Ben Duke Rambert The Lowry April 18-20, 2024; 1hr 40mins (also Newcastle Theatre Royal, April 25-26) This Lowry double-bill lasts 100 minutes, including a 20 minute interval. Of this time there is about 50% dancing, with the rest an ironic take on the idiotic questions asked by interviewers... ("And how did you feel when Eurydice died?"), or rather good music, sung by Sheree Dubois. In fact to my eyes the second piece should really have been billed as a Nina Simone concert, with the odd bit of dance to accompany it. Rambert changed its name from Ballet Rambert some years ago, and this piece seems to sum up the change. When you have some of the best contemporary dancers in Britain, who possess an ability to express all kinds of deep emotions, it seems a shame to under-use them. Director Ben Duke has built a reputation for incorporating all aspects of musical and dance theatre into his work, but in these two pieces he appears to have forgotten that dance audiences come to see great dancers using their skills. We may wish to be amused, but not at the expense of the creativity of the dance. But amid the dross there are moments of wonder. Again the dancers seem able to overcome the restraints of the production to show what they could have done for the audience. In the first half there is a wonderful piece of movement as the troupe show how to fly through the auditorium without artificial aids but using their whole body to produce a moment of magic. It's invidious to pick out individuals, but any dancer who can entrance while using a stick to balance takes your breath away. Some of the ideas - such as the use of a dancer attached to a rope, moving across the stage to the sound of a drummer (Romana Campbell) to illustrate the process of the inevitable transition of life to death, play well. But that’s because they use the skills of the dancers to good effect. If only the lesson had been followed through. So, if you like music by Nina Simone, the second half is great. If you don’t mind watching an interviewer asking strange questions and getting strange answers then the two wonderful small pieces of dance in each half could be sufficient. But if you want the experience of creative expression through physical movement, this may not be your best choice. More info and tickets here

Bolton's Octagon Theatre is making attending the theatre more accessible for more people by offering hundreds of £4 tickets a year to Bolton residents on Universal Credit or Pension Credit, or living in low-income households. Working with local partner organisations, the scheme will take price out of the equation for many people who like theatre but can't afford to go. Any Bolton resident on Universal Credit or Pension Credit or referred by one of the Octagon’s ticket access partners will be able to buy £4 tickets for any of the Octagon's home-produced shows. Bolton is currently the 34th most-deprived local authority in the country, with 37 per cent of local young people living in poverty. The scheme will offer over 1,000 £4 tickets every year, and follws the declaration of Bolton as Greater Manchester’s Town of Culture. The £4 offer is in addition to thousands of £15 tickets available throughout the year, giving the Octagon some of the lowest theatre prices in the UK. Chief Executive Roddy Gauld commented: “Our audiences tell us what fantastic value the Octagon is, but the price can still be a barrier for some, especially during the cost-of-living crisis. We are proud to offer some of the most affordable theatre tickets in the country. We want as many people as possible to enjoy the magic of live theatre.” More info here

One of the newly-resurrected London City Ballet's inaugural tour stops will be at York Theatre Royal, (September 6-7). After a 30-year gap, the company was revived last year and the new company's first UK tour features a revival of Kenneth MacMillan’s 1972, one-act ballet Ballade, not seen in Europe for over 50 years, and a new commission by Olivier-award winner Arielle Smith. The original company closed in 1996, having been based at Sadler’s Wells, London and internationally recognised as one of the world’s leading dance collectives – Diana, Princess of Wales was its Royal patron. Meanwhile, Ockham’s Razor, the UK’s foremost circus theatre company, brings Tess, a new vision of Thomas Hardy’s classic novel Tess of the D’Urbervilles (May 8-11). The show uses the original text, combined with the physical language of circus as the performers wield wooden planks, shift walls, ropes and swathes of linen to make sets that unfold and which the cast balance upon, climb, carry and construct. Also coming this autumn is the award-winning and critically-acclaimed Pride and Prejudice* (*sort of) from November 4-9. The show won the Best Comedy Olivier Award in 2022 and is an audacious retelling of Austen’s iconic love story. New play Wonder Boy (October 29-November 2) by Ross Willis is on its first tour after receiving acclaim when it premiered at Bristol Old Vic in 2022. Directed by Olivier sward-winner Sally Cookson (A Monster Calls), it tells the story of 12-year-old Sonny, who creates a superhero to help him with his stammer. More info and tickets here

Know your theatre: Clonter Opera Theatre, Congleton Clonter, sometimes called ‘the Glyndebourne of the North’, is on a working farm in the Cheshire countryside, not far from the Jodrell Bank radio telescope. Clonter began as informal gatherings in a barn, with seating on bales of straw. Today the venue has a 400-seat theatre (though a former hen house is still part of the backstage facilities), and a well-established programme of events. Clonter notably showcases young operatic talent, but also jazz and folk. Front of house now offers sufficient accommodation for the entire audience to enjoy a meal under one roof, either before or part-way through the performance (ordered from the house caterer or your own picnic), which is something even Glyndebourne cannot offer. Expect to meet the Cheshire set in full cry (especially after imbibing during a long interval) as your fellow opera-buffs, but this stage frequently offers future international stars in the making, so it can be worth it... Address: Swettenham Heath, Trap Rd, Congleton CW12 2LR Phone: General inquiries and box office: 01260 224514 (10am-4pm Mon-Fri and performance days). The theatre is large, the building boasting separate rooms of various sizes, allowing it to function as a theatre and for corporate hires and schools use throughout the year. The theatre website offers a range of accommodation choices for long-distance visitors. Disabled visitors are well catered for Facilities: Parking: There is a drop-off point outside the theatre entrance, and free parking. Eight bays close to the main entrance can be reserved for those with reduced mobility. Online box office: Go here if you haven't booked online at Clonter before, or here if you have. You need to open an account for online booking.

Know your theatre: Opened in 1887, the Coliseum was one of the oldest British theatres still operating, and was much loved by its loyal supporters – perhaps more so since its demise in March 2023. Once a circus, in the 1930s it was briefly a cinema before becoming the members-only Oldham Repertory Theatre. It was said to be one of the most haunted theatres in Britain, and a famous stage death occurred there in the 1940s. By the 1950s-60s the resident company helped to form the careers of Coronation Street stars Jean Alexander, Pat Phoenix, Roy Barra-clough, William Roache and local girls Barbara Knox and Anne Kirkbride. In 1978 it became the Arts Council and local authority-supported Oldham Coliseum, offering a mix of professional productions of its own and other touring shows, It was famous for its massively-popular annual pantomime. Plans for a new building were scrapped in late 2018 and the withdrawal of an Arts Council "NPO" grant in late 2022 led to the theatre's closure in March 2023. Plans are supposedly in place for a smaller replacement within three or so years, which might not retain the name. Coliseum Theatre, Oldham (closed Mar '23) Address: Oldham Coliseum Theatre, Fairbottom Street, Oldham OL1 3SW Phone: Facilities: Parking: Some on-street metered parking. Bradshaw Street car park is nearby, with a concessionary rate after 6pm. More information here Online box office:

Know your theatre: Theatre architect Frank Matcham's masterpiece sits on a windy street back from the prom, on an awkward corner site that was once a circus. Built between December 1893 and July 1894 at a cost of £20,000, today it is known as "Matcham’s masterpiece", a glorious, Grade II* listed, 1,100-seater four-level wonder of ornate gilded plasterwork. The Grand is one of several Matcham masterpieces, but for Blackpool he was asked to design “the prettiest theatre in the land”. There might be arguments about that (Matcham's Buxton Opera House anyone?), but as well as being beautiful it had innovations such as cantilevered tiers, which needed fewer pillars and offered unobstructed views. The theatre had been successful until the 1930s, but then faced competition from talking pictures. Outside summer seasons it also had to operate as a cinema. The vast, nearby Opera House in 1938, and later the arrival of TV, put the theatre into financial decline. Popular summer farces in the 50s and 60s couldn’t sustain it year-round, but thanks to Jeffrey Finestone of the Victorian Society, it was listed as Grade II* in 1972 and demolition plans proposed months later were rejected. After tortuous negotiations and time as a bingo hall, the Friends of the Grand, with Blackpool Council, bought the theatre in 1980 and it reopened with an Old Vic performance of The Merchant of Venice , with Timothy West and Prunella Scales. Vast amounts of fund-raising have produced a couple of major restorations since then, and the "Glorious Grand" is now the UK’s National Theatre of Variety, and Lancashire’s top touring-show theatre. Grand Theatre, Blackpool Address: 33 Church Street, Blackpool, FY1 1HT Phone: Box office 01253 290190. Theatre administration: 01253 290111 Facilities: As a late-Victorian theatre in a busy town, the Grand has the usual run of bars and a place for coffee and light snacks (Matcham Court Bar), but no restaurant. The theatre has relationships with a number of nearby chain restaurants, which sometimes offer deals on food for theatregoers. The theatre has baby-changing facilities and disabled loos (rear stalls). Assistance dogs are welcome. Parking: Online box office: The nearest car park to the Grand is West Street car park. The theatre offers a special parking ticket at this site only (£2.50, 5.30pm-12.30am, which is car park closing time), available only with a show ticket. Tickets can be purchased at the time of booking or on the evening at the box office. Go here and follow the booking route to your show choice