Panto Preview - JACK AND THE BEANSTALK - PLAYHOUSE, WHITLEY BAY

Blue Genie Entertainment   

Presents

Jack & the Beanstalk

Saturday 30^th November 2019 – Saturday 4^th January 2020   

Various Times

Our next GIANT adventure!

Welcome to the world of fairy tales, where our poor hero Jack and his dotty mum Dame Trott are tricked into selling their beloved cow Daisy for a useless bag of beans.

Laugh at silly silly Billy, boo and hiss the evil Fleshcreep and of course cheer-on our hero Jack as he tries to rescue his sweetheart Jill from the nasty giant's castle in the clouds.

Packed with great songs, amazing dance routines and plenty of laughter for all the family!!!

Tickets are available to purchase now.

Tickets are available from the Box Office open Monday – Friday 10am – 4pm, Saturday 10.30am – 2.30pm plus until show start on event days. Tickets can also be purchased on the booking hotline 0844 248 1588* or online at www.playhousewhitleybay.co.uk.

Theatre Review - HEDDA GABLER - THE WITHAM, BARNARD CASTLE

The Cast of Hedda Gabler, photo credit Helen Brown

Susannah Handley as Hedda Gabler, photo credit Helen Brown

The Castle Players are no strangers to growing with their audiences and developing their amazing talent within the group. A few years ago, they began to develop the direction of productions with ‘Journey’s End’ allowing a first-time director to take the reins under the mentoring of an established director. This year it was Libby Harding under the mentoring of Laurence Sach who was given the opportunity to direct, her bold choice being Hedda Gabler by Henrik Ibsen in this new version by Patrick Marber set in 1925.

Hedda, Susannah Handley, has just returned from her honeymoon with her new husband Jorgen Tesman, Cal Baker. As they begin to settle into their new home and Hedda looks towards a life of boredom and domesticity Tesman’s academic rival, Eilvert Lovborg, Oliver Smith appears. Lovberg is a recovering alcoholic and former love interest of Hedda and his presence unsettles everyone. This gives Hedda the opportunity to grasp for her old life as her husband’s friend Judge Brack, Ben Pearson, observes their lives from the side. Thea, Phoebe Lorenz, is working closely with Lovberg and Hedda sees this as an opportunity to come between them. The rest of the cast includes Aunt Juliana, Heather Armstrong, and the straight-faced maid Berte, Isobel Harvey.

Susannah Handley as Hedda Gabler and Ben Pearson as Brack, photo credit Helen Brown

Phoebe Lorenz as Thea, Ben Pearson as Brack
and Cal Baker as Tesman,
photo credit Helen Brown 

The cast certainly had a full understanding of their characters, which is a credit to their director. Make no mistake this an incredibly dark story, which requires an in depth understanding of the characters to create this to the full effect.  Susannah Handley was amazing as Hedda, she is clearly bored and uninspired by the life her future holds and desperately tries to cling onto the past, her mind is complex, creating a vulnerable yet explosive character.  This is clearly a role many women would love the chance to play and Susannah has grabbed the opportunity showing what a star The Castle Players have. Phoebe shows a nervous innocence in Thea, showing her fear of Hedda from past encounters, I look forward to seeing Phoebe’s performances in the future. Cal Baker’s portrayal of Tesman has a sense of frivolity and no awareness of Hedda’s feelings which contrasted well to Ben Pearson’s Brack, whose deviousness is apparent. Oliver Smith’s Lovberg showed a man on the edge. Heather Armstrong’s portrayal of Aunt Juliana perfectly creates the woman we all want in our lives.

The set by Ben Pearson and Laurence Sach, costumes by Lesley Cutting, sound and lighting by Vaughan Freeman and make up by Jane Naseby perfectly compliment this wonderfully dark production.

There are many elements of this story which can be related to the world today, Ibsen, an immense talent of his day and the future. How this links into the world today is up to the audience to decide, sometimes theatre doesn’t just entertain, it encourages you to think.

Panto Preview - BEAUTY AND THE BEAST - NEWCASTLE THEATRE ROYAL

GET READY FOR A REAL BEAUTY OF A PANTO!

The count-down has begun! There’s only a few weeks to go until Newcastle Theatre Royal opens its spellbinding panto – Beauty and the Beast - which will run for a magical eight weeks (Tue 26 Nov 2019 – Sat 19 Jan 2020).

One of the most romantic pantos of all time Beauty and the Beast will be a spectacular and enchanting production for all the family, featuring the legendary trio of Theatre Royal panto stars Danny Adams, Clive Webb and Chris Hayward.

A lavish adventure is once again in store for all as the beautiful Belle embarks on her quest to unleash the Beauty within the Beast. Audiences can expect an action-packed show bursting with magic, music and plenty of comedy mayhem!

Produced by Qdos Entertainment, the world’s biggest pantomime producer, Beauty and the Beast promises everything that Theatre Royal audiences have come to expect, and more.  Spectacular choreography, glittering sets, breath-taking special effects and a wonderful musical score form the backdrop to a tale full of adventure and hilarious slap-stick.

Theatre Royal pantomimes are widely thought to be among the best in the UK due to the exceptional combination of father and son team Clive and Danny - for whom Beauty and the Beast will mark their fifteenth consecutive Theatre Royal panto appearance. This combination is brought together by Newcastle’s own Michael Harrison (The Bodyguard, Annie), who co-writes, produces and directs the show.

The cast for Beauty and the Beast also includes the sensational musical performers Laura Evans and Wayne Smith, who have shone in the last three Theatre Royal pantos, Mick Potts from CBBC’s Danny & Mick (reprising his role as The Idiot) and Steve Arnott who last year celebrated 10 years as the Theatre Royal panto villain.

Theatre Royal Chief Executive Philip Bernays said: “This year’s production promises to be another spectacular show with a staggering 78,000 tickets sold with a few weeks to go to opening night.  We are so very proud of our pantomimes, but never wish to rest on our laurels.  This is a competitive industry and we need to make sure that we are at the top of our game every single year.

  

“It’s thanks to a superb cast, incredible staging, expert behind-the-scenes team and the talent of top West End producer Michael Harrison that we can keep delivering what is considered not only the biggest panto in the region but one of the best festive spectaculars anywhere in the country.”

  

Beauty and the Beast plays Tue 26 Nov 2019 until Sun 19 Jan 2020. Tickets from £14 are selling fast and can be purchased from the Theatre Royal Box Office on 08448 11 21 21 (Calls cost 7ppm plus your phone company’s access charge) or book online at www.theatreroyal.co.uk

Theatre Review- THE WOMAN IN BLACK - DARLINGTON HIPPODROME

THE WOMAN In Black, adapted for the stage by Stephen Mallatratt from the Susan Hill novel is one of those productions which gets better every time I see it. The story tells of a lawyer, Arthur Kipps played by Robert Goodale, who is obsessed with a curse that he encountered and needs to share with his family and friends of the spectre of ‘The Woman in Black'. Desperate to tell his story as a warning to others he engages a young actor, played by Daniel Easton, to help him. Arthur Kipps begins his story in a monotone uninspiring way, but with the help of the actor is soon expertly creating the characters needed to tell his story as The Actor takes on the role of the younger Kipps and Kipps plays all the other roles in this chilling ghostly tale.

Directed by Robin Hereford, as every production has been since the show was first performed in 1987 at the Stephen Joseph Theatre in Scarborough, it remarkably still remains as fresh as the first time I saw it. The quality of the acting and the script capture the attention of the audience perfectly and produce a master class of how to build up suspense through the delivery of lines and the clever use of minimal props, sound and lighting effects. The screams from the audience, show just how well this works and it never fails to send a shiver down my spine. This is still one of the most terrifying productions you will see on stage.

Darlington Hippodrome until Saturday 23rd November.

Theatre Preview - THE WIND IN THE WILLOWS - TYNE THEATRE, NEWCASTLE

Starlight Theatre Productions 

present: 

The Wind in the Willows

Tues 19 - Sat 23 Nov 2019 | 7pm each day plus 2pm matinee Thurs, Fri & Sat

After the sell-out success of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Starlight Theatre Productions return in November 2019 with Wind in the Willows!

How about a riotous, rollicking romp through the Wild Wood to get your Festive season off to a cracking start? Come along to the fabulous Wind in the Willows to meet the larger-than-life Mr Toad and his friends, Ratty, Mole and Badger.

This wonderful musical, based on the original Kenneth Grahame book has great songs by George Stiles and Anthony Drewe with a book by Julian Fellowes of Downton Abbey fame.

The action takes place on the river bank where Ratty meets Mole and lots of other woodland, and river, creatures. Ratty has fallen out with Mr. Toad, who seems to lurch from one crackpot idea to the next, bringing mayhem along the way. He doesn’t listen to the warnings of his friends – with dire consequences.

This isn’t just a show for children but very much a show guaranteed to appeal to all the family. It even has some ‘baddies’, the oily weasels who put Portia , the young otter, at risk.

Mr. Toad’s increasingly dangerous antics come to a head and result in…well, if you want to find out what happens to Mr. Toad and his friends, and whether Portia survives the Wild Wood dangers, then get your tickets ordered now as we anticipate this will sell quickly!

Poop! Poop! as Mr. Toad would say!

Theatre Preview - PRIDE AND PREJUDICE - PEOPLE'S THEATRE, NEWCASTLE

“A lady’s imagination is very rapid; it jumps from admiration to love, and from love to matrimony in a moment.”

Mrs Bennet is determined to get her daughters married: clever and quick-witted Elizabeth; beautiful Jane, bookish Mary; immature Kitty and wild Lydia – all of whose lives are turned upside down with the arrival of a wealthy young man and his best friend, a certain Mr Fitzwilliam Darcy.

This light-hearted tale of love and values follows Elizabeth Bennet as she learns the error of making hasty judgements and comes to appreciate what really matters in the snobbish social world of Regency England.

PRIDE AND PREJUDICE is a literary classic and our production carries with it all of the wit and humour that made Jane Austen’s novel such an enduring comedy of manners.

Alongside the production we have the latest Gallery exhibition in our foyer, SCULPTURE AND PAINTINGS by Malcolm Yorke and R.K.R. Thornton.

PRIDE AND PREJUDICE by Jane Austen, adpt. by Helen Jerome

DATE:             Tuesday 19 – Saturday 23 November 2019

TIME:              7.30pm

VENUE:          People’s Theatre, Stephenson Road, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE6 5QF

TICKETS:       £14 (Concessions £11.50)
TELE:              0191 265 5020
WEBSITE:      www.peoplestheatre.co.uk

Theatre Review - CURTAINS A MUSICAL WHODUNNIT - DARLINGTON HIPPODROME

AS soon as the overture began, the recognisable sound of Kander and Ebb filled the auditorium and I knew that this was going to be a special night in musical theatre. Curtains, A Musical Whodunnit was the last musical Kander and Ebb worked on together before Ebb’s death in 2004. 

Curtains is a multi-layered show within a show. The show begins with the opening night of Robin Hood, a production destined for Broadway, and the murder of Jessica Cranshaw, Nia Jermin. This leaves the entire cast and crew suspects and unable to leave the theatre under the command of Lieutenant Cioffi, Jason Manford. As the production is panned by critics the Lieutenant jumps from solving the murder, of which more follow, and trying to save Robin Hood from closing, due to his love of theatre. Add to the mix a couple of romantic elements and this musical is a slick, fast paced show which has so many twists and turns, it kept me on the edge of my seat right to the final curtain.

This is the perfect vehicle for Jason Manford, who of course is no stranger to big musicals. He instantly connected with the audience drawing them into his world. The other stand out performance was the director of Robin Hood Christopher Belling, Samuel Holmes, he has some of the wittiest lines which are delivered to perfection. 

With rapid fire wit, delightful choreography and the darkness of Kander and Ebb this musical makes for a perfect night’s entertainment. Fantastic for Darlington to have it on tour before it hits the West End.

Runs at Darlington Hippodrome until Saturday 16th November.