Manchester Theatre News & Reviews
In Conversation with HARRY CLAYTON-WRIGHT discussing Mr Blackpool at Lowry
WATCH THE VIDEO HERE
We chatted to Harry Clayton-Wright about his latest show coming to Lowry, Salford for one night only on Saturday 2nd May 2026. Karen Ryder asks the questions.
Presented by Lowry + Word of Warning
Mr Blackpool is an end of the pier show at the end of the world from multi-award winning theatre maker Harry Clayton-Wright.
Set in the not too distant future against the decimated backdrop of climate collapse or late stage capitalism – you decide, could be both – four Blackpool performers embed the history of ‘end of the pier’ entertainment into a series of turns inspired by their lives and stories, the town’s history and modern politics. Through cabaret, magic, dance and drag, this is cultural archaeology and satire at its campiest, presented in lurid technicolor and garish seaside spectacle.
Remember your first time being led astray by a Liza Minnelli tribute act? Thought not. Been rugby tackled by stag and hen parties whilst dressed in a mascot costume on Blackpool’s Golden Mile? Perhaps you just had a paper round? These are quotidian tales in the life of a Blackpool entertainer serving as inspiration for this bold new work.
But who is this haunted impresario leading you through the night? What’s beyond the feathers and rhinestones? The smiles covered in petroleum jelly? The sparkle and shine of the seafront? Don’t worry about that, you’re on holiday. The evening awaits you with Mr Blackpool.
Set in the not too distant future against the decimated backdrop of climate collapse or late stage capitalism – you decide, could be both – four Blackpool performers embed the history of ‘end of the pier’ entertainment into a series of turns inspired by their lives and stories, the town’s history and modern politics. Through cabaret, magic, dance and drag, this is cultural archaeology and satire at its campiest, presented in lurid technicolor and garish seaside spectacle.
Remember your first time being led astray by a Liza Minnelli tribute act? Thought not. Been rugby tackled by stag and hen parties whilst dressed in a mascot costume on Blackpool’s Golden Mile? Perhaps you just had a paper round? These are quotidian tales in the life of a Blackpool entertainer serving as inspiration for this bold new work.
But who is this haunted impresario leading you through the night? What’s beyond the feathers and rhinestones? The smiles covered in petroleum jelly? The sparkle and shine of the seafront? Don’t worry about that, you’re on holiday. The evening awaits you with Mr Blackpool.
