Hope Mill Theatre announces that Acorn Antiques The Musical will return to the stage for one night only at Manchester Opera House on Sunday, 2 November 2025. This special fundraising concert will be directed by Hope Mill’s own Joseph Houston and William Whelton, with musical direction and supervision by Nigel Lilley and choreography by Sammy Murray.
Tickets will be on sale from 10am on Tuesday, 6 May.
Set in Manchesterford, Acorn Antiques follows the quaint, old-fashioned shops run by sisters Miss Babs and Miss Berta. They are assisted by business partner Mr Clifford, elderly tea lady Mrs Overall, and two ‘pitiful adolescents’. Their cosy world faces a threat from developers who want to turn their high street into a collection of coffee bars and sexy underwear shops. As the plot unfolds, Miss Babs and Miss Berta are faced with financial woes and family secrets, including a lost triplet sister. Will the innocent antique dealers fight off the developers and a sinister loan shark? Can they find the missing will of their father? And will Miss Berta ever find true love?
This laugh-out-loud musical parody will have you rolling in the aisles and toe-tapping along. Don’t miss this special one-off performance.
Victoria Wood originally wrote Acorn Antiques as a weekly slot in her sketch show, Victoria Wood As Seen on TV. She based it on the long-running serial Crossroads and radio soap Waggoners Walk, taking swipes at soaps with their wobbly sets, overacting, cheesy dialogue, and wildly improbable plots. Its premise—the lives and loves of the staff of an antiques shop—lampooned the staples of soap operas: love triangles, amnesiacs, sudden deaths, and siblings reunited.
In 2005, Victoria Wood created the musical version, intending to give people a “lovely, happy night in the theatre”. It was directed by Trevor Nunn with choreography by Stephen Mear and opened at the Theatre Royal, Haymarket, enjoying a sellout season. Several key members of the original cast joined the stage production, including Julie Walters, Celia Imrie, and Duncan Preston, with Victoria Wood alternating with Julie Walters in the role of Mrs Overall. The show earned several Olivier Award nominations, including Best New Musical and winning Best Supporting Actress in a Musical for Celia Imrie.
The concert will celebrate 10 years of Hope Mill Theatre, with all box office money going towards their Outreach programme, which includes Hope Mill Theatre School, as well as funding a brand-new community space within Hope Mill.
Artistic Director of Hope Mill Theatre, Joseph Houston, said: “In celebration of our 10th Anniversary and after the success of our previous concert stagings, Gypsy and NINE, we are thrilled to be bringing Acorn Antiques back to the stage and to its rightful home of Manchester! 20 years ago, Acorn Antiques opened in the West End, starring many of the original cast members, including Julie Walters, Celia Imrie, and Victoria Wood herself. In 2007, the show embarked on a tour of the UK with a revised version of the script, directed by Victoria Wood, and it is this version that we are honoured to be bringing back to audiences. Featuring much-loved musical numbers including ‘Macaroons’ and ‘Tip Top Tap’ and set against the backdrop of Manchesterford, inside the iconic Acorn Antiques shop, this is a hilarious musical extravaganza and myself and Will are so honoured to be working on it alongside the Victoria Wood Estate.”
Nigel Lilley from the Victoria Wood Foundation and musical director & supervisor said: “Working with Victoria on the tour of Acorn Antiques remains the giggliest rehearsal period I can remember. Vic was in her element—often working through the night to produce solid gold re-writes, gently giving us daily masterclasses in comic timing, and generally just delighting in those wonderful characters that she’d created so many years before. I think Vic would be thrilled that we are dusting off our Marigolds and bringing the show back to Manchesterford—where it rightfully belongs!”
Listings and ticket information can be found here.
