dancer from the North West is part of the cast of Matthew Bourne’s The Nutcracker when it returns to the Lowry in Salford next week.
It opens next Tuesday and will run until December 4.
Along with a cast of beloved stars, Wythenshawe’s Isaac Peter Bowry performs as one of the citizens of Sweetieland.
It was when Isaac first saw this show that he knew he had to become a dancer.
As a teenager, he wondered if he could become a successful dancer. With an Afro-Caribbean hairdo and dual heritage, he feared rejection from the ballet profession. But after securing a place on the program at the Lowry Center for Advanced Training in Dance, his outlook changed and he now boasts career highlights including Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake and as a principal dancer for the Ballet. Theater UK and the Chantry Dance Company.
The sweetest of all Matthew Bourne’s many dance delights returns to The Lowry for the first time in ten years, with family-friendly portions of Bourne’s wit, pathos and magical fantasy. It follows Clara’s bittersweet journey from a dark and comical Christmas Eve at Dr Dross’s orphanage, through a winter wonderland to Candy Kingdom – all influenced by the lavish Hollywood musicals of the 1960s. 1930.
Tchaikovsky’s score and Anthony Ward’s sets and costumes combine with Bourne’s choreography for a fresh take on the classic.
Details: www.thelowry.com
