Stayin’ Alive – 53 Two, Manchester

Writer: Victoria Oxley

Director: Megan Marie Griffith

Maggie is struggling to come to terms with the death of her Nan. No surprise really, as it’s the end of everything she knew and loved, and suddenly her world is falling apart. Her life now mostly consists   weekly visits to her therapist and nights out with her sister at the Blue Anchor pub.

This powerful two hander brilliantly explores a whole range of tough subjects – depression, OCD, overeating, abuse, grief and addiction – all wrapped up in 75 minutes of affecting drama. But if this sounds like a difficult watch, it’s quite the opposite. Victoria Oxley has created a sharply observed and sensitively handled script that gives these difficult themes the gravity they deserve, while weaving through some very funny comedy. Not only that, but she delivers it all beautifully playing the role of Maggie herself.

The laughs come both from the scenes in the Blue Anchor, where the weekly tribute night offers up a string of terrible acts (all performed in a variety of equally terrible wigs by Emma Bispham as Maggie’s sister Anne-Marie), and through Maggie’s inner (and outer) voice. Oxley can break your heart as she curls on the floor in the midst of a panic attack, and then have you laughing at her forthright take on the world around her. In Maggie, Oxley has created a likeable and highly believable character who we totally root for, despite all her faults, because, in the end, she believes in herself.

Emma Bispham has the unenviable task of playing all the other characters – Maggie’s mum, Anne-Marie, Rob the Therapist, and all of the tribute acts from Elvis Presley to Cilla Black. She does it with fluency and pace, and with some speedy (if minimal) costume changes.

A rather amateur looking set – the first thing we see and, let’s face it, make judgements on, belies the quality of this production. While the writing and performance more than make up for this, it would perhaps be better to go even more minimal so there’s no distraction from what really matters. Music is central to the script and played throughout, sometimes fading in and out as Oxley speaks, and, unfortunately, at times, drowning her out. Stayin’ Alive deserves better production values than this, and will hopefully get them, as it is certainly likely to get other outings.

The world is a difficult and divided place at the moment, and, while theatre has a place to play in reflecting that, it can sometimes feel too challenging to still be genuinely entertaining. Stayin’ Alive manages to talk about how hard life can be while still delivering a really great night out.

Reviewed on 5 February 2026