Hope Mill Theatre has announced a special fundraising concert of Acorn Antiques The Musical set to take place at the Shaftesbury Theatre, London, on 9 November 2025, followed by a second performance at the Manchester Opera House on 16 November 2025.
The London concert will be a one-night-only event starting at 7:30pm, while the additional show in Manchester has been added due to popular demand after the initial concert scheduled for 2 November 2025. Tickets for these new dates will be available from 10am on 30 June 2024.
Acorn Antiques The Musical is a comedic parody based on the original sketch created by Victoria Wood for her television series Victoria Wood As Seen on TV. The musical spoofs classic soap opera tropes such as improbable plot twists and melodramatic characters, centred on the lives of sisters Miss Babs and Miss Berta, who run the fictional antiques shop ‘Acorn Antiques’ in the fictional town of Manchesterford. Their world is threatened by developers planning to replace the high street with trendy shops, forcing the characters to confront financial troubles and family secrets.
The concert version will be directed by Hope Mill’s Joseph Houston and William Whelton, with musical direction by Nigel Lilley and choreography by Sammy Murray. Further casting and creative details are yet to be revealed.
Victoria Wood’s Acorn Antiques began as a sketch ripping the you-know-what out of popular soap operas such as Crossroads and Waggoners Walk, noted for their often low-budget sets and over-the-top acting. The stage musical version premiered in 2005 at the Theatre Royal, Haymarket, directed by Trevor Nunn and featuring cast members from the original TV series including Julie Walters, Celia Imrie, and Duncan Preston. The production garnered critical acclaim, securing several Olivier Award nominations and winning Best Supporting Actress in a Musical for Imrie’s performance.
This concert marks part of the 10th anniversary celebrations of Hope Mill Theatre, with proceeds supporting its Outreach programme, which includes Hope Mill Theatre School and plans to develop a new community space within the venue. The fundraiser aims to help sustain these initiatives and enhance the theatre’s connection to the local community.
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