Theatre and Concert Visits
Contact: Margaret Hinde
Tel: 01565 872643
Email: info@knutsfordu3a.co.uk
BOOKINGS FOR THEATRE AND CONCERT VISITS – Clarification of Procedure
The preferred method of booking is by Credit / Debit card or PayPal on our On-line Tickets page. It is very easy to use and you will get email confirmation of your booking.
Alternatively bookings can be made by using a bookings form and a cheque made payable to Knutsford u3a. PLEASE use a separate booking form and a separate cheque (with the name of the performance on the back of the cheque) for each event and send to Margaret Hinde, 1 Warford Hall Drive, Great Warford, Alderley Edge, SK9 7TR. If you want confirmation that you have the places you want, please enclose a stamped addressed envelope. Usually your cheque will not be paid in until two weeks before the event. If an outing is fully booked when we receive your cheque you will be informed and placed on the waiting list.
Places on u3a trips and outings can only be booked for full or associate members of Knutsford u3a. If you need to bring a companion/carer to enable you to take part in a trip or visit please see our Accessibility Policy.
We hope to take bookings for the current performances at our general meetings but cannot guarantee the availability at the time of the meeting. In other words please book early to be sure of a place!
‘SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION’
Theatr Clwyd, Mold
Saturday, 16th May, 2.30pm
Coach leaves Knutsford Bus Station at 11 am prompt
£50 including transport but not lunch
This is another popular Saturday matinee at the newly restored Theatr Clwyd in Mold. Lynda Harris has kindly agreed to organise this, so please contact her with any queries on 07770 837820.
We will be leaving at 11.00 am to give us a comfortable time for lunch before the show. This can be in the restaurant in the theatre or you can book your own table at the Glasfryn, the nearby Brunning and Price pub, on 01352 750500.
Shawshank Redemption is based on a 1982 Stephen King story and is well remembered for the 1994 feature film and it examines desperation, injustice, friendship and hope behind the claustrophobic bars of a maximum security facility. Andy Dufresne is handed a double life sentence for the brutal murders of his wife and her lover, despite protestations of his innocence. He is incarcerated in the notorious Shawshank facility and quickly learns that no one can survive alone. Andy strikes up an unlikely friendship with the prison fixer Red, and things start to take a slight turn for the better. However, when Warden Stammas decides to bully Andy into subservience and exploit his talents for accountancy, a desperate plan is quietly hatched.
This professional production has an ‘all-star’ cast and is on a national tour for six months, before finishing in the West End in June. It has already received excellent reviews, calling it ‘a thrilling production’.
Tickets can easily be booked using our On-line Tickets page or by sending a completed booking form, together with your cheque made payable to Knutsford U3A, to Lynda Harris at 10 Lindop Close, Knutsford WA16 8AY.
Please note that if you pay on-line for yourself but wish to sit with a particular person, please indicate this in the ‘additional persons’ section of the form (first box).
Any remaining tickets will be on sale at the February monthly members meeting.
‘PRIVATE LIVES’
By Noel Coward
“Witty and entertaining, a play that stands the test of time”
The Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester
Tuesday, April 21st, 7.30 pm
SOLD OUT
Coach leaves Knutsford Bus Station at 6 pm prompt
Cost, including transport, £46.00
‘Private Lives’ has been entertaining audiences since the 1930’s and was a spectacular success at the National Theatre last year. Timeless comedy which, in the hands of the Exchange Theatre, should not disappoint.
It is a witty exploration of love, passion and turbulent relationships between a divorced couple who accidentally meet in ‘very flat’ Norfolk, while each is honeymooning with their new, more conventional , partners.
Sparkling dialogue and art deco glamour – what’s not to like?
‘TOP HAT’
Music and lyrics by Irving Berlin
Wednesday, April 1st, 7.30 pm.
The Lowry theatre, Salford
SOLD OUT
Cost, £62.00 including transport
Coach departs Knutsford Bus Station at 6pm prompt
‘The musical equivalent of the finest vintage champagne!’
‘Effervescent, elegant and exhilarating’
This stage production of ‘Top Hat’ is based on the classic 1935 film which starred Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. It has won the Olivier award for Best New Musical and the Evening Standard award for Best Night Out. Irving Berlin’s sparkling witty dialogue and irresistible score includes some of Hollywood’s greatest songs:- Cheek to Cheek; Let’s Face the Music and Dance; Top Hat, White Tie and Tails; Putting on the Ritz to name just a few. We are promised stunning choreography, lavish sets and gorgeous costumes.
‘DON QUIXOTE’
A ballet by Carlos Acosta with the Birmingham Royal Ballet
Saturday matinee, March 7th, 2026
Lowry theatre Salford
SOLD OUT
Cost, including transport, £63.00
Coach departs 12.30 pm prompt
I was thinking it was time we went to a ballet again, so I was very pleased to see that ‘Don Quixote’ was coming to the Lowry! This is the first revival of Director Carlos Acosta’s 2022 production with the Birmingham Royal Ballet, a ‘stunning 19th century masterpiece’, with delightful music played by the Royal Ballet Sinfonia.
An explosion of Spanish sunshine, this is the story of Don Quixote’s quest to track down his true love with his loyal servant Sancho Panza, told with spectacular dance and vivacious comedy.
I have reserved some very good seats in the circle. Tickets for the ballet, particularly in the circle, are inevitably rather expensive! So I am offering these tickets, including your coach travel, at a considerably reduced price. Some Spanish sunshine in March seemed an attractive idea!
‘TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD’
Thursday, 22nd January 2026, 7.30 pm
Cost, including transport, £52.00
SOLD OUT
The Lowry Theatre, Salford
Coach departs Knutsford bus station at 6.00 pm
This riveting, award-winning adaptation of the much loved classic story, ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’, by Harper Lee became a sell out sensation in both Broadway and the West End. Now this thrilling court room drama tours UK for the first time.
Set in 1930’s Alabama, exploring themes of racial injustice, and childhood innocence, the story follows Atticus Finch, a lawyer defending a black man accused of raping a white woman. Atticus encourages kindness and empathy in his children, as he resolves to uncover the truth in a town that seems determined to hide it.
With five star reviews from the major papers, it is described as ‘powerful’ ‘uplifting’ and ‘deeply moving’.
DATES FOR YOUR DIARY
May 16th, 2026 – A Saturday matinee of ‘Shawshank Redemption’ at Theatr Clwyd, Mold
June 12th, 2026 – A performance of ‘Around the World in Eighty Days’ at the New Vic, Stoke.
Tickets will be on sale in February.