Manchester is to get another world premiere production - with the announcement that a new Stock Aitken and Waterman musical will start its run here in the city. I Should Be So Lucky will premiere at Manchester Opera House in November before heading out on a UK tour.
The music producer trio of Mike Stock, Matt Aitken and Pete Waterman were behind some of the biggest pop hits of the 1980s and 90s. They launched the music careers of the likes of Kylie Minogue, Jason Donovan and Rick Astley.
Their smash hits include Kylie's I Should Be So Lucky, Jason's Too Many Broken Hearts and Rick's Never Gonna Give You Up. Fans can expect many of the songs from the Hit Factory (as they became known) to appear in the brand new jukebox musical.
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The show will follow a young couple, Ella and Nathan, who are hopelessly in love and about to get married. But things don't quite go to plan and the musical promises to be a hilarious and touching story using SAW's biggest hits.
I Should Be So Lucky will feature no less than 10 Number 1 singles and over 30 songs from the Hit Factory whose music defined an era. Written and directed by Debbie Isitt and choreographed by Jason Gilkison, the show will open at the Manchester Opera House on 1 November 2023 before playing the Christmas season at Leeds Grand Theatre & Opera House from 12 – 30 December 2023 before a UK tour.
Mike Stock said today: "We have been approached many times over the years to authorise a musical using the songs from the Stock Aitken Waterman catalogue and have always resisted, until now! What Debbie, Jason and the team behind the show have created is a truly original and shamelessly enjoyable rollercoaster ride through our hits."
Writer Debbie Isitt said: "The music of Stock Aitken Waterman has been the soundtrack to both my life and the lives of all my friends. Their songs range from wonderful ballads to real pop anthems to dance floor classics, which are all perfect for an original musical."
Manchester Opera House has a long history of being used for the world premiere runs of new musical productions. Last year it played host to the new Mrs Doubtfire musical production before it headed to the West End and previous premieres there include the Back to The Future musical and Ghost the musical.
How to get tickets
Tickets, priced from £13, are on sale now for the Manchester Opera House run, which will be from Thursday, November 2 to Saturday November 25.
The production will then head to Cardiff, Leeds, Southampton and Plymouth, with up to date ticket info at the official tour website here.
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