A musical celebrating women who changed the world is coming to The Lowry Theatre next month.

‘Fantastically Great Women Who Changed the World’ follows heroine Jade who breaks away from her class to peek behind the scenes of the not yet open Gallery of Greatness while on a school trip to the local museum.

It brings to life female explorers, artists and scientists from the past and hears the stories of some of history’s strongest women who changed the world, including Frida Kahlo, Rosa Parks, Amelia Earhart, Marie Curie, Emmeline Pankhurst and many more.

Kirstie Skivington, known for Jesus Christ Superstar and Everyone’s talking about Jamie, joins the cast along with Kudzai Mangombe, Elise Zavou and Clarice Julianda with returning cast members including Renée Lamb, Christina Modestou and Jade Kennedy.

Skivington is currently staring in ‘&Juliet’ another female lead musical, that reimagines the ending of the Shakespeare play ‘Romeo and Juliet’. It explores ‘what if’ scenario in which the female lead doesn’t die and instead peruses her own life away from Verona.

Fantastically Great Women, Frances Mayli McCann and cast, credit Pamela Raith. Permission to us by The Lowry.

The musical has been adapted by Chris Bush and is based on the book of the same name written by Kate Pankhurst, the descendant of Emmeline Pankhurst Suffragette and political activist for female rights. Despite the show being female lead, those involved insist it isn’t just for female audiences.

Christina Modestou, who is playing Jane Austen and Mary Anning among others in FGW, said to Drama and Theatre: “It’s also for young men. When they see women in this way, they can finally see them doing sport, discovering dinosaurs, creating art, writing – all these things throughout history that are inspiring & rarely shown.”

Fantastically Great Women, Eva-Marie Saffrey, Christina Modestou, credit Pamela Raith Photography. Permission to use by The Lowry

Modestou has also performed as Anne Boylen in the musical ‘Six’ a retelling of the lives of the six wives of Henry VIII presented as a pop concert with each wife telling their story to see who suffered the most and should become the group’s lead singer.

She said: “I just wish I had something like it when I was younger. The representation in this show and the diversity is so important.”

‘Fantastically Great Women Who Changed the World’ was first performed in December 2021 at the Liverpool Playhouse, but circumstances including injury and illness meant less than half of the planned shows went ahead. Despite this, the show is returning with a UK tour with performances starting at the end of the month (March).

Performances will run for five nights at The Lowry from 5–9 Apr 2022 and tickets are available from £22 through Quaytickets.com

The musical is set to tour the UK from March 25 to July 17 with shows in Liverpool, London, Edinburgh, Cornwall, Exeter, Gloucestershire, Sheffield and Dorset.

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