Despite being better know for the stream of musical talent it has produced in the past, Manchester’s latest exports will be heading for the stage.The city is s set to become the launch-pad for some of the country’s biggest and most spectacular theatre shows before they head south to the West End.
It follows an announcement from the Ambassador Theatre Group (ATG) that it is planning to premiere a number of its high-profile productions in the north-west.
The company, whose shows include Legally Blonde and Spamalot, recently staged Ghost the Musical in Manchester before its West End run.
Ghost producer Colin Ingram commended the decision, adding that he had found Manchester to be “a terrific city to open a new musical”.
“With a large catchment area and two wonderful musical theatres, we’ve been able to have two months to fit up and rehearse a very complex show, which could not have been done anywhere else outside London.
“Manchester and the surrounding area has a long tradition of theatre-going and [audiences] are extremely warm and open to new work. The audience has greeted Ghost with open arms instead of closed arms.”
News that some of the country’s biggest and best musical theatre shows will be making their way up north is testament to the medium’s growing popularity in recent times.
Television shows such as Glee have helped to popularise and excite audiences to the joys of singing, dancing and acting. Since it first aired in 2009, it has quickly become a TV and music phenomenon.
Such is its enduring popularity, earlier this year, the cast took the show on the road touring across American and also in Europe, playing to sell-out crowds at the O2 Arena and the Manchester MEN Arena.