Back at the Quays

The Lyric Theatre in Salford Quays is probably the theatre I've visited the most in regards to different productions, having performed a dozen or so different Showcase concerts, plus Hairspray, Wicked and now The Addams Family within its hallowed walls. Having rattled around in the metallic acoustics of the Bord Gais Energy Theatre, Dublin, for the past fortnight, the warmer curtaining & carpeting of the Lyric's auditorium is taking some getting used to!

The Quays itself is, as ever, sparkling in the August sunshine. It's always a joy to come back to find even more restaurants and bars appearing around the area, having remembered a time when the canal side was merely just an outlet mall and the theatre. Today alone, The Botanist and The Alchemist both open bars alongside the complex.

It means for me that I get to stay at my parents' cottage in the Cheshire countryside. They are away in France at the moment on holiday so I get the place pretty much to myself, bar a pet cat or two. One of the things that makes touring bearable is knowing that Smithy Cottage awaits in the middle of the United Kingdom when I'm on my travels!

August was of course largely dominated with being on the road with the Addams Family, which played in the large theatres in Cardiff & Dublin, meaning we've had six long summer(ish) weeks performing shows by the waterside. The show continues to go down well, although being an unfamiliar musical largely requires on word of mouth to fill the auditorium each night.

There was quite a lot of journeying back-and-forth between Cardiff and London, in part due to continuing to familiarise myself with Matilda the Musical whilst West End rehearsals continue, but also to witness the fabulous spectacle that was the World Athletics Championships in London, bringing back all the memories of the Olympics in 2012. Juggling all three made for quite the whistle-stop fortnight, but it was quite exhilarating!

September sees The Addams Family tour continue, alongside a little more Matilda-watching. We have another week in Salford to go, then off to Sheffield, Bristol and then closer to the London area with a week in Woking.