Theatre Preview - CLASSIC CINEMA SCREENINGS AT DARLINGTON HIPPODROME

Darlington Hippodrome is screening a series of classic movies in its beautifully-restored auditorium during September.

 

As part of a season of socially-distanced activities Darlington Hippodrome will be screening a series of classic films throughout September. There is something for everyone in an eclectic mix of films that will be shown in the theatre auditorium.

 

You can sit back, relax and enjoy films ranging from the cult musical Grease starring John Travolta and Olivia Newton John to the Audrey Hepburn classic romance Breakfast at Tiffany’s.

 

Grease kicks off the season on Thursday 10 September. The film needs no introduction and is consistently ranked as the best-loved movie musical of all time. On Friday 11 September join Gordie, Chris, Teddy and Vern on their journey of discovery in Stand By Me. Disney fans can enjoy another trip down Cherry Tree lane with Mary Poppins on Saturday 12 September.

 

On Thursday 17 September Audrey Hepburn stars in Breakfast at Tiffany’s alongside George Peppard in the romantic comedy. Family favourite Matilda features on the afternoon of Friday 18 September followed by the outrageously funny This Is Spinal Tap in the evening. The September season of films comes to a close with Dustin Hoffman and Anne Bancroft in The Graduate on Thursday 24 September and another Disney classic The Jungle Book on Friday 25 September.

 

Councillor Andy Keir said “After six months of closure it is fabulous news that the Hippodrome is open to the public once more and, whilst we would all like to see the return of live entertainment on the stage, this series of classic films will breathe life back into the theatre’s auditorium.”

 

It is advised to book early for these film screenings as audience numbers are limited with social distancing in place throughout the auditorium.

 

Groups of seats are two+ metres apart following government guidelines. Groups of seats should only be occupied by members of the same household.

 

For full details of the classic film screenings and all the events taking place in September please visit www.darlingtonhippodrome.co.uk or call the box office on 01325 405405

Theatre Review - BEDROOM FARCE, PEOPLE'S THEATRE, NEWCASTLE

Alan Ayckbourn’s well-loved bedroom hopping comedy, centres around the disruption caused by tempestuous couple Trevor and Susannah. They begin by ruining the party of loves young dream Kate and Malcolm. The audience quickly realise it’s going to be a long and hilarious night.

The Stage was set (Designed by Megan Smith) with three different bedrooms, each impressing the character of its owner. Coupled with simple but effective lighting (Designed by Matthew Todhunter) creating the perfect environment to showcase it’s larger than life characters. The devil is in the detail and simple but important touches such as party music (Sound design Kate Scott) only furthered my enjoyment of this skilled production. I must applaud Director Steve Hewitt for finding every joyous moment in the production that was possible to find and then some. It is very clear a lot of work has gone into this riotously fun production.

The erratic Susannah (Emily Smith), coupled with the saucy but ultimately useless Trevor (Adam Owers) set the drama in motion with a perfectly placed slap. Adam Owers had me in fits of laughter at his portrayal of this shameless character, even remembering to do the ‘walking to the dance floor’ walk as he exists to join the party. Kate (Ellie Pullen) had the ideal balance, exasperation and awkwardness as she has to deal with the many complications created by having Trevor and then Susannah in her room. While husband Malcolm (Ian Wills) becomes steadily more frustrated as he argues with flat pack. Jan (Kate Lundy) is master of the understated look, as her bed bound husband Nick (Adam Thompson) is definitely king of comic timing. Nick is in a lot of pain and after watching Adam Thompson as he attempts to retrieve his book, so was I, as my sides nearly split! All the coupling in this show was well done but none more so than Ernest (Roger Liddle) and Delia (Maggie Childs), as they brought out shared excitement at the prospect of Sardines on toast. Never before has the cleaning of pilchards, made me gasp as Ernest eyes said it all.  As Delia snuggles in, only to be abruptly offered a reading of ‘Tom Browns school days’ you can’t help but love these characters and the talented actors who play them.

A joyful treat not to be missed.

Bed Room Farce is on at the People’s Theatre from 10^th-14^th March 

Theatre Preview - SPRING / SUMMER SEASON, PEOPLE'S THEATRE, NEWCASTLE

BEDROOM FARCE by Alan Ayckbourn

Tuesday 10 – Saturday 14 March 2020

7.30pm

£14 (Conc. £11.50)

Three bedrooms. Four couples. One endless Saturday night of co-dependence and dysfunction, bad tempers and misunderstandings.

Snowballing sexual mishaps collide with mundane domestic questions: does the ceiling need painting? Is it okay to stash porn in the sock drawer? This lively romp will put a spring in your step this March!

CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF by Tennessee Williams

Tuesday 31 March – Saturday 4 April 2020

7.30pm

£14 (Conc. £11.50)

 

Big Daddy is dying of cancer. But his family want him to enjoy one last birthday. Meanwhile, failed football-star Brick stifles his impotency with booze and self-hatred, shunning his beautiful wife Maggie in the process.

This 20th century classic seethes with sexual tension in the sultry, oppressive heat of the American south. The unsettling chaos threatens to tear this dysfunctional family apart in the grandiose tomb that is their home.

NORTHERN ODYSSEY by Shelagh Stephenson

Tuesday 12 – Saturday 16 May 2020

7.30pm

£14 (Conc. £11.50)

Some of the masterpieces that secured Winslow Homer's reputation as the greatest American figurative artist of the 19th century were painted in Cullercoats. Stephenson's play imagines how this quiet genius settled in a remote enclave of the North East in 1881 and stayed for the best part of two years.

No mere biography, the playwright creates a living, breathing portrait of the artist. This is in part a tale of seduction, not only of individual hearts, but of a whole community.

PRIVATE LIVES by Noël Coward

Tuesday 2 – Saturday 6 June 2020

7.30pm

£14 (Conc. £11.50)

Divorced couple Elyot and Amanda are reunited while honeymooning with new spouses at the same hotel.

In his classic comedy of manners, Coward presents a cocktail of wit as dry as the martinis that lubricate this high-spirited romp. Fizzing with sexual chemistry, his masterly wordplay serves up a refreshing draught of chilled whimsicality in a long-stemmed glass.

APPOINTMENT WITH DEATH by Agatha Christie

Tuesday 16 – Saturday 20 June 2020

7.30pm

£14 (Conc. £11.50)

A well-to-do group of British travellers find themselves thrown together on an expedition to the city of Petra. At the centre of the group are Mrs Boynton and her four stepchildren – but their apparent devotion is a façade for something far more sinister.

In this chilling psychological drama, Christie - aka The Queen of Crime - explores the murky depths of a sadistic mind and its capacity for cruelty.

THE WIZARD OF OZ by L. Frank Baum

Tuesday 14 – Friday 17 July 2020, 7.30pm

Saturday 18 July, 2pm & 7pm

£14 (Conc. £11.50)

“Oh, Toto – I don’t think we’re in Kansas anymore!”

Come along with young Dorothy Gale and her dog Toto to be whisked off from Kansas to the merry old land of Oz.

This colourful, heart-warming romp is packed with fun, drama, and frolics. So, young or old, we hope you’ll join us on the Yellow Brick Road to the other side of the rainbow!

Theatre Preview - BEDROOM FARCE, PEOPLE'S THEATRE, NEWCASTLE

Three bedrooms. Four couples. One endless Saturday night of co-dependence and dysfunction, bad tempers and misunderstandings.

This is the third time the People's Theatre has produced Alan Ayckbourn favourite BEDROOM FARCE. It was first staged here in 1991 and then again in 2009. 

Actors Maggie Childs and Roger Liddle who appeared in that first production thirty years ago, return – this time as older couple Delia and Ernest whose comfortable routine is disrupted by a leaky roof and their son's disintegrating marriage. Maggie (who played Kate in the 1991 production) comments “30 years ago I tried to recall those feelings I had as a young wife in her first home, now I just think of my mother! It’s a great play and still hugely enjoyable to be involved in.” 

Set in the late 1970s this is a world of autumn colours and electric blankets, of landlines, eiderdowns and cruet sets.

We meet the four couples over the course of one night. As well as Delia and Ernest, there’s Malcolm and Kate aka ‘love’s young dream’ who are looking forward to their housewarming party. Nick’s laid up with a bad back and wife Jan’s just heard her ex’s relationship on the rocks, while Trevor and Susannah … well, they’re that exhausting couple whose imploding relationship could well take a few others down with it.

The action takes place across three of these couples most private and telling of spaces - the bedroom.

As Delia comments "you can tell a great deal about a person from their bedroom" and she’s right.  Each of the rooms is as distinct and unique as the marriages that formed them - but will the decor outlive the relationships?

Snowballing sexual mishaps collide with mundane domestic questions: does the ceiling need painting? Is it okay to stash porn in the sock drawer? This lively romp is as enduringly popular as it is hilariously funny, but beware: this is no light comedy. Director Steve Hewitt comments “there’s a dark and cynical edge to this play that might make you question a few things that you always believed were true.”

BEDROOM FARCE is the first main stage production of our Spring/Summer Season. Also coming up we’ve got 20^th century classic CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF by Tennessee Williams, Shelagh Stephenson’s portrait of artist Winslow Homer’s time in Cullercoats A NORTHERN ODYSSEY, sparkling Noël Coward comedy PRIVATE LIVES; murder mystery APPOINTMENT WITH DEATH by Agatha Christie and magical, musical family favourite THE WIZARD OF OZ!

DATE:             Tuesday 10 – Saturday 14 March 2020

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 - THE CHANGING ROOM - PEOPLE'S THEATRE, NEWCASTLE

THE CHANGING Room by Chris Bush is the latest production from the talented Young People’s Theatre. This is one of the ten plays which has been commissioned especially for young people as part of the National Theatre Connections Festival.

Set in a swimming pool, we follow 10 teenagers as we share their worries, excitement and desires as they discover the changes occurring in their lives. The cast made up of Silvie Boyle, Beth Crinnion, Alice Cullen, Phoebe De’Ath, Imogen Henderson, Anna Sabin, Madeline Secker, Jorja Smith, Isabella Warburton and Alistair Wilson, begin all dressed in black and take us on their journey of change as one. They unite as a body warming into their roles, at the same time as we, as an audience, change our mindset back into those teenage years. Through monologues, small scenes, physical theatre and song their stories are told. Much is used of numerous metaphors during their journey until they break out with different coloured tops highlighting their individuality.

This is a well-directed, Pamela Birieson, production with a hard-working cast. Set design by Ian Willis allows swift movement of the cast and creates the feeling of the swimming pool.

Finally, yes, that is the most annoying song I have ever heard! Are we nearly there yet? These teenagers are just that little bit closer, and wiser, on their journey!

Running until Saturday 22nd February 2020 @19:30 - running time 45 minutes

Theatre Preview - THE CHANGING ROOM - PEOPLE'S THEATRE, NEWCASTLE

Each year the National Theatre commissions ten new plays for young people to perform, bringing together some of the UK's most exciting writers with the theatre-makers of tomorrow. 

300 youth theatre companies and over 6000 young people from every corner of the UK are producing a Connections play this year, including our very own Young People’s Theatre with Chris Bush’s lyrical drama THE CHANGING ROOM.

Set in and around a swimming pool, the play follows a group of teens full of excitement, impatience and uncertainty, each with their own secret worries and desires for what comes next. It's about bodies in flux and perspectives shifting; knowing change is coming but not what that change will look like.

This will be the Young People’s Theatre’s fourth time taking part in the National Theatre Connections Festival. The cast of ten are made up of young performers aged 14-16.

Director Pam comments "It has been fabulous working with our talented young people. I am amazed every rehearsal with how much hard work and commitment they put in to making their performances a success. The play has been a challenge for all involved, a lot of dedication has gone into making this show."

Recent Young People’s Theatre productions include last year’s The Witches, 2016’s Eclipse and the 2017 collaboration with the adult theatre More Light. THE CHANGING ROOM is the first time they have taken on a play with songs and three of the performers will be providing live music on the guitar, piano and violin!

Our Young People’s Theatre is for 11 to 17 year olds. The group meets weekly to improvise, rehearse, play theatre games and discover more about all aspects of theatre. Thousands of young people have taken part in the YPT since its foundation more than 50 years ago and some have gone on to find success in the arts and entertainment worlds including comedian Ross Noble, actors Andrea Riseborough and Tom Goodman-Hill and Pet Shop Boy Neil Tennant. 

THE CHANGING ROOM by Chris Bush runs from Thursday 20^th to Saturday 22^nd February at 7.30pm in our Studio Theatre. Tickets are £10 (£7 conc), available from the People’s Theatre Box Office on 0191 265 5020 and online at peoplestheatre.co.uk

Theatre Review - THE CROFT - DARLINGTON HIPPODROME

SET in a former crofter’s hut on The Applecross Peninsula in the remote Scottish Highlands ‘The Croft’ is billed as a thriller, but is much more than that. 

The play covers three different times and begins in the present day with Laura, in her 20’s, returning to the family croft on her first visit since her mother’s death from cancer. It is not long before it’s clear that she is there with issues to resolve. Joining Laura is her new lover Suzanne, Caroline Harker, an older woman with two teenage sons and a failing marriage. Initially there is the sense of the new relationship developing, but the remoteness soon becomes an issue for Suzanne with the lack of mobile signal and the nearest shop a 45-minute round trip. The appearance of David, Drew Cain, who is keeping an eye on the croft for Laura’s father, certainly unsettles Laura.

Scenes move to the time when Laura’s mum, Ruth, also played by Caroline Harker, was suffering from cancer and spends her time with David, rather than her husband, Tom, Simon Roberts. The final period we enter is much earlier taking us back to 1870 and the time of the Highland Clearances, where Enid, Gwen Taylor, lives in the croft and has taken in a young girl, Eilene, also played by Lucy Doyle. With themes that seamlessly flow between the time periods, naturally creating a darker sense as the 1870s merge with the present day through the half face at the window, door slamming and lights flickering creating a ghostly presence throughout.

The cast swiftly move between the time periods until they finally collide with each other. This tightly directed production will draw you in from the initial feeling of fresh family life to surprising conclusions.