Manchester theatre round-up 2024: What’s on at the Palace, Opera House, Lowry and how to get cheap tickets

It might not be Broadway or the West End, but Manchester boasts several theatres and welcomes a varied and exciting range of theatre productions every year – and 2024 is going to be no exception. 

From sing-a-long musicals to modern reinventions of classic literature, there is a stage production to suit all tastes. There are also several family-friendly shows coming to Manchester this year, as well as returning favourites. 

What's more, ATG is also offering discounts on tickets throughout January, meaning you can get your hands on tickets for just £15.

Here is a round-up of the biggest shows to look forward to in Manchester in 2024 by theatre and how to get discounted tickets. 

Palace Theatre

Manchester’s Palace Theatre will be starting and finishing 2024 with two blockbuster productions – Lin Manuel Miranda’s Hamilton and Wicked, which is also finally getting its long awaited silver screen adaptation in 2024. Tickets can be purchased online via the ATG website.

27 Dec - 24 Feb – Hamilton

27 Feb - 16 March – Pretty Woman The Musical

18-30 March – Sister Act

24 April - 5 May – The Wizard of Oz (starring Jason Manford and The Vivienne)

7-11 May – Bonnie & Clyde

22 May - 7 July – Disney’s Aladdin

16-27 July – Hairspray 

30 July - 10 Aug – 101 Dalmatians

13-18 Aug – Lord of the Dance

11 Sept - 5 Oct – The Book of Mormon

8-12 Oct – Grease

3 Dec - 12 Jan (2025) – Wicked

Opera House

The Opera House is also having a bumper year for big productions, with everything from the raunchy Rocky Horror, to the family-friendly Peppa Pig, as well as Sir Ian McKellan in an adaptation of Shakespeare’s Henry IV. Full listings and tickets can be found online via the ATG website.

23-28 Jan – Rocky Horror Show

3-4 Feb – Jurassic Live

8-11 Feb – Madagascar The Musical

13-17 Feb – The Full Monty

21-22 Feb – Peppa Pig’s Fun Day Out

14-23 March – Player Kings (starring Sir Ian McKellan)

30 April - 4 May – An Officer and a Gentleman The Musical

13-29 June – Burlesque The Musical

11-23 November – Only Fools and Horses The Musical

The Lowry Theatre

There is so much going on at Salford Quays’ Lowry Theatre in 2024 it’s hard to know where to start. Here are some of the most anticipated theatre and musical performances, but be sure to check out their comedy, dance and music line-ups too. All tickets can be purchased via the Lowry website.

24 Dec (2023) - 7 Jan – Life of Pi

9-13 Jan – The King and I

12-13 Jan – National Theatre’s Jekyll and Hyde 

16-20 Jan – Calendar Girls (by Gary Barlow)

22 Feb -2 March – Unfortunate, the untold story of Ursula the Sea Witch

27 Feb - 2 March – Twelve Angry Men

19-23 March – My Beautiful Laundrette

26 April – Cluedo 2

8-13 April – The Mousetrap

7-11 May – The Kite Runner

17-19 May – Kay Mellor’s The Syndicate

4-8 June – 2.22 A Ghost Story

2-6 October – Blue Man Group, Bluevolution World Tour

12-16 November – Wonder Boy

The Royal Exchange 

Manchester’s Royal Exchange is a great place to spend an evening, with its restaurant, bar and ‘spaceship-like theatre-in-the-round.’ Here are the productions you can expect in 2024. More information can be found on the theatre’s website.

2 Dec (2023) - 13 Jan – Brief Encounter

2 Feb - 2 March – Shed: Exploded View

15 March - 13 April – A Taste of Honey

26 April - 25 May – Sweat

14 June - 20 July – The Importance of Being Earnest

Other theatres

If you haven’t seen something you like, there are more venues in Manchester to take out. Over at Ancoats’ Hope Mill theatre, there’s a production of Gypsy the Musical, as well as a new Jim Cartwright play starring Denise Welch; Diva of the Decades at the Contact Theatre, where there are also comedy and drag shows to look forward to; and don’t forget to keep an eye on what’s happening at the new, state-of-the-art venue Aviva Studios, which has two family friendly shows scheduled to end 2023 and begin 2024, Lost and Found and the Jungle Book.

How to get discounted tickets

Throughout January, ATG are offering discounts on a select number of shows in theatres across the UK in their "biggest ticket sale ever." Theatre-goers will be able to get their hands on tickets for as little as £15.

The Manchester shows included in the sale are:

• Ellen Kent: La Traviata (Opera House) – Wed 10 Jan 2024 at 19:30
• The Nutcracker (Opera House) – Sat 20 Jan 2024 at 14:30 and 19:30
• Swan Lake (Opera House) – Sun 21 Jan 2024 at 14:30 and 19:30
• Madagascar The Musical (Opera House) – Thu 8 Feb - Sun 11 Feb 2024 at 11:00, 14:00, 15:00, and 19:00
• The Full Monty - The Play by Simon Beaufoy (Opera House) – Tue 13 Feb - Wed 14 Feb 2024 at 19:30
• Sister Act (Palace Theatre) – Mon 18 Mar - Thu 21 Mar and Mon 25 Mar - Thu 28 Mar 2024 at 14:30 and 19:30
• Bonnie & Clyde (Palace Theatre) – Tue 7 May - Thu 9 May 2024 at 14:30 and 19:30