News: Stars from legendary Newcastle Theatre Royal panto help at People’s Kitchen

THEATRE ROYAL PANTO STARS HOST COFFEE MORNING FOR NEWCASTLE’S HOMELESS

Stars from legendary Newcastle Theatre Royal panto Goldilocks and the Three Bears are leaving the woods on Friday 11^th January and trotting down to the People’s Kitchen in Newcastle to serve up morning coffee and treats for the city’s homeless and vulnerable people.   

                                                                    

Photo: Paul Coltas

The Theatre Royal has teamed up with iconic North East family tea and coffee company Ringtons to put on a special New Year’s coffee morning for the city’s vulnerable people at The People’s Kitchen on Bath Lane. The People’s Kitchen is a charitable institution staffed by 200 volunteers which has been feeding the homeless and vulnerable of Newcastle six days a week for more than 30 years.

Stars from the show including Wayne Smith (who plays the colourful ‘Starbuck’) as well as the show’s musical director Richard Atkinson will be on hand from 10am to serve up hot Ringtons award-winning Breakfast tea, fresh coffee and a range of Ringtons treats including Ginger Snaps, Crest Biscuits and Chocolate Mallows.  Three members of the Ringtons team and staff from the Theatre Royal will also be assisting.

The event will be open to all friends of the People’s Kitchen and will run until approximately 12 noon.

Goldilocks and the Three Bears is the Theatre Royal’s big top family panto extravaganza full of magic, music, mayhem and plenty of porridge, and has proved another big hit - over 90,000 tickets have been sold and the show still has two weeks to run. This is the second charitable enterprise by the Theatre Royal team this season following the beaming out of the panto for free to 137,000 hospital beds across the UK over a three week period. 

Ringtons was begun by Samuel Smith OBE in 1907 when he moved from his home town in Leeds and began selling tea from a horse and cart in Newcastle Upon Tyne.  Now, 112 years later, the company continues to deliver its quality teas and coffees, biscuits, sweet treats and homeware pieces door-to-door to over 230,000 customers throughout the UK. While many more enjoy Ringtons’ goods via its wholesale division which caters to the UK’s leading hotels, restaurants and businesses.

Theatre Royal pantomimes are widely thought to be among the best in the UK, due to the winning combination of father and son team Clive and Danny - for whom Goldilocks will mark their fourteenth consecutive Theatre Royal panto appearance – and their West End production quality. This combination is brought together by Newcastle’s own Michael Harrison, who co-writes, produces and directs the show.

A true North East panto born and bred, local references always play a huge part and this year the show nods to Ringtons throughout with references to ‘Rington’s Circus’ and ‘Dame Rita Rington’. 

The cast of Goldilocks includes legendary father and son team Danny Adams and Clive Webb, sensational musical performers Laura Evans and Wayne Smith, who have shone in the last two Theatre Royal pantos, Mick Potts (reprising his role as The Idiot), the North-East’s own Pete Peverley (back for his fifth consecutive year), and of course the Theatre Royal’s favourite panto villain Steve Arnott.

The People’s Kitchen provides a unique service for the homeless and vulnerable people of Newcastle offering high quality and relevant services to maximise positive outcomes.  It receives no Government funding and all volunteers give their services for free. All friends have open access to their services regardless of their personal circumstances, and as well as friendship and food, the organisation also provides basic essentials like clothing and showers. 

People’s Kitchen Trustee David Yellowley said: “We are grateful to the Theatre Royal and to Ringtons for hosting this special additional event for us – a warm place to go accompanied by cheering refreshment and friendly faces is just what many people need at this time of year.”

Tickets:

Goldilocks and The Three Bears, the greatest panto on earth! Must end Sunday 20 January 2019. Tickets are already on sale for next year’s pantomime Beauty and the Beast – The Spellbinding Pantomime which plays Tuesday 26 November 2019 until Sunday 19 January 2020. Tickets 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 (only from 28 November for Goldilocks).