3 min to read

Theatre Review: A Manchester Anthem Hope Mill Theatre

A one man, heart and soul celebration of Mancunian life

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🎭 A Manchester Anthem Theatre Review

Seeing A Manchester Anthem at the Hope Mill Theatre on 29th July 2025 was a real highlight of the summer theatre calendar and remarkable considering the entire production is performed by a single actor. What could have felt like a raw fringe piece instead delivered humour, heart and a wonderfully authentic Mancunian energy that stayed with you long after the curtain dropped.

🎟️ A Story of Home, Identity + Nights Out

Written by Nick Dawkins as a gift for his friend and performer Tom Claxton, A Manchester Anthem follows Tommy, a young working class Mancunian on his last night in Manchester before heading off to Oxford University the first ever from his family and street to go to such a place. With humour, honesty and sharp social observation, the play explores identity, belonging and what it means to grow up especially when leaving behind the place you love.

From the moment Tommy bursts onto the bare stage literally dancing in his underwear to N-Joi’s classic “Anthem” the audience is pulled into his world with laughter, empathy and shared memory. There’s something captivating about watching one performer shift effortlessly between multiple characters, from mates and family to posh Oxford folk, all with subtle changes in voice, movement and expression.

✨ Solo Performance, Brilliant Execution

Tom Claxton holds the production together with a masterful performance. In an intimate space like Hope Mill’s black box theatre, his storytelling becomes almost conversational you feel part of Tommy’s night out, part of his joy and doubt, and part of his memories. Lighting, sound design and minimal set pieces (like stacked boxes that transform the space) all pitch in to help paint locations around the city, from a coffee shop to the pulsating nightclub floor.

There are a few structural limitations in the script moments where plot depth could be richer but it’s hard to argue with the effect of A Manchester Anthem as a slice of Mancunian life, packed with humour and emotional warmth.

🎶 Music, Memory & Manchester

What makes this production particularly memorable is how it channels the sounds and spirit of Manchester itself not just through narrative, but through music and atmosphere. The soundtrack, including tracks like Anthem, and subtle nods to city landmarks and nightlife, feel like a collective memory, a shared anthem people can nod along to with pride or nostalgia.

Despite being just over an hour long and performed single handedly, the play takes you back to the times the mates, the nights out, the tough choices, the laughter and the heartbreak of leaving home.

📝 Final Thoughts

A Manchester Anthem isn’t just a play it’s a celebration of place and identity, an affectionate homage to Manchester culture, and a personal story that feels universal. Laugh out loud moments sit next to genuine emotional reflections, and the sheer ambition of a solo performance carries off something incredibly engaging and enjoyable.

If you’re in Manchester, this one man show is absolutely worth catching not just for the performance, but for the way it sings to anyone who’s ever called this city home.

I always enjoy going to the Hope Mill theatre and feels like you are supporting grass roots arts, everyone is a volunteers. Its intimate and quirkly, my kind of place.

The pizza 🍕 and humous 🧆 always go down well too 😂