What's On at 53two
At 53two we try to offer as diverse and exciting range of events as possible. These range from theatre productions, live music and quizzes, to corporate events, live podcasts, weddings, parties and more. We hold events both in the Bar area and Theatre area.
Below you will see a list of our upcoming events. Click on an image for more detail around them and a link to booking. Alternatively, check out the calendar opposite and search for a specific date.
If you have any questions about the events, please feel free to drop us a line. All events are fully accessible. Look out for specific listings for BSL interpreted events and events that also have Unwaged Tickets for sale.
DR Q - QUIZ NIGHT!
25th March7:30pm
£2 per head (CASH ONLY!)
He defeated The Governess on 'The Chase', made the 'Fifteen to One' grand final, came last on 'Supermarket Sweep'...
Now he writes questions for 'Mastermind'!
So, get revising & join the Doctor for an evening of quizzing brilliance!!
Join Dr Q for a good time in the arches!
PIANOKE!
4th Nov
8:30pm - 12:00pm
FREE ENTRY
It's like karaoke, but with a piano!
Pop along and give us your best rendition of 'Gold', 'Lady Gaga' or 'Madame Thénardier' and make yourself the master of our house.
Don't sing? Sit back and sample some of Manchester's finest singers.
DIDDY DISCO
FAMILY FRIENDLY!
BOOKING SOON
12:00 - 14:00
FREE - Booking Essential
A time for our younger patrons (Under 5's) and their carers to come, have a boogie, maybe play some games and meet some other 53two Didi's whilst the older folk can kick back, grab a coffee (or something stronger!) and put the world to rights with like minded people. (Older folk are allowed to dance too!).
The event is completely free, but, please do reserve a ticket as numbers are limited!
TESTING TESTING
With Toby Hadoke
LAST SUNDAY OF THE MONTH
Tickets £10 INCLUDING A £5 drinks voucher
PWYC Tickets Available
DOORS 7pm - SHOW 7:30pm
Presented by Toby Hadoke, top circuit comedians try out their new material in the arches of 53two. Who turns up, you never know but an evening of sheer quality is guaranteed.
Comedy at it's finest beneath the iconic brick arches of 53two.
Grab a pie and a pint before the show for just £10!
Testing, Testing is not quite like other gigs. We do things differently here. The acts have come for a safe, fun space to try their new stuff. They don’t need your “help” - so, thank goodness, you can leave your heckles at home. Also, the gig’s really good - so you don’t need your phone, and we ask you to respect your fellow audience members and the acts by taking any conversation you may wish to engage in outside. Toby’s an affable chap but he has zero tolerance for bad manners : comics like to do this show because he’s made it nice. Don’t be the one to make it not nice. Thank you!
XS MALARKEY
Every Tuesday*
(Check dates to confirm)
Doors: 7:00pm - Show: 8:00pm
Tickets £6
(£3 for members - become a member!)
XS Malarkey is a not-for-profit comedy club, hosted every week by Toby Hadoke, and eagerly maintained by a group of minions who do his bidding on a regular basis.
Despite our low door price, we put on shows with professional comedians and rising stars of the comedy circuit, also giving newcomers a chance to practise their material in front of a supportive and quite frankly fantastic audience, many of whom are just as obsessed with comedy as we are. We feed our audience’s comedy obsession by running a membership scheme charging a ludicrously cheap £3 per ticket. We don’t do group discounts, because to be honest – we’re cheap enough already!
COCK
13th - 17th November
7:00pm
Tickets £14 (£10 Conc) - Not Including Booking Fee
COCK?!
No, you don’t see one, and no, it isn’t really about that. Mike Bartlett’s witty, provoking 2009 drama, Cock, focuses on a gay man who falls for a woman. It asks whether it’s who or what we’re attracted to that matters.
A provocatively titled play about an unlikely love triangle that was a huge hit in London and New York.
John has been with his boyfriend for seven years, so it’s a surprise to them both when John meets and falls in love with a woman. But is it love or is it infatuation? Or maybe it’s just the allure of something different or a kind of normalcy that society has convinced him he really wants?
A playful, candid look at one man’s sexuality and the difficulties that arise when you realize you have a choice.
The Evening Standard called it ‘a smart, prickly and rewarding view of sexual and emotional confusion’ while to the Guardian it was ‘a sharp, witty study of a man helplessly torn.’
DIRECTED BY Rupert Hill
PRODUCED BY HER Productions & UP 'ERE Productions
ASSISTANT PRODUCER: Paris Rogers
ICT PRESENT AN AMATEUR PRODUCTION OF
PEER GYNT
21st & 22nd November
21/11 - 7:30pm
22/11 - 2:30pm & 7:30pm
Tickets: £11.55 - £15
Peer Gynt by Henrik Ibsen translated by David Rudkin.
“What does it really mean? To be oneself?”
Liar, Narcissist, Fantasist. Testament to a life misused, hymn to the self. Peer is a man peeled to nothing, a recycled Faust, an inconsequential Hamlet. Here we bring you David Rudkin’s extraordinary condensed, poetic, translation in a bold physical production with a new musical score. And then of course there are the Trolls…
“(A) Promethean masterpiece” New York Times
SPENT HEN
25th November
7:00pm
Tickets: FREE
THIS IS A WORK IN PROGRESS, SCRIPT IN HAND READING
A Reading of Spent Hen by Connie Kerr
Spent Hen always assumed she would have children - she took it for granted. She didn’t really think about it - until it didn’t happen.
Join our messed up, stressed out heroine as she navigates her unplanned, ill-conceived, new normal and attempts to live with the consequences.
If you’ve ever recoiled at the phrase ‘As a mother...’ or wondered what boobs are for if there’s no-one to latch on, Spent Hen is here for you.
Darkly comic, with gentle enquiry at its heart, you’ll laugh and cry at this real-life inspired story of grief and gratitude.
Bember
27th November
8:00pm
Tickets £10 (£9 Conc) - Not Including Booking Fee
PWYC Tickets Available
Bember has hit rock bottom, or so she thinks…rock-near-bottom. Funny. That’s what she said. Sorry? Alright, she is a little avoidant. In 'Bember' we follow a series of intense therapy sessions in which, in-spite of Bember’s determination to break Dr. Grayson and Dr. Grayson's stoney, unorthodox, unprofessional practice, we get to the root of Bember’s pursuit of chaos. She is confident, captivating and quick-witted, but under the surface lies a weighty tangle of unanswered questions about her dark and complex past. At its core, ‘Bember’ is an unfiltered exploration of the hindrances and inevitabilities of living with childhood trauma in the context of the modern female experience. But don't worry, it's funny.
Run time - 1hr.
Christmas Under The Arches
5th & 6th December
7:30pm
Tickets £10 - £19
Kickstart your Christmas in the heart of the city with Manchester Vocal Ensemble and 53two!
Our Christmas shows have sold out for the last two years so grab your tickets and start your
newest festive tradition with your favourite Christmas music.
WHAT TO EXPECT?
In the first set you will hear our original vocal arrangements of audience pop favourites. In
the second set you will be treated to a host of sumptuous, seasonal favourites with
Manchester Vocal Ensemble’s signature rich vocal harmonies. Whether you’re a seasoned
concert-goer, or if it’s your first time, we promise a dynamic and exhilarating performance for
all.
BUMP(S) - A Christmas Musical
11th - 23rd Dec
7:30pm
14th & 21st - 2pm
15th - 5pm
20th - 3pm
Tickets £13 - Not Including Booking Fee
PWYC Tix Available
EARLYBIRD £10!
Jessie’s struggling with losing her mum, growing up and dealing with things that only adults should be dealing with. But, when do we grow up? Her step mother Janine, has been asking herself this question for the last 10 years.
So journey with us to the tiny town of Pinkerford, for a heartwarming tale of life, from birth to adulthood, the ups and the downs, the friends, the enemies, love, loss and all the things in between. All wrapped up in a Christmas bow, live music and with the cosy-festive joy that 53two are known to deliver.
FunNYE '24!
31st Dec
7:30pm - 2:00am
Tickets £25 - Not Including Booking Fee
PLATINUM TABLE (5)- £170
GOLD TABLE (4) - £125
UNWAGED Tix Available - £10
Join us for the second ever FunNYE - a New Years Eve celebration that gives you everything you need, and more.
A line up of QUALITY stand up from some top UK comedians, led by the mighty Toby Hadoke followed by quality Live Music from one of the best local bands, to take us through to midnight.
All under one roof, an affordable, full evening of entertainment, in a safe, brilliant venue, in the heart of the city!
Come join us!
David Alnwick performs
THE SIGNALMAN
by Charles Dickens
23rd January
8:00pm
After bringing his hit show 'The Mystery of Dracula' to 53Two, David Alnwick is back for the festive season with Charles Dickens' classic Christmas ghost story... THE SIGNALMAN.
A lone traveller befriends a railway signalman with a terrifying tale to tell.
David Alnwick is an actor, writer, and magician, and the first half of the show will be a live performance demonstration of Victorian Spiritualism, followed by a classic Dickensian style performance of The Signalman.
Expect an evening of ghosts, illusions, and chilling tales.
Praise for previous work:
“Like seemingly everything that Alnwick produces, the magic itself is flawless, and the storytelling aspect is equally perfectly performed.” - ★★★★★ World Magic Review
“Really well done... thoroughly enjoyed it... Really impressive work” - Andy Nyman (Derren Brown’s director and writer of West-End hit ‘Ghost Stories’)
“Alnwick skilfully cranks up the suspense and intrigue as he delves deeper into the darker side of magic.” – NowThen Magazine
Click here to see audience reactions for Alnwick’s 2023 hit ‘The Mystery of Dracula’: https://youtu.be/2SWfdQBtrbw
Age recommendation is 12+
SHADOWED DREAMER
20TH & 21ST FEB
7:30pm
Tickets £10 - Not Including Booking Fee
Shadowed Dreamer: A story of survival, determination and belief.
After 14 years and a successful run in New York, Shadowed Dreamer will be on at 53two for two nights starring actor and writer Stephen Hart who shares his story of a life rebuilt that demonstrates the immense human capacity of one man.
With Q&A after each performance
Performed in LGBT History Month.
THE MAGIC BOOKMARK
With Mama G
22nd February
3:00pm
Tickets £15 (£12 Conc)
PWYC Tix Available
Join "everyone's favourite pantomime dame!" (Metro) and Britain's Got Talent semi-finalist Mama G on an award winning panto adventure, coming to you direct from New York!
Mama G loves reading inclusive stories, but evil Book Worm doesn’t see the point - so he steals all the books from Mama G’s library. Before the world can turn to chaos, she enlists the help of the mysterious and wonderful Magic Bookmark... and YOU!
Families are sure to love this storytelling show full of panto fun, interaction, song and dance, puppetry, and some of the finest picture books currently on the market!
"Mama G’s stories are sprinkled with tales of inclusivity and acceptance." - The Guardian
Run time - 75mins
JUST BREW IT
Nicole Chegwin, Emma Baim, Terri Jade Donovan
& Marcella Rick
27th February
7:30pm
Tickets £3-£12
'Just Brew It' is an evening of new work, written by local disabled playwrights: Nicola Chegwin, Emma Baim, Terri Jade Donovan & Marcella Rick.
'Brew Up Productions' will support 4 developing writers (mentored by Steph Lacey) to develop a new script idea, presented as part of 'JUST BREW IT'.
Just Brew It will culminate in a screening of Brew Up's debut short film: "A Day in the Life', exploring a day in the life of a disabled man, navigating the challenges and micro-aggressions present in every day life.
RUN TIME - 70 mins
KYLE KINANE
8th March
7:30pm
Tickets £27 (Excl Booking Fee)
Kyle isn't sure what the title has to do with the show, other than it sounds pretty cool. Also, perhaps you'll feel slightly absolved after realizing that at 47 years old, Kyle has far more questions than answers.
Kyle Kinane is a comedian from Addison, Illinois. According to Wikipedia, he is a notable person from that town. Other notable residents of Addison have been the boxer Leon Spinks and a woman who wrote poetry about Beanie Babies.
Raised in such a cultural fondue pot as this, it was natural for Kyle to find his way from warehouse work into show business. As a comedian, he has been seen on Conan, The Tonight Show, Netflix’s “The Standups,” and three of his own hour-length specials on Comedy Central. As an actor, he’s been in the Judd Apatow series “Love” and truTV’s “Those Who Can’t.” He was also on “Drunk History,” where he unfortunately wasn’t acting. As a voice over actor, he was the former voice of Comedy Central for 8 years and currently plays Bullet on the Netflix series “Paradise PD.” He is also cohost of the Boogie Monster podcast along with Dave Stone, and the
streaming show “Hey Girl” with Matt Braunger. As a musician, he has done nothing, as he is not a musician.
Kyle’s most recent standup work, “Trampoline In A Ditch,” was recorded at Comedy on State in Madison, Wisconsin and was released on 800 LB Gorilla Records in 2020. The album was accompanied by an animated short, produced by Meister.
“When you’re here, you’re family.”
THE FAMILY MAGIC SHOW
15th April
2:00pm
Tickets £10 (£7.50 Conc)
The legendary magician the Great Baldini tells the story of his, and Baldwin the magical dog’s, life from their first tricks to the height of their careers – attempting Houdini’s greatest escape. The show is packed with magic, sweets, puppetry, sweets, water, sweets, eggs, sweets, and escapology. It’s hilariously silly…with sweets.
Come and see two true magical superstars (Baldini and Baldwin) at the very pinnacle of their powers.
The Great Baldini is an award-winning member of the Magic Circle and the Bristol Stage Magic Champion.
“Incredible” Front Row, BBC Radio 4
“Charming, engaging, and charismatic. A pleasure.” FringeReview