REVIEW - THESPIANS AT HOME MANCHESTER - A CHAOTIC AND VERY FUN THEATRE TRIP WITH DAD

Thespians at HOME Manchester - Our Press Night Experience

On Wednesday 8th July, my dad and I headed into Manchester for the press night of Thespians at HOME Manchester.

This was a show I had been looking forward to for quite a while. I had previously seen Peter Pan Goes Wrong, but this was my dad's first experience of a Mischief Theatre production, so I was interested to see what he would think of the company's first full musical.

We left my house at around 5:30pm and walked to the tram stop before catching the tram into Manchester at around 5:45pm.

One of the things I really like about visiting HOME is how straightforward it is to reach by public transport. After getting off the tram at Deansgate-Castlefield, it was only a short walk to the venue and we arrived just after 6pm.

As always, one of the first things we did after arriving was head over to the press desk to collect our tickets.

Next to the desk was a red carpet and a large Thespians backdrop featuring both the show's branding and the HOME Theatre logo, so naturally we stopped for a few photos before heading upstairs.

Staff were handing out glasses of fizz beside the red carpet and my dad picked one up before we made our way upstairs to the second floor for the pre-show drinks reception.

Drinks, Balloons & Photo Opportunities 🥂

We were some of the first guests to arrive upstairs and managed to grab a seat while the room slowly began to fill up.

Waiting at the bar were glasses of wine already poured out, jugs of orange juice and apple juice and a bucket filled with bottles and cans of lager.

My dad opted for a bottle of lager while I went for a glass of orange juice.

Unlike many theatre trips, there wasn't any merchandise available for this production and there were no programmes on sale either. Instead, guests were given a printed cast and creatives sheet, which we spent some time reading through while enjoying our drinks.

The room itself had been decorated with white and gold balloons and there was also a fun photo opportunity where guests could place their heads through and become part of the Thespians artwork.

Of course, my dad and I couldn't resist giving it a go ourselves.

One of the friendly HOME staff members kindly offered to take our photo for us and it ended up being one of my favourite pictures from the evening.

There was also another backdrop featuring repeated HOME Theatre logos where guests and members of the cast later stopped for photographs throughout the reception.

My dad and I spent the next hour chatting, looking through the cast information sheet and enjoying another drink while more guests gradually arrived.

Before long, some of the cast and creatives joined the reception and stopped for photographs in front of the HOME backdrop before everyone started making their way towards the auditorium.

Our Seats At HOME Manchester 🎟️

At around 7:25pm we headed into the theatre and found our seats.

For this performance we were seated in the Circle, Row C, Seats 7 and 8.

The view was excellent.

Our seats were centrally positioned with a clear, uninterrupted view of the entire stage and I would happily choose those seats again for a future visit.

I've always found the sightlines at HOME to be very good and this was no exception.

The show began promptly at 7:30pm and ran for approximately 2 hours and 40 minutes including a 20-minute interval.

The first act lasted around 65 minutes before the interval, while the second act ran for approximately 75 minutes, bringing the performance to an end shortly after 10:10pm.

Mischief Theatre Goes Musical 🎶

Going into the evening, I knew surprisingly little about Thespians other than the fact that it marked Mischief Theatre's first venture into musical theatre.

Set in Ancient Greece in 534 BC, the story follows a group of islanders who accidentally discover the art of acting and storytelling while attempting to save their community.

As strange as that premise sounds, it somehow works brilliantly.

Fans of Mischief Theatre will find plenty of the theatrical chaos, visual comedy and misunderstandings that the company has become famous for, while the musical format feels like a surprisingly natural fit for their style of comedy.

There are Greek mythology jokes, theatrical in-jokes, larger-than-life characters and plenty of moments that had the audience around us laughing throughout the evening.

One thing I particularly enjoyed was the number of references and playful nods to the wider world of musical theatre hidden throughout the show.

As someone who spends a lot of time watching musicals, spotting some of those references became part of the fun and I suspect many theatre fans will leave having noticed entirely different ones themselves.

What impressed me most though was how accessible the humour remained.

Even if someone had never seen another musical before, there would still be plenty here to enjoy.

My dad and I both found ourselves laughing regularly throughout the performance and there were several moments where audience laughter almost drowned out the next line entirely.

The songs were also much stronger than I had expected going in and I still had several of them stuck in my head on the tram home later that evening.

While I personally preferred the second half of the show once the characters and world had been fully established, there was plenty to enjoy throughout and it was lovely watching the audience become more and more invested in the story as the evening went on.

The Journey Home 🚋

Once the curtain calls had finished, my dad and I joined the crowds making their way back out into Manchester.

We made the short walk back to Deansgate-Castlefield tram stop before catching the tram home, chatting about the show and some of our favourite moments from the evening along the way.

It had been a really enjoyable night out and it was lovely to share another theatre trip with my dad.

Final Thoughts ⭐

Overall, my dad and I had a really enjoyable evening at HOME Manchester.

The drinks reception and photo opportunities helped make the press night feel that little bit more special and the production itself delivered exactly the kind of theatrical chaos audiences have come to expect from Mischief Theatre.

While it may not quite reach the heights of some of the company's biggest hits for me personally, there is still plenty here to enjoy and it was fascinating seeing Mischief take their first steps into the world of musical theatre.

With catchy songs, plenty of laughs and enough theatrical references to keep musical theatre fans smiling, Thespians makes for a fun and entertaining night out.

Most importantly though, it was another lovely theatre trip to share with my dad.

More Information About Thespians 📍

Thespians is at HOME Manchester until Saturday 18th July 2026.

Tickets are available to purchase through the HOME Manchester website.

For more information about the production and future tour dates, visit the official Mischief Theatre website.

If you'd like to read my more theatre-focused review, you can also head over to All About Theatre.

🎥 Watch Our Visit In Weekly Vlog #459

If you'd like to see what I got up to during my trip to see Thespians, you'll be able to watch our visit in Weekly Vlog #459 once the vlog goes live.

At A Glance

📍 Venue: HOME Manchester

📅 HOME Run: Until Saturday 18th July 2026

⏱️ Runtime: Approx. 2 hours 40 minutes including interval

☕ Interval: 20 minutes

🎟️ Tickets From: £27.50 available from HOME Manchester's Website

👤 Age Guidance: 8+

🎭 Genre: Musical Comedy

💺 Our Seats: Circle Row C Seats 7 & 8

👀 Seat View: Excellent central view of the stage

🎶 Features: Greek mythology jokes, theatrical references and original songs

📖 Programme Available: No

🛍️ Merchandise Available: No merchandise available at this performance

🚋 Travel: HOME is easily accessible by tram, bus and train

🚊 Closest Tram Stop: Deansgate-Castlefield

🚆 Closest Train Station: Deansgate

🌍 Tour Dates: Visit the official Mischief Theatre website for future tour dates and show information.