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Northern Theatre News
January 2026 - Week 5
Anthony Cawood
January 27, 2026
In partnership with
January 2026 - Week 5
Welcome to Northern Theatre News!
Highlight of the week is seeing The Constant Wife at York Theatre Royal, check out our review!
As always we have a ton of new shows hitting the schedules for you to get your theatre fix with!
And we have the usual mix of news, listings, competitions and more. I’d love to hear your feedback. So let me know what you’d like to see featured (or not!) in future editions of your newsletter.
Enjoy, and see you in the stalls!
News roundup
News of an important new contemporary dance tour…
 The Monocle | 'The Monocle' is a sizzling cabaret dance and music production dedicated to the legendary Parisian Lesbian club, Le Monocle, one of the best kept secrets in the glamorous underworld of Paris in the 1930s. In addition to Stockton on 31 Jan, it will also visitn Harrogate 4 March. |
Meet the exciting cast and creative team joining director Matthew Xia on an unforgettable journey from the sun-drenched shores of Jamaica to the cold, grey streets of 1940s London in Small Island, a powerful new portrayal of Andrea Levy's multi award-winning novel, adapted for the stage by Helen Edmundson.
The full cast includes Anna Crichlow as Hortense; making his professional theatre debut, CBBC presenter and Strictly Come Dancing semi-finalist Rhys Stephenson as Michael; Mark Arends as Bernard; musical theatre star and finalist in Andrew Lloyd Webber's Over the Rainbow Bronté Barbé as Queenie; Daniel Ward as Gilbert. Paul Hawkyard will play Arthur; Rosemary Boyle as Mrs Ryder; Marcia Mantack as Miss Jewel; Everal A Walsh as Kenneth/Mr Philip; Andre Squire as Elwood; Mara Allen as Miss Ma/Celia; Zoe Lambert as Aunt Dorothy/Miss Todd; Toby Webster as Kip/Young Man in Sweetshop; Phil Yarrow as Mr Buxton/Captain Soames/Sgt Thwaites; and Jordan Laviniere as Little Michael.
Coming to Leeds Playhouse 11 - 28 March.
Another cast announcement, this time for The Grand Babylon Hotel, coming to Hull Truck Theatre 10 - 13 March.
The cast features: Michael Hugo as Jules, Tom Jackson, Detective Marshall, Porter, Ticket Collector and Prince Eugen of Posen, Shelley Atkinson as Miss Spencer, Baroness Zerlinski, Messenger and Nanny Heidi, Thomas Cotran as Reginald Dimmock, Prince Albert of Posen and Rocco, Alice Pryor as Nella Racksole, and Bill Champion as Theodore Racksole.
imitating the dog, one of the UK's most original and innovative theatre companies is set to push their inventive storytelling to new heights when they visit Lowry with their bold contemporary retelling of H.G Wells's iconic science fiction tale The War of the Worlds.
Four performers enter the stage and construct an epic road movie before our eyes. It's a story we know or think we know - an apocalyptic tale of alien invasion and the unfolding destruction of everything we hold dear. Extraterrestrial lifeforms land from the skies. Lines of Brits scrabble to flee across the channel while their cities and towns lie in smouldering ruins. It's all of our worst nightmares.
Created by imitating the dog, War of the Worlds will be at Lowry from Wednesday 25th to Saturday 28th February.
Wanted to give this one a shout out too, important milestone coming up that defined a moment of unity in British social history…
Subscriber giveaway
£50 monthly prize giveaway
Every month we give away a £50 Theatre Token to one of our subscribers, usable at over 250 venues across the UK (including loads in the North). Just stay subscribed and you’ll be in the draw.
What’s on over the coming weeks
North East
Newcastle’s Theatre Royal has the brand new musical Weird 28 - 31 Jan and that’s followed by Inspector Morse: House of Ghosts 3 - 7 Feb and Mamma Mia! 11 - 28 Feb
Sunderland Empire has Fawlty Towers 3 - 7 Feb followed by Matilda 11 - 28 Feb
Arts Centre Washington have Beauty and the Beast 16 - 31 Jan
North West
Liverpool Empire has the timeless Mary Poppins 14 - 31 Jan followed by SIX 3 - 7 Feb
Palace Theatre in Manchester has The Bodyguard 19 - 31 Jan followed by Barnum 10 -14 Feb
Royal Exchange Theatre in Manchester has Road 13 Feb - 14 March
Home in Manchester has The Home We Made 28 - 31 Jan followed by The Lightning Thief - The Percy Jackson Musical 11 - 21 Feb
Still in Manchester, Hope Mill Theatre has Noel Coward’s Private Lives 28 Jan - 8 Feb followed by The Night Larry Kramer Kissed Me 10 - 14 Feb
Over to Blackpool and the Grand Theatre has Murder at Midnight 28 - 31 Jan followed by Buddy - The Buddy Holly Story 3 -7 Feb
The Lowry, in Salford has the eagerly awaited tour of Operation Mincemeat 16 - 28 Feb
Storyhouse in Chester has the The Signalman 3 - 7 Feb
Over in Crewe, The Lyceum Theatre has The Wedding Singer 4 - 7 Feb followed by Double Indemnity 17 - 21 Feb
Octagon Bolton has The Memory of Water 29 Jan - 21 Feb.
Yorkshire & Humberside
Leeds Grand Theatre has Opera North’s The Marriage of Figaro 30 Jan - 20 Feb.
Leeds Playhouse has Uncanny: Fear of the Dark 27 - 29 Jan followed by Sherlock Holmes: The Hunt for Moriarty 10 - 12 Feb
Bradford’s Alhambra has FRIENDS! The Musical Parody 27 - 31 Jan followed by The Rocky Horror Show 2 - 7 Feb
York Theatre Royal has The Constant Wife as it starts its UK tour 26 - 31 Jan - check out our review - followed by The Last Picture 5 - 14 Feb
The Grand Opera House in York has Carlos Acosta's Nutcracker in Havana 28 - 31 Jan and Single White Female 3 - 7 Feb
Hull New Theatre has The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical 28 Jan - 1 Feb
Over in Sheffield at the Lyceum we have To Kill A Mockingbird 27 Jan - 7 Feb followed by The Bodyguard the Musical 10 - 14 Feb
The Playhouse has My Brother’s A Genius 28 Jan - 14 Feb.
The Crucible has Crown of Blood 2 - 7 Feb followed by The Ladies Football Club 28 Feb - 28 March
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Northern Theatre News reviews
When we’re lucky enough to be invited to press nights we add the review to the very next newsletter! Here are the shows we’ve seen recently.
Ticket offers not to miss!
Not so much of a ticket offer this time, but an offer to get an additional theatre fix from home with Marquee TV. They have a ton of theatre, opera, concerts and ballet, and they are running a new offer where your first month is subscription is just £1.
Also with a Jan offer we have The Theatre Channel at just £1.99 a month for 6 months! (Before it reverts to £5.99 a month)
Theatre competitions
They’re not all northern, but when they’re not they do involve a hotel stay too, good luck! All are free to enter and run by 3rd parties (not me!), and I will keep them in each newsletter whilst the entry date is still valid.
Theatre spotlight
York Theatre RoyalAll images are credit York Theatre Royal or NTN unless stated otherwise.  Beautiful venue exterior  Bathed in sunshine  Contemporary entrance  Stunning architecture  Mix of new and old  Amazing auditorium  Recent coup, Gary Oldman brought ‘Krapp’s Last Tape’ earlier this year | Welcome to York Theatre Royal, a truly historic gem nestled in the heart of equally historic York. This theatre has been thrilling audiences since first raising its curtain in 1744. This makes it one of the oldest continuously operating theatres in the world, and the moment you walk in you sense that heritage in every nook and cranny of the place. The story begins with a bold idea. Back in 1734, actor Thomas Keregan opened York’s first permanent playhouse in a converted tennis court. It was a modest start, but York’s appetite for theatre outgrew that venue. By 1744, a brand new theatre opened on the present site, on land that had once been part of a medieval hospital. Parts of the old St Leonard’s Hospital are literally built into the theatre’s structure - there are medieval stone archways and even an old well under the stage that could date back as far as Roman times. How’s that for stage history? In 1769, manager Tate Wilkinson acquired a Royal Patent for £500 and with it a new name for the venue, Theatre Royal. Under Wilkinson’s leadership the theatre became a shining star on the provincial circuit - still is, attracting some of the finest actors of the day - still does, including the famous Kemble siblings and Sarah Siddons - or Gary Oldman more recently. In the 1960s the theatre boldly embraced the contemporary, with architect Patrick Gwynne designing a striking modernist front extension in 1967, all glass walls and sweeping concrete curves. The incredible foyer is one of York’s finest examples of modern architecture mixing medieval, Georgian, Victorian and modern design under one roof. Thanks to a major refurbishment in 2016, the building also has the comforts of today, from a refreshed auditorium to improved accessibility, all while keeping its heritage charm intact. Now one of the UK’s leading producing theatres, what truly makes York Theatre Royal special is its people - staff, performers, and audiences. This theatre isn’t just an elegant old building, it is the comfortable living room of York’s theatre community. The annual panto is the stuff of local legend, led for 40 years by hometown hero Berwick Kaler, whose slapstick and ad-libs made it a beloved York tradition for generations. But the community connection runs deeper than just Yuletide cheer. During the pandemic the theatre turned outward, supporting its city in creative ways and taking productions onto the streets to serve communities that were temporarily unable to visit the theatre. Today its thriving youth theatre, outreach programmes, and welcome for local amateur companies sit proudly alongside the annual panto and visiting stars - a reminder that world-class talent and local voices can shine together in the glow of the same footlights. Steeped in history yet always evolving, it truly is the healthy pulse of York’s theatre scene – a place where heritage, imagination, and community come together, and everyone who walks in becomes a character in its ongoing story. |
Theatre index
I’ve collated an index of all the northern venues I could find, it’s broken down by region so you can find the ones nearest you.
Do let me know if I’ve missed any.
Courses & training
I’ve had a few reader requests to add theatre related courses/training to the newsletter, so when/if I find any I’ll feature them here.
If you know of any more just let me know and I’ll include them
That’s it for this week
I’d love to know what you think about this newsletter, what we could do to make it better, and what else you’d like to see.
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