What's on at Liverpool Empire in September 2026: Dirty Dancing, Waitress, Chris Ramsey, Barnum, Miriam Margolyes and Annie, with casts, times and venue history.
Liverpool Empire has a packed September 2026 programme, but the useful detail goes well beyond the dates. Four touring musicals take over the Lime Street theatre during the month, alongside a one-night Chris Ramsey stand-up show, Miriam Margolyes in conversation and a run of public venue tours.
As of 3 September 2026, Dirty Dancing is already on stage. It is followed by Waitress, Barnum and Annie. The casts include Carrie Hope Fletcher, Les Dennis, Matt Rawle and Liverpool-born Claire Sweeney, while Miriam Margolyes' afternoon appearance on 20 September is already listed as sold out.
This guide covers what each production actually is, who is appearing, performance times, content or age information, earlier productions and the Empire's own performance history. For events elsewhere in the city, see our wider What's On in Liverpool in September 2026 guide.
| Date | Show or event | Type |
|---|---|---|
| 1 to 5 September | Dirty Dancing | Musical / stage adaptation |
| From 5 September | Public Venue Tour | Behind-the-scenes theatre tour |
| 7 to 12 September | Waitress | Musical |
| 13 September | Chris Ramsey: Here Man | Stand-up comedy |
| 15 to 19 September | Barnum | Musical |
| 20 September | Miriam's Full English LIVE | Talk and Q&A, sold out |
| 22 to 26 September | Annie | Musical / family |
The official Liverpool Empire What's On page is the best place to check live availability because individual performances can sell out or change after publication.
Dirty Dancing opened the Empire's September programme on Tuesday 1 September and runs until Saturday 5 September. The stage version follows Frances "Baby" Houseman and dance instructor Johnny Castle at the Kellerman's holiday resort, keeping the central story and much of the music associated with the 1987 film.
The current production includes Hungry Eyes, Hey! Baby, Do You Love Me? and (I've Had) The Time of My Life. This is closer to putting the film's characters, soundtrack and dance sequences on stage than to a musical in which a new score carries most of the story.
Joel Benjamin plays Johnny Castle and Charlie Varlet plays Baby. The production's official UK and Ireland cast page lists Benjamin's previous credits including Dirty Dancing at the Dominion Theatre and on tour, the original West End cast of Disney's Hercules, Chicago, The Bodyguard and Mamma Mia!.
Varlet trained at Guildford School of Acting and The BRIT School. Her credits listed by the production include the Working Title film Sense and Sensibility, theatre workshops and concert appearances at Cadogan Hall.
The stage production itself is now more than two decades old. The Internet Broadway Database records that Eleanor Bergstein's stage version was originally produced at the Theatre Royal in Sydney on 18 November 2004. Bergstein also wrote the original film screenplay.
That history helps explain why the touring show is not simply a recent screen-to-stage conversion. It has had its own international life for more than 20 years.
ATG lists an interval and age guidance of 14+. Because this run finishes on 5 September, readers looking for tickets this week should use the Liverpool Empire Dirty Dancing page rather than relying on an older events listing.
Waitress arrives on Monday 7 September for six days. The musical follows Jenna, a waitress and expert pie-maker dealing with an unhappy marriage, an unexpected pregnancy and the possibility of changing the direction of her life.
The score is by Sara Bareilles, with a book by Jessie Nelson and direction by Diane Paulus. The Empire lists the show at 2 hours 35 minutes including the interval and gives 13+ age guidance. ATG also warns of strong language, sexual innuendo and themes of domestic abuse.
The current Liverpool listing names Carrie Hope Fletcher as Jenna. Her previous stage credits highlighted by ATG include Calamity Jane, Heathers and The Addams Family. The Liverpool cast listing also names Evelyn Hoskins as Dawn and Les Dennis as Old Joe.
As with most touring theatre, casting can change. ATG states that producers may alter the published cast and cannot guarantee the appearance of a named artist, so anyone booking specifically for a performer should recheck the official Liverpool Waitress page before travelling.
This is a return visit for the musical. The 2021 to 2022 UK tour played Liverpool Empire from 9 to 14 May 2022. Contemporary cast listings record Chelsea Halfpenny as Jenna, Wendy Mae Brown as Becky, Evelyn Hoskins as Dawn and Matt Willis as Dr Pomatter.
The current production therefore gives Liverpool audiences a different Jenna and Old Joe while retaining Hoskins in the role of Dawn.
Waitress also has a substantial Broadway history. The original Broadway production opened at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre on 24 April 2016 and closed on 5 January 2020 after 1,544 performances.
The Saturday performances fall during a particularly busy city-centre weekend. Our What's On in Liverpool, 5 to 11 September guide covers the other events around most of the run.
The musicals pause on Sunday 13 September for Chris Ramsey, bringing his Here Man stand-up tour to the Empire for one night.
The show starts at 7.30pm and ATG lists a running time of 2 hours 20 minutes including the interval. The Liverpool date is part of an added autumn run after the earlier spring tour sold out.
Ramsey describes Here Man as a chance to use material he cannot say on Shagged.Married.Annoyed, the podcast he co-hosts with Rosie Ramsey. His wider television work includes The Chris & Rosie Ramsey Show, Strictly Come Dancing and Taskmaster.
This is a stand-up performance rather than a live recording of the podcast. Current tickets and timings are on the official Chris Ramsey Liverpool page.
Barnum takes over from Tuesday 15 to Saturday 19 September. The musical follows showman P. T. Barnum, his ambitions and his relationship with his wife Charity, using circus performance as part of the staging rather than simply as background decoration.
The score is by Cy Coleman, with lyrics by Michael Stewart and a book by Mark Bramble. Songs include Join the Circus, Colours of My Life, Come Follow the Band and Love Makes Such Fools of Us All.
Matt Rawle plays P. T. Barnum in Liverpool. That is worth stating because the role changes at different stops on the tour. ATG specifically lists Rawle for Liverpool, Milton Keynes, Wimbledon and Torquay.
The Empire gives the show a running time of 2 hours 10 minutes including the interval. Age guidance is 8+, with no children under three admitted.
The production also comes with more detailed content and effects information than most of the month's shows. ATG lists smoke, haze, gunshots, fire, loud noises, flashing lights, darkness, balloons and clowns, alongside depictions of racism, slavery and exploitation connected with the 19th-century entertainment industry.
Full performance and content information is on the official Barnum Liverpool listing.
Miriam Margolyes takes over the theatre on Sunday 20 September for an afternoon conversation rather than a conventional stage production.
Miriam's Full English LIVE starts at 2pm and runs for about 1 hour 50 minutes including the interval. ATG gives age guidance of 14+ at the discretion of a parent or guardian.
The format is built around Margolyes' new book, Miriam's Full English, with stories from the book, personal material and an audience Q&A. The Liverpool performance is also specifically listed as a BSL performance.
As of 3 September, the Empire listing marks the performance as sold out. Returns can happen, but readers should not travel expecting door availability.
Annie is the final full production at the Empire in September, running from Tuesday 22 to Saturday 26 September.
The story is set in 1930s New York and follows Annie from Miss Hannigan's orphanage to the home of Oliver Warbucks. The score includes It's the Hard-Knock Life, Easy Street, I Don't Need Anything But You and Tomorrow.
The Liverpool connection in this production is immediate: Claire Sweeney plays Miss Hannigan. The official tour also lists Alex Bourne as Daddy Warbucks, Tanisha-Mae Brown as Grace Farrell, Christian Cooper as Rooster and Amber Kennedy as Lily.
Sweeney's career stretches from Brookside to West End and touring theatre, including roles in Chicago and Guys and Dolls. Her appearance at the Empire therefore brings a performer with a long Liverpool television and theatre connection into one of the month's largest touring productions.
The title role is shared among young performers in the touring company. The official Annie cast page lists the current child company and also carries the standard warning that casting can change.
The original Broadway production of Annie opened at the Alvin Theatre on 21 April 1977. The Internet Broadway Database records 2,377 performances before the original production closed in January 1983.
That makes Annie the oldest of September's four musical titles in terms of its original stage production, even though the current UK tour is a modern staging.
ATG gives 5+ age guidance. Children under three are not admitted, and under-16s must sit next to and remain supervised by an adult aged 18 or over. The production uses repetitive flashing effects, theatrical smoke and haze, and includes themes around lost parents and a strict orphanage.
Use the official Annie at Liverpool Empire page for current tickets and performance availability.
September also brings the Liverpool Empire Public Venue Tour. ATG's current What's On calendar lists the tour from 5 September to 6 November 2026 and currently marks it sold out.
The tour is designed around the building rather than a production. It covers the venue's origins, surviving original features and stories from staff and visiting companies. ATG says tours last about 90 minutes, involve a number of stairs and may include backstage areas when the production in residence allows it.
The tour meeting point is at the glass foyer doors on Lime Street. Anyone with access requirements is advised to contact the theatre in advance, and backstage access is never guaranteed.
The present Empire was built in 1924 to 1925 for Moss's Empires Ltd and designed by theatre architects W. and T. R. Milburn. Historic England's Grade II listing records its steel frame, Portland stone frontage and large two-tier auditorium. The building was added to the statutory list in 1990.
The venue marked its 100th birthday in 2025. ATG's own venue history lists earlier performers including Laurel and Hardy, Frank Sinatra, Judy Garland, Julie Andrews and The Beatles. More recent programming has included Wicked, The Lion King, Les Misérables, Billy Connolly, Ricky Gervais, Paloma Faith and Will Young.
One useful surviving visual record is a photograph of Genesis performing at Liverpool Empire during the Duke Tour in 1980, showing Daryl Stuermer, Phil Collins and Mike Rutherford on the Empire stage. It is a reminder that the theatre's programme has never been limited to musicals and pantomime.
The Empire hosted the Royal Variety Performance in 2007 in the presence of Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh. The Royal Variety Charity archive records a bill that included Bon Jovi, Kanye West, Dame Kiri Te Kanawa, Lang Lang, Joan Rivers, Paul Potts, James Blunt, Seal and the cast of Hairspray.
That mix of theatre, comedy, classical music and major recording artists is a useful comparison with September 2026. The scale of the acts changes, but the Empire remains a receiving theatre capable of moving rapidly between musicals, comedy, talks and other touring productions.
Liverpool Empire is at 1 Lime Street, Liverpool L1 1JE, immediately next to Liverpool Lime Street station. For most people arriving by train, there is no cross-city transfer at the end of the journey.
ATG lists nearby parking at St John's Shopping Centre and around Lord Nelson Street. Anyone who does not need to drive can use our guide to getting around Liverpool without a car for Merseyrail, bus and walking options.
The box office opens 90 minutes before the performance begins. ATG also warns that bag checks may take place and recommends leaving extra time and avoiding suitcases, rucksacks and large bags.
The theatre has street-level access from Lime Street into the foyer and level access to both sides of the stalls. A lift serves the circle.
ATG lists 16 wheelchair spaces: 12 in Row U of the stalls and four in Row G of the circle. There is an accessible toilet at stalls level, and assistance dogs are welcome.
Access provision varies by production, so the Liverpool Empire access page and the individual show page should both be checked when a particular facility or accessible performance is required. Miriam's Full English LIVE, for example, is specifically listed as a BSL performance.
Although four musicals dominate the month, they are not variations on the same type of night.
Dirty Dancing is the closest to seeing a familiar film story recreated through live performance and dance. Its recognisable soundtrack is a central part of the draw.
Waitress is a contemporary musical built around an original Sara Bareilles score and a character-led story dealing with relationships, pregnancy and domestic abuse.
Barnum combines musical theatre with circus staging and a story rooted in the complicated history of P. T. Barnum and 19th-century entertainment.
Annie is the family-oriented traditional musical of the month, with 5+ guidance and a score that has been part of professional theatre since the 1970s.
Chris Ramsey and Miriam Margolyes then use the same auditorium in completely different ways: one for stand-up, the other for an afternoon book conversation and Q&A.
For live changes, the Liverpool Empire What's On calendar should take priority over an old social post or third-party event listing.
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