The Lowry Centre, Salford

The Lowry: The Lyric Theatre and The Quays Theatre
Pier 8, Salford Quays, Salford, Manchester, M50 3AZ Street map

Buy Tickets: 0844 847 1722 - or use the online links below

The Spring Summer 2007 Season at The Lowry Centre (Lyric Theatre and Quays Theatre):

A selection of highlights at The Lowry Theatre which comprises of two auditoriums - The Lyric Theatre and The Quays Theatre

The Music of Manilow and More - Performed By Darren Day
Tuesday 22 May 2007
With a full supporting company of singers, dancers and musicians. Following successful leading roles in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Summer Holiday and Copacabana, this special tribute concert performed by Darren Day celebrates the music of Barry Manilow, Billy Joel, Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons and many more great American songwriters. Hits include, I Write The Songs, Uptown Girl, I Love You Just The Way You Are and Can’t Take My Eyes Off You.

Dublin By Lamplight
Tuesday 22 to Saturday 26 May 2007
Amid the filth and fury of Dublin in 1904, the theatrical event of the century is about to explode. Winner of Best Ensemble at the 2005 Edinburgh Festival, Michael West's Dublin by Lamplight exposes a strange and lurid world, where fading stars, rebels, whores and romantics are thrown together in a web of intrigue. William Hayes is a desperate man. Hours away from realising his life's ambition – to create theatre history and change a nation's destiny – it’s all going horribly wrong.

Sing-A-Long-A Sound of Music
Sunday 27 May 2007
The smash-hit musical show that has been around the world comes to The Lowry Centre this May. It's a screening of the classic Julie Andrews film musical in full-on Technicolor, complete with subtitles, so the whole audience can sing along! Then there is the famous fancy-dress competition…so get those vocal chords warmed up, cut up those chintz curtains and hurry on down for the perfect night out.

Danny the Champion of the World
Tuesday 29 May to Saturday 2 June 2007
From the company that brought the acclaimed productions of The Jungle Book, Kensuke's Kingdom and Horrible Histories, which returns to The Lowry Theatre in June. Danny lives in a caravan with the most marvelous and exciting Dad any boy ever had. But his father has a secret! When night comes, he poaches pheasants from Hazell's Wood. Mr Hazell, the landowner, wants to evict Danny and his Dad and the battle starts to try to save their home. How can one little boy defeat a rich and powerful landowner? Well, Danny has a plan and soon he and his Dad are caught up in a thrilling and remarkable adventure.

Justitia
Tuesday 29 and Wednesday 30 May 2007
Jasmin Vardimon - Jasmin stunned audiences here last year with her strikingly powerful Park. She now comes to The Lowry Theatre with a daring piece of physical dance theatre that delves into the depths of our justice system. Justitia unravels the multiple truths behind a gripping crime story. Presented on a revolving stage, the action is seen from different perspectives - at the crime scene, in the court house and inside a group therapy room. Punctuated with provocative humour and fiercely athletic, this new production delivers a generous mix of energetic dance, sharp script and breath-taking music. Contains material of an adult nature.

Food
Thursday 31 May to Saturday 2 June 2007
By Joel Horwood and Christopher Heimann, created by theimaginarybody. When top chef Frank Byrne wins his third Michelin star, he achieves his life's ambition. But reaching the top comes at a price… Set in the turbulent world of celebrity chefs, Food explores the sacrifices we have to make to realise our dreams. When you aim high, you’ve only got further to fall. Food is the second play by the acclaimed theimaginarybody and won a Fringe-First during its sell out run at the 2006 Edinburgh Festival.

Office Suite
Monday 4 to Saturday 9 June 2007
Patricia Routledge stars in Alan Bennett's wonderfully witty and poignant Office Suite at The Lowry Centre for a one week season. Office Suite is a double bill of two one-act comedies, A Visit from Miss Prothero and Green Forms, which paint a wickedly funny picture of office life from the pre-internet era that many of us are all too familiar with today. Patricia Routledge, widely known from television's Keeping up Appearances and Hetty Wainthrop Investigates, is one of the UK's most distinguished actresses. Alan Bennett has written many pieces for her, including these two plays which were originally written for television.

Angels In America
Tuesday 5 to Saturday 9 June 2007
By Tony Kushner. Directed by Daniel Kramer. Part 1: Millennium Approaches, Part 2: Perestroika. This Pulitzer Prize-winning epic is a defining work of 20th century drama and, with a cast including Greg Hicks and Ann Mitchell as well as acclaimed young director, Daniel Kramer, the production promises to be one of the theatrical events of the year. Hilarious and profound, it is a vivid dissection of relationships, gay and straight, of survival, of faith, of the things that make us human. The place is New York, the time is 1985… "It's fifteen years until the third millennium and I feel like something's going to give..."

Paco Pena
Sunday 10 June 2007
A Compás - Primal Pulse: The unstoppable pulse of flamenco from one of the world's most acclaimed dance companies comes to The Lowry for one night only. For his latest creation, Paco Pena focuses on the compelling nature of varied flamenco rhythms. Those rhythms are vital, like a primal pulse, like the rhythm of the earth...and everyone must get to feel it! With an incomparably strong group of dancers, poised and chic and at the cutting edge of modern flamenco, this is the company to see.

Waterson Carthy
Sunday 10 June 2007
A tour de force in British Rock Music, founding guitarist Andy Powel still leads Wishbone Ash. Be prepared to hear classic Ash from the Pilgrimage and Argus albums plus new favourites from Bona Fide and Almighty Blues. Waterson Carthy's latest album Holy Heathens and The Old Green Man is a rousing mix of ritual and religion, customs and carols, savage imagery and soaring songs of celebration which come together in magnificent style.

Rocky Horror Show
Monday 11 to Saturday 16 June 2007
Follow squeaky clean sweethearts Brad and Janet on an adventure they'll never forget, with the scandalous Frank ‘N’ Furter, rippling Rocky and vivacious Magenta. Get ready for a night of fun, frolics and frivolity in this brand spanking new production of Richard O'Brien’s classic original script! Bursting at the seams with timeless classics, including Sweet Transvestite, Damn It Janet and of course, the pelvic-thrusting Time Warp, Richard O'Brien’s The Rocky Horror Show just can't stop partying! Ready to thrill you with it’s frothy fun and naughty moments, this is the boldest bash of them all, so fish out the fishnets, buff up your basque and sharpen those stilettos for the rockiest ride of your life! Don’t dream it - be it.

Kiss of the Spiderwoman
Tuesday 12 to Saturday 16 June 2007
Following hugely successful visits with Henry IV, This Is How It Goes and The Cut the Donmar Warehouse returns to The Lowry Centre with Manuel Puig's play Kiss of the Spiderwoman. Kiss of the Spiderwoman is an intricate and powerful portrayal of two men who are forced to share a cell in a Latin American jail. One is a young Marxist rebel punished for his ideals, the other a romantic fantasist condemned for his sexuality. Through the glamorous world of the movies, an unlikely relationship is formed that offers both men the hope of survival.

Slaughterhouse Live!
Sunday 17 June 2007
Featuring a constellation of hilarious characters, the Comedy Store's award-winning sketch team returns to The Lowry Centre with an explosive new show, TV Spazzatura! Experience Pat Stephens and his Musical Eyes, Dave Media, Alan Sonar – Blind Juggler (and inventor of Tabasco Eye Drops), the Man with Two Heights and the chance to win a hectare of Cherry Bakewells… Adults only.

Driven
Tuesday 19 June 2007
Motionhouse Dance Theatre: Motionhouse explodes on stage in a head-on collision with reality. Five performers race in the fast lane, dodging the flying debris, as their lives fall apart around them. Another heart-in-your-mouth dance theatre production from Motionhouse, Driven fuses live action and film, seamlessly integrating highly physical dance, breathtaking flying and striking theatrical imagery. Think before it's too late, slam on the brakes and feel the rush of what it is to be alive.

The Magic Flute: Opera North
Tuesday 19 June 2007
Opera North returns to The Lowry Theatre with a short sason of four opera, the first is Mozart's The Magic Flute. Enter an enchanted world and join us on an exotic journey. The Magic Flute is a story about the trials of life: growing up, finding your mate and learning to be wise. Adventure jostles with pantomime, comedy with drama, and Mozart sets it all to miraculous music. The Magic Flute never fails to delight audiences of all ages, and this production, with its roots in popular theatre, reaffirms its reputation as an ideal introduction to opera for everyone.

Rigoletto: Opera North
Wednesday 20 and Friday 22 June 2007
An ugly man in a world of beautiful opera. Rigoletto is an ugly man in a world of beautiful people, twisted inside by the harsh life he has been forced to lead. The only thing that makes life bearable is his daughter. But when bitterness gets the better of him, the consequences for his most precious possession are fatal. This hard-hitting melodrama includes the famous aria, La donna è mobile. Opera North’s production is set in contemporary Italy, ensuring it remains moving and provocative, as Verdi intended it to be.

Katya Kabanova: Opera North
Thursday 21 June 2007
Suffocated by a narrow-minded small town society, Katya Kabanova, a married woman, is unable to resist temptation when it falls in her path. Janácek's beautiful, utterly original score charts Katya's tragedy with profound compassion and contains music as intense, lyrical and erotic as anything to be found in Strauss or Wagner.

Dido and Aeneas and Les Noces: Opera North
Saturday 23 June 2007
Dido and Aeneas is the first great English opera, featuring the famous lament 'When I am laid in earth'. In it, Dido, queen of Carthage, falls in love with the Trojan prince Aeneas, who is subsequently forced to abandon her. In a characteristically unusual piece of programming, Opera North brings together Purcell's moving masterpiece with Stravinsky's highly original dance drama, scored for four grand pianos, percussion and chorus.

Professor Bumm's Story Machine
Saturday 23 June 2007
Professor Bumm and his assistant Doctor Whee invite you to the unveiling of his latest invention in this crackpot comedy of made-up madness. Mayhem, mirth and mess are guaranteed as the two eggheads race to turn words and ideas from the audience into new stories with the help of their unpredictable new machine. A feast of improvised comedy. Most suitable for ages 7 up.

Barry Cryer
Saturday 23 June 2007
For many years, Barry and Colin have wandered around Great Britain looking for people who needed a good laugh and giving them one. Barry Cryer is the undisputed 'King of the one-liner'. He's written for great comics such as Morecambe and Wise and Tommy Cooper and he's also rated as one of the best joke tellers in the business. The audience have a chance to join in by placing a topic in Barry's Bucket before the start of the show which will enable Barry to demonstrate his ability to tell a joke or anecdote about any subject on earth. The show is a must for all those of you who are tired of hearing the same old joke. So come along to The Lowry Centre, sit back and giggle with the non-stop merriment and song!

Horrible Histories - the Ruthless Romans
Tuesday 26 to Saturday 30 June 2007
Using actors and ground-breaking 3D special effects, these two astounding shows are guaranteed to thrill the whole family – historical figures and events are recreated on stage and come vividly alive in front of your very eyes using live action and mind blowing technology. The Ruthless Romans: From the evil Emperors to the gruesome gladiators, find out why there’s no place like Rome! Hold on tight for a terrifying journey back to Roman Britain!

Horrible Histories - the Awful Egyptians
Tuesday 26 to Saturday 30 June 2007
Using actors and ground-breaking 3D special effects, these two astounding shows are guaranteed to thrill the whole family – historical figures and events are recreated on stage and come vividly alive in front of your very eyes using live action and mind blowing technology. The Awful Egyptians: From the fascinating Pharaohs to the power of the pyramids, discover the foul facts of death and decay with the meanest mummies in Egypt. Dare you enter through the Gates of the Afterlife?

Martin Simpson
Tuesday 26 June 2007
One of the finest acoustic finger-style and slide guitar players in the world, Martin was winner of BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards Musician of The Year 2002 and 2004, also winning Best Album in 2002 for The Bramble Briar. Both spell-binding and highly entertaining, he is a master of his craft, recently named one of the top 15 artists of the decade by Acoustic guitar magazine.

Ola Onabule
Wednesday 27 June 2007
A blues and soul singer of exceptional talent, charm and integrity, Ola has forged his own identity predominately through his original material. His remarkable four-octave voice is described as achingly beautiful and passionate in its every expression. Performing with a four-piece band, he inspires with his immense vocal range, producing a sensational sound of pure energy, grace and passion and he has a charming, charismatic stage presence.

One Man Star Wars
Thursday 28 June 2007
A huge hit Off-Broadway, a sell-out on the Edinburgh Fringe and a triumph in the West End, Canadian actor Charles Ross single-handedly plays all the characters, sings the music, flies the ships, fights the battles and condenses the plots of the Star Wars Trilogy into a fast-paced, side-splitting but affectionate tribute to the weird and wonderful world of Obi-Wan Kenobi and Jabba the Hut – perfect for adults, children and anyone who ever dreamt of wielding a light saber.

Showcase 2007 - Henshaw's Society for the Blind
Sunday 1 July 2007

Into The Woods
Wednesday 4 to Saturday 7 July 2007
Musical by Stephen Sondheim with book by James Lapine, presented by arrangement with Josef Weinberger Limited on behalf of Music Theatre International of New York. We all know the stories of Cinderella, Rapunzel, Jack and the Beanstalk and Little Red Riding Hood – or do we? Nothing is quite what it seems if you go into this wood today! And not everything ends in happily ever after when the characters are left to work out their own destinies. Following hugely successful visits to The Lowry Centre of his Royal Opera House productions of Pinocchio and The Wind in the Willows, Will Tuckett makes his musical theatre directorial debut with Sondheim’s masterly take on classic fairytales. With a cast drawn from opera and music theatre and a band of 14, conducted by renowned Sondheim interpreter James Holmes, this is a new production of the very highest quality.

Coppelia - Birmingham Royal Ballet
Wednesday 4 and Thursday 5 July 2007

Triple Bill - Birmingham Royal Ballet
Friday 6 and Saturday 7 July 2007
The Four Seasons, Nine Sinatra Songs and Pineapple Poll: Set to Vivaldi's famous music, The Four Seasons celebrates the year-round athletic power of the human body, as each season is given an uplifting sporting identity in this witty new ballet. Nine Sinatra Songs sees seven couples tango, waltz and jive, gloriously celebrating the seductive thrill of ballroom dancing, in legendary US choreographer Twyla Tharp’s modern dance extravaganza. Pineapple Poll tells the tale of a feisty lass, in love with swashbuckling Captain Belaye of the HMS Hot Cross Bun. Unaware of the Captain's secret engagement, Poll disguises herself as a sailor and determinedly follows his crew on board.

National Youth Dance Fesival Performance 2007
Wednesday 11 July 2007
Directed and promoted by Youth Dance England, the national development agency for youth dance, the National Youth Dance Festival's 2007 performance at The Lowry Centre brings together the best youth dance groups from across the country for an inspirational and exciting evening of the very best of young British Dance.

Short & Curly: Sandi Toksvig and Bonnie Langford
Friday 13 July 2007
Sandi Toksvig (Radio 4 News Quiz) and Bonnie Langford (ITV's Dancing on Ice) have put together the ultimate one-woman show – with the two of them! This fun-packed, bright and bubbly evening brings together Sandi’s unique comic skills with Bonnie’s musical brilliance to create a glorious evening of banter, conversation, songs, sketches and revealing reminiscences. With no two shows the same, you’re sure of oodles of fascinating anecdotes, laughs and surprises from two very different but like-minded entertainers.

Carlos Acosta
Friday 13 and Saturday 14 July 2007

Ennio Marchetto
Saturday 14 July 2007
He's the supreme comedy quick change artist - you simply won't believe your eyes when Ennio comes to The Lowry Theatre this July!. Using incredibly complex paper folding to create his costumes, he morphs into over 50 parodies of favourite cultural icons – everyone from Britney Spears and Paris Hilton to Cher and Liza Minnelli. Backed by a brilliant and eclectic soundtrack, his costume making skill and wicked sense of humour are the inspiration behind this most original of theatre shows.

The Bradshaw Years... First 25
Saturday 21 July 2007
It's celebration time at The Lowry Centre as Buzz Hawkins marks 25 years of The Bradshaws on radio and the news of a brand new animated cartoon series for television. Unbutton yer cardigans for a wickedly funny look at life in their two-up two-down terraced house in the days of tin baths, frozen jubblies and sugar butties.

Natyam - Mythili Prakash
Sunday 22 July 2007
An evening of exquisite Bharatanatyam dance with Mythili Prakash, a dynamic young artist who displays the beauty, grandeur and eternal relevance of this ancient art form. Mythili Prakash is considered one of the most accomplished young Bharatanatyam dancers in the world today. She was hailed a child prodigy on her solo debut at age eight and since then has performed extensively in the UK, USA, and India. Bharatanatyam is an ancient classical temple dance from the state of Tamil Nadu in South India.

Potted Potter
Tuesday 28 August to Saturday 1 September 2007
The Unauthorised Harry Experience, a parody by Dan and Jeff: All seven Harry Potter books in sixty minutes? Watch Blue Peter's comic storytelling duo, Dan and Jeff, attempt the ultimate challenge! This brilliantly funny show features all your favourite characters, making ideal entertainment for the whole family. It's a quirky and irreverent race through the plots of the books, involving frantic costume changes, charts songs and a very frightening dragon. Following sell-out seasons at the Edinburgh Festival and in London, this first national tour visits The Lowry Theatre this August and is a must-see for Potter addicts and a great introduction to the series for anyone who's ever wondered what all the fuss is about. To help fans that haven't had the chance to read book seven, Dan and Jeff will offer a chance to look away before spoiling any surprises!

Tintin
Wednesday 29 August to Saturday 1 September 2007

Justin Moorhouse
Sunday 9 September 2007

While and Matthews
Monday 10 September 2007

King Cotton
Wednesday 12 to Saturday 22 September 2007
A new musical by Jimmy McGovern, from an original idea by Ian Brownbill, with music by Howard Goodall. A powerful and moving story is at the heart of this world premiere from the pen of Jimmy McGovern, multi-award-winning author of Hillsborough, Cracker and The Street. Set during the Lancashire cotton famine and the American Civil War, and told with an epic sweep, it is the story of Tom, an impoverished mill-worker in the North West of England, and of Sokoto, a black slave from an American cotton plantation. It is a universal story of the struggle against hardship, poverty and above all enslavement in which the worlds of Tom and Sokoto ultimately collide with tragic but liberating consequences. King Cotton is directed by Jude Kelly, former Artistic Director of West Yorkshire Playhouse, currently Artistic Director of London’s South Bank Centre and one of the most dynamic and innovative theatre and opera directors of recent times.

Steve Royle
Thursday 13 September 2007
Join the man who has supported more acts than he dares to mention (and some that he does - Peter Kay, Dave Spikey) for an hour of madness. Take the opportunity to see the Television warm-up bloke, BBC radio presenter and Slaughter House Live cast member perform amazing fetes of oral and visual dexterity in his very own one man show. You'll never look at a guitar or a ping-pong ball in the same way again!

Bernard Wrigley and the Oldham Tinkers
Friday 14 September 2007

Sean Hughes
Sunday 23 September 2007
Until recently, a sardonic team captain on Never Mind the Buzzcocks, Sean Hughes started his career as a stand-up comedian by becoming the youngest winner of The Perrier Award. Several sell out tours later and two series of Sean's Show for Channel 4, Sean diversified into writing, presenting and acting. Recently co starring with Peter Davison in The Last Detective (ITV). This new show, which comes to The Lowry in September, makes his long overdue foray back into stand-up.

Ardal O'Hanlon
Sunday 30 September 2007
Ardal O'Hanlon returns to The Lowry Centre for one night only. After becoming a household name (and possibly one of the nation's favourite priests) playing the not-too-brignt Father Dougal in the hit tv show Father Ted, Ardal went on to star in My Hero and The Stockholm Syndrome. Now touring with his brand new stand up show, this is your chance to see him live.

Kate Rusby
Friday 5 October 2007

Boy George
Saturday 6 October 2007

Frank Skinner
Sunday 7 October 2007
Frank Skinner, one of the country's finest and funniest comedians, returns to live stand-up, a decade since he played his last major live gig – to a record-breaking packed house at London's Battersea Power Station. Don't miss him when he visits The Lowry Theatre. Over the last ten years Frank Skinner has become a predominant name in entertainment, starring in numerous smash hit TV comedy shows, including Fantasy Football, The Frank Skinner Show, and Baddiel and Skinner Unplanned. Now you can experience Frank's wicked sense of humour in this completely uncensored, totally live, and positively hilarious brand new show. Book now to avoid disappointment. This show is not for the faint hearted.

Tweenies Live 2007
Thursday 11 to Sunday 14 October 2007
Over one million Tweenie-boppers around the world have already experienced the tot-tastic thrill of seeing the Tweenies performing live in one of their award winning stage shows. And now you can join in the fun as the Tweenies bring you their first ever live theatre adventure at The Lowry Theatre. The Fab Four - Milo, Jake, Bella and Fizz together with Doodles and Max are joined in the Playroom by many more favourite Tweenies characters. With lots of music, dancing and sing-a-long songs (including their chart topping hits 'Do the Lollipop' and 'Number One'), this fun filled family show will carry you away to magical worlds where things are not always as they first appear. Bella discovers an old dolls house that her gran says is an Enchanted Toyshop. It is a magical storehouse full of wonderful toys and when each of the Tweenies makes a wish, the toy of their dreams comes alive - except the Tweenies get more than they bargain for. They will need your help before they all join together in the big musical finale.

The Witch's Bogey
Saturday 27 October 2007
Baba Yaga is an evil witch who likes nothing better than eating sweet, young girls for dinner. Virtue is a sweet, young girl… When the two of them meet in this magical pop musical it can only wind up with someone coming to a grotty, dotty and quite possibly snotty end! The People's Theatre Company presents its smash hit musical for adults and children at The Lowry Theatre this October. Based on the classic Russian tale of 'Baba Yaga the Witch', The Witch's Bogey is a funky fairytale about good versus evil and the magic of family guaranteed to delight absolutely anyone who's ever lived, loved or blown their nose!

The Car Man
Tuesday 6 to Saturday 10 November 2007

The Blues Band
Friday 16 November 2007

Ralph McTell
Saturday 17 and Sunday 18 November 2007

Paul Carrack
Sunday 18 November 2007

The Dylan Project
Monday 19 November 2007

Viva La Diva - Katherine Jenkins and Darcey Bussell
Sunday 25 to Tuesday 27 November 2007

The Ukelele Orchestra of Great Britain
Friday 7 December 2007

Dick Whittington
Friday 7 December 2007 to Sunday 6 January 2008
Following the record-breaking success of Aladdin, step into a magical world of fun and adventure this Christmas with The Lowry Centre's latest and greatest family pop pantomime, Dick Whittington. Our hero Dick Whittington goes to seek fame and fortune in the city of London, where, he is told, the streets are paved with Gold. Picking his way through the good, the bad - and the ridiculous - Dick eventually overcomes all obstacles to find his sweetheart and finally become Lord Mayor of London. With lavish costumes, energetic dance routines and stunning laser effects, this traditional tale of love and happiness has all the Christmas sparkle families have come to expect from The Lowry Centre. There'll be be another great all-star cast this year – so watch the local press for announcements in the near future.

Dad's Army
Tuesday 11 to Sunday 30 December 2007
Don't Panic! They're back... One of the most popular and revered TV comedies of all time is faithfully recreated on stage at The Lowry Centre to make a marvellous Christmas treat for the whole family. The TV series was first screened in 1968 and ran for nearly 10 years chronicling the unlikely adventures of the Walmington on Sea Home Guard during World War II. Three decades later the writers have agreed to make the original hilarious scripts available for this wonderful new stage production. The classic episode, The Deadly Attachment, in which Capt. Mainwaring and his loyal platoon are entrusted with the responsibility of looking after a captured German U Boat crew, is joined by two other gems. Not seen since 1969 this is a unique opportunity to see two classics that have been completely lost since the originals were erased by the BBC. This is glorious life affirming comedy, perfect for the holiday season.