MICHAEL ROSEN - ACCLAIMED POET, PERFORMER, BROADCASTER AND SCRIPTWRITER AND FORMER CHILDREN’S LAUREATE CELEBRATES HIS EIGHTIETH BIRTHDAY WITH BRAND NEW SHOW

Michael Rosen has a rare, invaluable gift: the ability to address the most serious matters of life in a spirit of joy, humour and hope. 

Amber Massie Bloomfield – Pen Pinter Award Judge 2023

11 October                    Lowry, Salford 

Following the 2025 sell-out national tour of the critically acclaimed Getting Throught It, Michael Rosen hits the road again in 2026 to celebrate his 80th birthday with a brand-new show for all the family! 

Kicking off its tour on 4 May, at The Rose Theatre Kingston, NICE! sees Michael looking back at a lifetime in poetry, performing beloved classics including Hot Food, No Breathing and Chocolate Cake, along with never-before-heard poems from his new collection Peas On Your Knees.

“I am so looking forward to doing this 'NICE' show, says Rosen

“It's a way for families and me to enjoy together the poems and stories I've written with lots of laughter and joining-in. (It's also my 80th birthday year but don't tell anyone...).”

Michael Rosen is one of Britain’s most beloved writers and performance poets. He has written over 200 books, including The Sad Book, a meditation on bereavement after the death of his son Eddie, Many Different Kinds of Love, a story of life, death and the NHS and Getting Better – life lessons on going under, getting over it, and getting through it, an examination of loss and mourning and what comes next.  He is Professor of Children’s Literature at Goldsmith’s University and has presented the Radio 4 show Word of Mouth since 1998. He regularly appears at literary festivals across the UK and visits schools and teacher training departments to perform and to give advice on teaching children’s literature.