Even These Things

30 years after the IRA bomb went off in Manchester, Even These Things takes to the stage embracing Manchester’s rich history and the true moments that shape all our lives. This brand-new show is different from anything I’ve ever seen, full of humour and emotion and everything that binds a community. Three moments in time:1846, 1996, and 2026, all linked through Irish immigration in the 1800s, stereotypes born through experience, and the stories that our city could never forget.

The dynamics of this show were unlike any other, telling stories from the day of the bomb, and showing all sorts of people, who all felt so familiar. Even a prop malfunction showed the manc humour shine through, which just added to the sense of community at the centre of Manchester. It is so fitting that this show is being performed in the Royal Exchange Theatre, considering the bomb exploded just 50 metres away, and it took two years before it could reopen. This show showed that everyone just wanted to be a part of something, and that was the feeling that brought everyone together to rebuild our city.

I could not get over just how electrifying Elaine Cassidy’s (Aristocrats, Fathers and Sons, Disco Pigs) performance was. Taking on the role of a furious Irish woman, Annie Donovan, living in Manchester in 1846, Cassidy opened the show with a bang, pulling us in and truly shocking the audience with the lengths Annie would go to to avenge her pig. Cassidy filled the space, easily switching between accents and languages to form the different characters that Annie interacted with, humouring the audience with her abrupt and confident nature. Truly a sight to behold, and a brilliant debut at the Royal Exchange.

Katherine Pearce (Our Pals, No Pay No Way!, The Merry Wives of Windsor) led the most beautiful synopsis of the day of the bomb, following families and couples and anyone who found themselves in Manchester on the 15^th June 1996. Everyone who was there on that fateful day had a story, and Pearce told all of them with grace. She also played Jenny, a woman in 2026 looking to move back to Manchester. Jenny finds herself in conversation with Kaz, also played by Elaine Cassidy, and the two of them uncover uncomfortable truths, about each other, but also about the bombs. Pearce’s performance was so beautifully relatable and empathetic; I was moved by her earnest.

There are not enough words in the English language to describe just how incredible this show is, so you’ll just have to see it for yourself. Even These Things shows how Manchester and Ireland have been intertwined for centuries, built by some and then bombed by others; but no matter how sad some moments in the show are, you can only leave that theatre feeling immensely proud of having Mancunian heritage.

WE SCORE EVEN THESE THINGS...