Drama at The Lowry: May - August 05
When Harry Met Sally
Mon 2 – Sat 7 May
Starring Gaby Roslin and Johnny Wrather
The hit West End comedy, first time on tour. This brilliant and hugely popular comedy success follows the 11-year relationship of two friends as they seek to discover the answer to their burning question ... "Can a man and a woman have sex and still be friends?" Based on one of the best-loved romantic comedies of all time, adapted from Nora Ephron's Academy Award nominated screenplay, this new national tour follows an acclaimed season in London’s West End. Starring TV presenter Gaby Roslin (Big Breakfast, Children In Need) and Johnny Wrather (Coronation Street’s Joe Carter), it also features a soundtrack by jazz sensation Jamie Cullum and his brother Ben.
It’s the ultimate in feelgood theatre!
Times 7.30pm, Wed & Sat mats 2.30pm
Tickets £12 - £20. Concessions £2 off
Urban Expansion
Once Upon A Time In Wigan
Wed 4 – Sat 7 May
By Mick Martin.
Directed by Paul Sadot
Following its sell-out UK tour last year, this acclaimed homage to what was the phenomenon of Wigan Casino is back. Sixties and seventies pop music masterpieces mingle with sweat, adrenalin, talcum powder and other substances too illegal to mention! This tell-it-like-it-was gritty comedy, is a glorious, loving, celebration of what it was to actually be there. From the queue to get in and the charge up the stairs, to the record bar and even the legendary bogs! One of the most talked-about and loved local productions of the last two years.
Contains strong language
Times 8pm, Sat mat 3pm
Tickets £12 - £18. Concessions £1 off
Open workshop May 7, covering basic footwork, stomping, shuffling, spinning and acrobatics, most suitable for ages 16+, 12pm – 1.30pm, £6 (£5 Salford residents).
Workshops also available for colleges and groups contact Paul Sadot 0161 273 2101
Theatre O
Astronaut – a domestic odyssey
Fri 13 May
Based on a short story by Andrea Valdés Out of the blue, the European Space Agency select X as part of their new Mars Initiative - someone ordinary, someone random, someone representative of society, a sort of Pop Idol for Astronauts. X becomes a hero and as the countdown begins, the anticipation soars, until… A play of sound, movement, music, words, projection…and flight.
Time 8pm
Tickets £10. Concessions £2 off
National Theatre
An Inspector Calls
Tue 17 – Sat 21 May
With Nicholas Day, Sandra Duncan and David Roper
Directed by Stephen Daldry.
Design Ian McNeil.
Lighting Rick Fisher.
Music Stephen Warbeck
The acclaimed National Theatre production returns.
Winning more awards than any other play in history and hailed as the theatrical event of our generation, the National Theatre’s An Inspector Calls returns to The Lowry after several previous sell-out runs here. Epic staging, raw emotion, a sweeping score and outstanding performances are just some of the ingredients that guarantee an evening of compelling drama and thrilling theatricality. When Inspector Goole calls unexpectedly on the prosperous Birling family, his startling revelations not only shatter the very foundations of their lives but also challenge us all to examine our consciences.
Times 7.30pm, Wed, Thu & Sat mats 2pm
Tickets £14 - £22. Concessions £2 off.
Schools £8.50 Tue – Thu only
Post show talk Thu 19 May, free to ticket holders
Signed performance Thu 19 May eve
Crewes Gale Productions Ltd
Doorman and Bouncer
Wed 18 – Sat 21 May
by Geoff Thompson
An unusual double bill - a play and a film in the same evening, both telling of the notoriously violent existence of nightclub doormen. In Doorman, Tony reflects on the nightly battles that have left him trapped in a cycle of violence that has cost him his marriage and children. Nominated for Best Short Film at the 2003 BAFTAs, and starring Ray Winstone, Bouncer charts the events of a night on which a bouncer’s worst nightmare comes true. Contains violence and strong language.
Time 8pm
Tickets £10. Concessions £2 off
Post show talk Thu 19 May, free to ticket holders
The Lowry is honoured to present the legendary Maly Drama Theatre Of St Petersburg
Uncle Vanya
Tue 31 May – Sat 4 June
By Anton Chekov.
Director Lev Dodin.
Designer David Borovsky
Last seen in the North West during Manchester’s City Of Drama celebrations in 1994, this legendary Russian ensemble - thought by many to be the very best drama company in the world – arrive at The Lowry with one of the greatest and most popular of all Russian plays. The Maly’s highly-acclaimed, award-winning director Lev Dodin, oversees this rare UK visit and about Uncle Vanya, he says:
“The life is flowing and Vanya sees visions of other possible but unlived lives. Lethally ill Doctor Chekhov knew this paradox only too well. It makes Chekhov’s plays and the most beautiful of them – Uncle Vanya - a simple but eternal melody with simple but eternal themes.”
This promises to be one of the greatest drama events of the decade and limited capacity in the Quays means early booking is essential. Performed in Russian with English surtitles.
Time 7pm
Tickets £19 - £25. Concessions £5 off
Post show talk Thu 2 June, free to ticket holders
English Touring Theatre
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead
Tue 14 – Sat 18 June
by Tom Stoppard
While Hamlet wrestles with his demons backstage, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern - his two sidekicks – take centre stage. Full of dazzling wordplay and theatrical invention, Stoppard’s comic masterpiece reveals surprising new twists on Shakespeare’s most famous play. Stoppard is one of Britain’s greatest playwrights and this, his brilliant debut, launched an award-winning career that has included Jumpers, Travesties and Arcadia as well as the screenplays Empire of the Sun and Shakespeare in Love. English Touring Theatre is renowned for its clear, accessible presentations of classic theatre and Stephen Unwin, artistic director - and winner of the Globe’s Sam Wanamaker Award in 2003 - directs a star cast.
Times Tue – Thu 7pm, Wed mat 2pm, Fri & Sat 8pm, Sat mat 3pm
Tickets £10 - £18. Concessions £1 off
Talk Wed 15 June 6.15pm – 6.45pm & post show, free to ticket holders
Audio described performance Wed 15 June eve, touch tour 6pm
Hull Truck Theatre Company
Going Dutch
Mon 20 – Sat 25 June
Written and Directed by John Godber
Meet Sally and Mark, feeling fifty and frustrated, cruising to Amsterdam to see ‘The Boss’, aka Springsteen, in concert. All seems to be plain sailing ahead but the tides are a-turning… Then there’s Gill, the couple’s college friend, general goodtime girl, sometime actress and long time lust object for Mark. Cleverly avoiding Mark’s adulterous advances by inviting her own secret stowaway, Gill’s new lover Karl is as rough as a force ten gale! Going Dutch is the third in a trilogy of ‘Brits abroad’ comedies from the writer of West End hits, On The Piste and April In Paris, and it looks set to be another huge hit.
Times 8pm, Wed mat 1.30pm, Sat mat 3pm
Tickets £12 - £18. Concessions £1 off
Stagetext performance Sat 25 June mat
The Donmar Warehouse
This Is How It Goes
Tue 19 – Sat 23 July
By Neil LaBute.
Director Moisés Kaufman
Following their huge success here last year with Pirandello’s Henry IV - winner of the Manchester Evening News Award for Best Visiting Production - the Donmar makes a very welcome return to The Lowry. They are back with a new play by the highly controversial playwright and film-maker, Neil LaBute, whose most notable work includes The Shape of Things, In The Company of Men, Possession, The Distance From Here (The Lowry, 2002) and The Mercy Seat. Set in small-town America, This Is How It Goes takes a forensic look at race and infidelity. Whilst dissecting an inter-racial love triangle, LaBute, typically, challenges prejudices and questions notions of truth.
Times 8pm, Wed mat 1.30pm, Sat mat 3pm
Tickets £12 - £18. Concessions £2 off
Fiery Angel Ltd in association with West Yorkshire Playhouse
The 39 Steps
Mon 25 – Sat 30 July
By John Buchan.
Adapted by Simon Corble and Nobby Dimon.
Touched up by Patrick Barlow.
When a young woman is murdered in his home, British hero Richard Hannay becomes an innocent man on the run, embroiled in a sinister conspiracy. But with the police and the woman’s killer on his trail and his photo in every national newspaper, it’s a race against time to unravel the mystery of the 39 Steps and prove his innocence. Marvel as our fearless hero leaps from the Forth Bridge. Thrill as Hannay spends a night with the beautiful Pamela and Mrs McTashie. And be amazed as just four actors present this mega spectacle and play more than 150 roles! They said it was unstageable but John Buchan’s gripping romantic whodunit – memorably filmed by Alfred Hitchcock – has at last been thrillingly brought to theatrical life!
Times 7.30pm, Wed mat 2pm, Sat mat 3pm
Tickets £12 - £18. Concessions £2 off except Fri & Sat eves
Posted on Friday, 18 March 2005 under Press Theatre Press