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Playhouse Theatre

4.3 (13 reviews)
Open 10:00 am - 6:00 pm

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Recommended Reviews - Playhouse Theatre

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Philip S.

Liverpool Playhouse in Williamson Square is the UK's oldest established repertory theatre with excellent performances throughout the year. The Playhouse relates to creative excellence, artistic adventure and audience involvement. It has become the venue for numerous acclaimed new productions mainly of old plays, in contrast to its partner theatre, the Everyman, which has focused on new works. Although it is a small theatre, it is a classic gem of a building, not to be too underestimated by its size and caliber. I would recommend a visit to this venue, certainly if you're into theatre. As they say, laughter is the best medicine and that is exactly what you will get here!

Anthony S.

The Playhouse is Liverpool's flagship theatre bridging the much more commercial, popular musical production found at The Empire or Royal Court Theatre and the more fringe, experimental productions seen at The Everyman and Unity Theatre. The Playhouse has a grand tradition as it has been the venue for many great productions and performances by Scouse playwrites and actors. It still produces new plays often by more familiar names but will tend to put on revivals of modern/ 20th century plays such as Jonathon Pryce's performance in Harold Pinter's The Caretaker. The venue has a good mix of the new and traditional as the theatre is still a very old fashioned space and if you happen to be up near the roof as I was for a standup performance you can feel like you are hanging precariously over the stage. The bar, however, is a bright and modern part of the venue which has benefitted from the various donations and sponsorships that some of the city's notable cultural venues have been awarded in recent years.

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Playhouse Theatre Reviews in Other Languages

Review Highlights - Playhouse Theatre

I do feel a little sorry for the Playhouse as it is always sitting in the shadow of the Everyman.

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Everyman Theatre - Bar area

Everyman Theatre

4.7(7 reviews)
0.6 mi

Ok, this theater is AWESOME. We go to reclining theaters all the time back in LA, but sofa…read moreseating?? Never seen that before. It's ridiculously cozy and honestly made our date night feel extra special after running around doing touristy stuff all day. Parking was a breeze--literally across the street and only £1.50/hr after 6pm. Can't beat that. We saw The Roses, which was funny because we had joked back home about how cool it would be to watch it in the UK since both Benedict and Olivia are British... and yep, it happened. Totally surreal moment. Also loved the little personal touch: right before the movie started, a staff member actually came in, reminded everyone to silence phones, and had a quick word with the audience. Felt very film-festival-ish, like Sundance vibes. Bottom line: if you're in the city, definitely check this place out. And whoever designed those seats--you're my hero. Let's be friends.

Well, rather a lot has changed since the Everyman was last reviewed on Yelp...not least that the…read morebuilding was completely razed to the ground in 2011 and rebuilt into the magnificent and award winning (The Sterling Prize for Architecture 2014 no least!) creation that now resides in exactly the same spot as before. Not only is it a stunning piece of architecture but it is also a brilliant piece of environmentally friendly design with, amongst many other recycled elements, 25,000 bricks from the old Everyman and huge chimneys creating natural ventilation. There are even nesting boxes for swifts and bats. Bless. The ethos of the theatrical content remains the same though with a dedication to inspiring and engaging a wide variety of audiences by producing a huge variety of shows, a passion for delivering new writing, a flare for giving a contemporary twist to classic pieces and generally to producing world class theatre. I have hugely enjoyed the shows I have been to see since the re-opening in March 2014 and absolutely love the new auditorium; I immediately felt hugely at home in somewhere that feels so familiar despite looking so different. The new Ev Street Cafe is absolutely one off my favourite places to meet and eat in Liverpool and the food and service is always lovely. The downstairs Bistro had a shaky start (but then it had big shoes to fill...) but is definitely getting there and I really enjoy heading there for aftershow drinks and have had a couple of excellent pre-show meals there too. The only teeny weeny complaint I have is that sometimes the service in the foyer bar before shows and during intervals can be a little slow (it feels like they need one or two extra members of staff behind the bar but maybe there just isn't room!) but it really is a small complaint and has never majorly impacted on my enjoyment of an evening in the theatre. It was such a thrill for so many people in Liverpool when the Ev re-opened and certainly for me that thrill hasn't gone away. Long Live The Everyman Theatre!!

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Everyman Theatre - Movie theater

Movie theater

Everyman Theatre - Carrot cake

Carrot cake

Everyman Theatre

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Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts - Courtesy of LIPA website

Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts

4.0(5 reviews)
0.6 mi

From the outside, Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts looks like an impressive Georgian building…read morethat is home to important academics. In actual fact, it's an all singing, all dancing facility where students are encouraged to live out their Glee and Fame fantasies! Built in 1825, the building was originally used as a school for boys with past students including Paul McCartney and George Harrison. Hearing the building was empty and neglected in the late eighties, McCartney joined forces with entepeneur and Brit School founder Mark Featherstone-Witty to regenerate and re-open the building as a higher education facility for creatives. After a seven year struggle and mulit-million pound investment, the doors open in 1996 offering students diplomas, degrees and post-graduate programmes in everything from Performing Arts, Music, Dance and Sound Technology to Entertainment Management and Theatre and Performance Design. I've never studied at LIPA personally but if I was in my teens, I might aspire to. Alongside regular classes, there are masterclasses and Q&A sessions with industry veterans and musicians. Previous guests have included Trevor Horn, Malcolm McClaren, Antony H. Wilson, Alan McGee, Cathy Dennis and Will Young.

I lived with 8 LIPA students last year and dealt directly with the institute in helping to set up…read moreand promote performances across the city! I must say, this place breeds talent on a huge scale and I'd never lived amongst such a great group of people before. What's more is they all spoke highly of LIPA and all that it has to offer. LIPA has a huge success rate and many affiliations across the performance industry. It offers classes in singer/song writing, music management, performance, community performance, dance, acting and a wealth of interlinked modules. It's an expensive place to study and can be a hard place to get into due to the amount of applications that the institute receives each year.. But it's a great place, a really sound place (Excuse the pun). LIPA students have a great social community and I was proud to be a part of it as I met some fantastic and talented people from all corners of the globe!

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Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts
Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts - Courtesy of LIPA website

Courtesy of LIPA website

Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts - Courtesy of LIPA website

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Courtesy of LIPA website

The Little Theatre - From website

The Little Theatre

4.0(1 review)
16.8 mi

Little by name, little by exterior but certainly not little by nature. This Tardis of a theatre…read morelooks like barely anything from the outside, a narrow bit of building with a sign that makes one whimsical, thinking this is what theatres in urban New York must be like. Once you're inside it might look somewhat dated, it might not have the contemporary architecture or interior design of a lot of bigger, newer theatres these days, but there's a real gutsy David as opposed to Goliath feel to the place and it reminds me of the university theatre my drama group used to borrow for our productions. Yes, I was in a drama group when I was younger, big whoop, wanna fight about it? The Little Theatre just feels homey to me. The decor is rather traditional, the seats are usually red and in the auditorium they're those flippy ones that smack you in the buns when you stand up, and the staff are older than the usual types you get at theatres nowadays but you get the feeling they're working there for a reason - because they care. It's like all those old, beautiful cinemas that have sadly closed down and given way to multiplexes and bingo halls. I hope this never happens to The Little Theatre. People still go there because the stage is more than adequate for any production, be it Shakespeare or family friendly, Miller or Orton, heck, it's practically made for Beckett given the simplicity. And the bar's a really nice well polished area where you can chinwag and grab a nice strong G&T before the show. I think it certainly deserves to be here and alongside Southport's various arts centres and galleries, The Little Theatre stands proud as a symbol of the seaside town's excellent little culture hub. I love it.

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The Little Theatre - From website

From website

The Little Theatre - From website

From website

The Little Theatre - From website

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From website

Unity Theatre - from website

Unity Theatre

3.8(4 reviews)
0.6 mi
££

The Unity Theatre is to be commeneded for its commtiment to new theatre productions, new writers…read moreand local talent but with this in mind much of what goes on here can be a bit rough around the edges or hit and miss. With a scarcity of genuine artistic and experimental endeavour with regard some of the more obscure or alternative arts such as dance in Liverpool, The Unity is a vital outlet for such performances and nurturing a broader outlet for creativity in the city beyond music and playwriting especially when the prestigious Lippa institution is situated nearby. The building itself has benefitted from funding and development is a very pleasant, bright and modern space with a nice, if slightly sterile bar area.

Unity is another one of Liverpool's unique buildings that offer more in the way of culture through…read moreproviding a range of drama, dance, comedy, music and art. This place has won loads of awards, one's that have included: The Mersey Partnership Tourism Award for Best Venue, and The Scouseology Award. This place always offers a wide range of shows to suit everyone from young children to the older viewer. In addition, every year there is a festival for children; this makes it great for family day out and in my opinion we need more places that get children involved with music, art and drama encouraging them off the streets. Unity has been situated in Hope place for the last 26 years, and according to its website has attracted 'over 26,500 individual customers to over 260 performances each year'.

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Unity Theatre
Unity Theatre

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Wigan Little Theatre

Wigan Little Theatre

4.5(2 reviews)
17.6 mi

This is such a lovely theatre run with pride and care be dedicated volunteers. I recommend popping…read morealong to the bar for a pre or post show drink as the prices are extremely reasonable. The best bit of a pre-show visit is that you can order an interval drink there and then and when the interval comes it will be waiting for you- no queueing needed! There is an ice cream and sweets concession that also sells bottled water so if that's all you need you don't need to travel down to the bar. That, too, is very reasonably priced. The plays themselves are varied throughout a season there should be something for most interests. The acting, costume and set design certainly do not look amateurish considering this is an amateur theatre. One thing to note- I'm not sure how well the theatre does on disability access. To my untrained eye I couldn't see a way of getting a wheelchair user down the narrow steps to the subterranean bar. If this is a concern for you or your party I would consider checking with the theatre first before making any bookings.

This is a small (hence the name) theatre but it's very traditional. It looks a little out of place…read moreon the street as the original buildings that were alongside it have been knocked down. The history of the theatre dates back to 1943 and was known as the Friendly Society. They have a varied programme of events and the pantomime is always well worth a visit a Christmas. The ticket prices are very good, it's only £8 for an adult at the most with there been reductions of different days and for children and concessions. All major credit cards are accepted.

Liverpool Empire Theatre - from www.liverpoolempire.org.uk

Liverpool Empire Theatre

3.7(16 reviews)
0.3 mi

Bought 6 tickets for Wizard of Oz as a Christmas present for my family for the showing on 23…read moreDecember. 2 members of family became ill a few days before and the day before decided they were not well enough to go. I telephoned ATG tickets to ask for an exchange but was told I couldnt change as not 48 hours notice. How can anyone give 48 hours notice of illness! I had taken out ticket protection but it seems this is only for the ticket holder and as I wasnt ill I have now lost nearly £300 and my familys including my grandchildren's Christmas present has been ruined. Do not take out ticket protection. Waste of money. There are still seats available for this show so why they couldnt be exchanged I do not know. Impossible to get in touch with theatre direct. Can only deal with ATG tickets! Will be putting this on facebook too.

Couldn't get tickets for this show in Manchester so we got them for Liverpool …read more. Came to watch The Impossible for my Sons birthday as he loves all magic & Dare devil stunts. The show was amazing from start to finish with illusions, magic & tricks... The Theatre reminds me of the Palace in Manchester which I love... Lovely bar area for refreshments during interval, but a little pricey bought my son a small tub of ice cream which cost £4. Definitely will return to this theatre though .

Photos
Liverpool Empire Theatre - From www.liverpoolempire.org.uk

From www.liverpoolempire.org.uk

Liverpool Empire Theatre - From www.liverpoolempire.org.uk

From www.liverpoolempire.org.uk

Liverpool Empire Theatre - From www.liverpoolempire.org.uk

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From www.liverpoolempire.org.uk

Playhouse Theatre - theater - Updated May 2026

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