Rockets and Blue Lights at the Royal Exchange – CANCELLED

Kristy Stott, Theatre Editor
Rockets and Blue Lights at the Royal Exchange
Image courtesy of the Royal Exchange

Rockets and Blue Lights at Royal Exchange Theatre, City Centre 12 March — 4 April 2020 Tickets from £19.00 — Book now

Winner of the 2018 Alfred Fagon Award, Rockets and Blue Lights is an extraordinary new play from one of the UK’s most trailblazing playwrights, Winsome Pinnock. Launching the Spring/ Summer Season at the Royal Exchange, Pinnock’s award-winning work retells British history through the prism of the slave trade.

An extraordinary new play from Winsome Pinnock.

Seamlessly shifting through time, Rockets and Blue Lights explores Great Britain’s role in the Trans-Atlantic slave trade from three different perspectives. Winsome Pinnock superbly weaves together the stories of Lou, a 21st-century actress who finds herself bound by historical legacy; Thomas, a sailor longing for the sea, living in Victorian Britain, and an ageing J.M.W Turner, who yearns for artistic inspiration.

Director Miranda Cromwell makes her Royal Exchange debut with this powerful and poetic play. Kiza Deen (The Phlebotomist) will take on the role of Lou, with Karl Collins (Nine Night) as Thomas and Paul Bradley (EastEnders) as the celebrated painter JMW Turner. The play also features BAFTA and Golden Globes nominee Cathy Tyson.

This performance invites us to question how the past is presented and who has the right to tell its stories.

Juxtaposing fact with fiction, the personal with the political, and the past with the present, this performance invites us to question how the past is presented and who has the right to tell its stories.

It feels very apt that this world premiere production will be performed in the Royal Exchange, where, in the mid-1800s, it is estimated that 80% of the world trade in finished cotton took place.

Rockets and Blue Lights at Royal Exchange Theatre, City Centre 12 March — 4 April 2020 Tickets from £19.00 Book now

What's on at Royal Exchange Theatre

Where to go near Rockets and Blue Lights at the Royal Exchange – CANCELLED

St Ann’s Square
City Centre
Park
St Ann’s Square

St Ann’s Square is a quiet little enclave of shops, with Barton’s Arcade set back from it on one side, and St Ann’s Church, which dates back to 1712 and…

Rapha Clubhouse Manchester
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Rapha Clubhouse Manchester

AKA cyclist heaven, Rapha is more than just a cycle-wear shop. It’s a place for anyone who loves cycling to congregate and celebrate the sport together.

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Bar or Pub
The Botanist

The Botanist on Deansgate, Manchester, does botanical cocktails and toothsome food with aplomb.

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Restaurant
Quill Manchester

Quill is a former bar and fine dining restaurant on Manchester’s King Street – it’s name drives the decoration and theme, with a spread-winged raven on the menu and ink in the drinks.

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King Street Manchester

King Street is one of the most picturesque parts of Manchester with buildings designed by Alfred Waterhouse and C.R. Cockerell. Once Manchester’s financial epicenter, it’s now home to high-end retail and fine dining.

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KAI Deansgate

Kai is a Turkish restaurant on Deansgate, set up by the brains behind the well-regarded Zouk restaurant. Expect excellent mezze plates and an open grill that releases wonderful aromas throughout the venue.

City Centre
Restaurant
Lunya Manchester

Lunya is a Spanish and Catalan deli and restaurant in Manchester’s stunning Barton Arcade. The food is reliably fresh and the staff both charming and incredibly knowledgable.

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