Entertainment

Co-produced by York Theatre Royal in association with Bristol Old Vic, the company of Wise Children are fierce in their non-stop energy as Emma Rice skilfully delivers a spirited adaptation of Enid Blyton’s Malory Towers that is toe-tappingly infectious to all.

Returning to the UK again for their latest album tour, Canadian rockers Wintersleep descended upon the intimate venue of the Castle Hotel and revived a unique rock sound fading from the indie landscape.

It’s official; we have now reached the zenith of the ‘Radio 4 joke’ – a joke so high-brow that only a handful of a crowd of keen Radio 4 listeners let out a knowing chuckle at the Storyhouse in Chester.

The National Theatre’s production of A Taste of Honey may have begun its UK tour at The Lowry Theatre in Salford, but the Salford it represents is a world away from the glitz and glamour of Media City.

Having found success by reviving Rocky Balboa for the Creed series, Sylvester Stallone again attempts to provide a fitting end for one of his iconic characters in Rambo: Last Blood.

Gene Simmons has his striking make-up. Freddie Mercury was an onstage extrovert. David Bowie had extravagantly dressed alter egos. The Leisure Society’s Nick Hemming needed none of this.

If you want army combat gear, trance music, bloodshed and humour, Manchester’s Macbeth is for you.

Dolly Parton’s musical has tumbled out of the West End and stumbled straight into Manchester.

Mercury Prize Winners Elbow have curated an album as part of an exclusive artwork exhibition heading to Manchester this week – Sounds of the North, in town from September 19-30.

Cornwall is always forgotten. It’s a holiday destination for some, a topless Aiden Turner for others, but for a minority, it’s their home. The forgotten people are the subject of Mark Jenkin’s arresting and jarring first feature, Bait.

Brit Award winner Emeli Sandé is performing in Manchester next week to celebrate the release of her hotly-anticipated album, Real Life.