A Wise Children, Birmingham Rep, HOME Manchester, Royal Lyceum Theatre Edinburgh and York Theatre Royal co-production presents

Blue Beard

Written and directed by Emma Rice

Emma Rice brings her own brand of theatrical wonder to this most beguiling and disturbing of tales.

Multi-award-winning director, Emma Rice (Wise Children, Malory Towers, Romantics AnonymousTristan & Yseult, The Flying Lovers of Vitebsk and Brief Encounter) returns to HOME with her ground-breaking theatre company Wise Children for her latest world premiere production, a music-fuelled feminist revenge on the magician who first seduces, then obliterates.

Blue Beard the Magician makes hearts flutter and pupils dilate. With a wink, a stroke and a flick – things just seem to vanish.

Cards, coins, scarves… and women. Puff! Gone. Without a trace.

He meets his match when his young bride discovers his dark and murderous secret.
She summons all her rage, all her smarts and all her sisters to bring the curtain down on his tyrannous reign.

Written and directed by Emma Rice, with her signature sleight of hand, Blue Beard explores curiosity and consent, violence and vengeance – all through an intoxicating lens of music, wit and tender truth.

When someone tells you not to look, OPEN THE BLOODY DOOR!

In 2022, Sky Arts named Emma amongst Britain’s 50 most influential artists of the last 50 years, and The Times put Tristan & Yseult on its list of the 25 best theatre productions of the 21st century.

About Wise Children

Created and led by Emma Rice, Wise Children launched in April 2018 and is an Arts Council England National Portfolio Organisation. Based in the South West, we make ground-breaking work with exceptional artists, and tour across the world. Alongside our shows, we run a unique professional development programme, The School for Wise Children, training a new and more diverse generation of theatre practitioners. We have just bought a building, The Lucky Chance, in Frome, Somerset which we use as our creation space, a home for the School and make theatre in which to welcome audiences of all shapes and sizes. We launched The Lucky Chance to the general public in December 2023 with The Little Matchgirl and Happier Tales.

Blue Beard in rehearsals

Reviews

A new Emma Rice production is always an event. Rice offers idiosyncrasy in abundance, the Wes Anderson of the theatre world.

Fiona Mountford - i News

★★★★★ A wondrous, beguiling playground of the imagination.

New York Times on Wise Children’s Wuthering Heights

★★★★★ A wildly imaginative, exhilarating piece of theatre

Daily Mail on Wise Children’s Wuthering Heights

★★★★★ Everyone involved is reaching for the heights in this emotionally epic entertainment

The Times on on Wise Children’s Wuthering Heights

Blue Beard Podacst

Duration:
2 hours

Running time: 2 hours (including an interval)

Suitable for ages 12+

WARNINGS: Contains sexual references and swearing

Tickets from £11.20 – £33.20

Groups of 10 – 39 get 10% off each full price ticket
Groups of 40+ get 15% off each full price ticket

Tickets for school groups are £11 each. A teacher gets a free place with every 10 student tickets. This offer is available on weekdays only and must be booked in advance.

Please email groups@homemcr.org or call Box Office on 0161 200 1500 (12:00-20:00 daily).

Accessible Performances

British Sign Language Interpreted Performance: Mon 19 Feb 19:30

Touch Tour: Wed 21 Feb 18:30
Audio Described Performance: Wed 21 Feb 19:30

Find out more about Access at HOME here and if you have any questions contact access@homemcr.org