Drag icon Sasha Velour dressed as an armchair. Dr. Michael Mosley microwaving healthy meals. Actor Alan Cumming telling titillating tales amassed at his New York nightclub and Clarkson’s Farm favourite Kaleb Cooper overseeing a tense two-man mini tractor race. Despite our status as one of Manchester’s most storied music venues – our auditorium, in fact, purpose-built to provide the best possible acoustic conditions in which to experience live performance – traditional concerts account for only a portion of what takes place here at the Hall, the list above a perfect illustration of the range of projects we’re proud to be a part of, and we’ve more such variety to come throughout the months ahead.
For instance, internal transformation beckons as we welcome Elizabeth Gilbert – author of the peerless Eat Pray Love and creative manifesto Big Magic – for an evening of artistic enlightenment on Wednesday 24 April, the writer leading an inspiring discussion on embracing curiosity, facing our fears and the approaches she believes will assist us in fulfilling our fullest potential. Fellow star of the personal development space and pioneer of integrative medicine Deepak Chopra will also be joining us on Monday 10 June, awakening new levels of awareness within his audience to encourage clarity, consciousness and healing. Away from the self-help world, too, we’ll be hosting several other household names as they share anecdotes, advice and insights, among them the legendary Henry Winkler – the actor affectionately known as The Fonz looking back on fifty years in Hollywood before taking questions from the crowd – on Wednesday 26 June, musical theatre royalty and bona fide ‘Disney legend’ Lea Salonga on Monday 1 July and the irrepressible Miriam Margolyes, a lady certain to be as unfiltered, uncontainable and unpredictable on stage as she is on screen when she performs to a sold-out room on Tuesday 2 July.
Speaking of screens, the ever-popular Music of the Movies returns on Sunday 24 November to offer fans of all things fantasy a chance to enjoy their favourite scores as never before, the epic, unmistakeable sounds of film and TV series such as Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, Game of Thrones and more spellbindingly brought to life by a full symphony orchestra and choir. An equally magical evening is in store on Tuesday 4 June as Disney in Concert takes to our stage, ‘a symphonic and cinematic journey’ celebrating over 100 years of Disney, the renowned Novello Orchestra recreating some of the studio’s most memorable moments as they perform live-to-film. And on Tuesday 8 October, Life On Our Planet in Concert promises to be a spectacular multi-sensory experience, as highlights from the Netflix natural history documentary – narrated by Morgan Freeman and lauded at the time of its release for both its striking visual innovations and Lorne Balfe’s sensational score – are screened alongside an incredible live orchestral soundtrack.
We’ve even more immersive offerings ahead, most notably two performances of Murder Trial Tonight II on Thursday 20 and Friday 21 June, the lines between reality and fiction intriguingly blurred in this theatre experience which transforms ticketholders into jurors, presenting them with evidence and testimonies before they’re tasked with determining the fate of the defendant. Perhaps the only way to get more involved in a production would be to feature in it yourself – which is precisely what a lucky few can do on Saturday 8 June, as Jazz Jamaica All Stars dig into the archives of the iconic Trojan Records label to celebrate its unique sounds and legacy. Participants will perform as part of a choir alongside the Jazz Jamaica singers and musicians, receiving a 20% discount on tickets to share with those who’d like to watch them in the show as well as a special commemorative programme with which to mark what we hope will be another uniquely memorable evening here at The Bridgewater Hall.