Preview: Sasha Velour at Newcastle Tyne Theatre

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Sasha Velour “Smoke & Mirrors” Tour

Newcastle Tyne Theatre & Opera House

Wednesday 3rd February 2021

Tickets: https://tinyurl.com/SashaATTHETyne #Ad

“Smoke & Mirrors,” Sasha Velour’s first one-queen theatre tour, is an effortless blend of drag, visual art, and magic. Velour introduces audiences to a whole new side of her artistry, through 13 dazzling and genre-busting lip-synch performances, all directed and choreographed by the queen herself. You’ll be on the edge of your seat as she explodes into rose petals, vanishes in a puff of smoke, saws herself in half, conjures a rainstorm, even transforms into a tree in front of your eyes (to name just a few). But the real magic is the way that these illusions and deceptions serve to unmask deeper truths, sparking fresh analysis of gender, fame, family, and the importance of dreaming big and living life over-the-top.  

Featuring the music of Annie Lennox, Whitney Houston, Shirley Bassey, Judy Garland, Celine Dion, Sia, Nina Simone, Le Tigre and more. Costumes designed by long-time collaborator Diego Montoya.  

Sasha Velour’s “Smoke & Mirrors” toured Australia and New Zealand in January 2019, had a sold-out 8-night New York City residency in March 2019, toured 23 cities in North America in the fall of 2019, and had limited sold-out engagements in Los Angeles and London, all to rave reviews.

“[An] inventive, surprisingly openhearted show…Expressionist performance-art illustration.” – The New York Times 

 

“The intensely personal [Smoke & Mirrors] shows what a top-of-her-game queen Velour really is, both as an artist and as a storyteller.” – Paper Magazine
 

“[Velour’s] most spectacular stage gambit yet.” – Time Out New York

Tickets: https://tinyurl.com/SashaATTHETyne #Ad

Tickets are now available from our affiliate Eventim UK. Clicking on this link helps us to cover the costs of producing the North East Theatre Guide free of charge to both our readers and theatres.

News: Darlington Hippodrome preview for 2021

Looking Forward To 2021 At Darlington Hippodrome

Darlington Hippodrome presents a stellar line-up for 2021

Following the festive family pantomime, Cinderella, which runs up to Sunday 3 January, the year kicks off with a bang as Steve Steinman brings his fuel-injected stage show Anything For Love to Darlington celebrating the music of Meatloaf (Mon 18 January). The show will feature Lorraine Crosby, the original vocalist on the hit duet ‘I ‘d Do Anything for Love (But I Won’t Do That)’.

The Birmingham Stage Company, the company behind Billionaire Boy and Awful Auntie, returns to Darlington between Thu 25 and Sun 28 February with a four day run of their stage adaptation of the David Walliams children’s classic Gangsta Granny.

Strictly Come Dancing favourite Giovanni Pernice will set the Hippodrome stage alight with his brand new show This Is Me (Mon 15 March). Giovanni will be joined by his cast of professional dancers and there is an opportunity to book a VIP pre-show meet and greet on the night! If you prefer your entertainment to be a little more sedate but no less entertaining then enjoy The Good Old Days of Variety (Tue 16 March) as headline guests The Dreamers are joined by comedy legend Duggie Brown and Victoria Jones with her amazing tribute to Cilla Black.

Featuring a star-studded cast from stage and screen, By The Waters of Liverpool is a new stage adaptation of Helen Forrester’s million-selling book. Sian Reeves and Mark Moraghan head the cast in this passionate and emotional story of life and love during World War Two.

April and May bring a selection of  shows for one night only including tribute to Tina Turner What’s Love Got To Do With It (Tue 6 April), One Night at the VE Day Proms (Tue 4 May) and an evening with Sir Ranulph Fiennes (Wednesday 5 May) talking about his life from schoolboy to the world’s greatest living explorer. Kate Rusby brings her exquisite folk vocals to Darlington (Thu 6 May) alongside her four piece band and the Vortice Dance Company from Portugal present their contemporary take on the classic horror novel Dracula (Mon 17 May). Music lovers have a treat in store with Walk Right Back – the story of the Everly Brothers (Tue 18 May), The Magic of Motown (Thu 20 May), Jools Holland and his Rhythm and Blues Orchestra (Fri 21 May) and Seven Drunken Nights celebrating the music of The Dubliners (Sat 22 May).

Families will love The Tiger Who Came To Tea (Thu 3 to Sat 5 June). This stage adaptation of Judith Kerr’s enchanting story comes direct form the West End and celebrates ten years on stage. For a night of comedy there’s none finer than Jason Manford who brings his one man show, Like Me, to Darlington (Sat 31 July) as part of his UK tour. Lovers of musical theatre will be spoilt for choice as Jonathan Andell and Jai McDowall bring their show Les Musicals to the Hippodrome with songs from the likes of Wicked, Miss Saigon, Chess and of course Les Misérables.

Looking further ahead, we welcome 2022 with the fab-u-luss musical Strictly Ballroom (Mon 3 to Sat 8 January 2022) based on the award-winning film, directed by Craig Revel Horwood and starring Kevin Clifton.

Tickets are already on-sale for the 2021 season; book early to secure the best seats by calling the box office on 01325 405405 or visiting www.darlingtonhippodrome.co.uk -  and make sure to sign up to their mailing list or follow them on social media to be the first to hear about what else is in store for 2021.

Preview: Gangsta Granny at Darlington Hippodrome

DAVID WALLIAMS’ GANGSTA GRANNY RETURNS TO DARLINGTON HIPPODROME

Gangsta Granny

Darlington Hippodrome

Thursday 25 to Sunday 28 February 2021

Tickets are on sale now for the award winning children’s story by David Walliams which is brought to life at Darlington Hippodrome from Thursday 25 to Sunday 28 February 2021.

David Walliams

It’s Friday night and Ben knows that means only one thing – staying with Granny! There will be cabbage soup, cabbage pie and cabbage cake and Ben knows one thing for sure – it’s going to be sooooooooo boring! But what Ben doesn’t know is that Granny has a secret – and Friday nights are about to get more exciting than he could ever imagine, as he embarks on the adventure of a lifetime with his very own Gangsta Granny!

From the acclaimed producers of Billionaire Boy and Awful Auntie comes the award-winning West End production of this amazing story by David Walliams, the UK’s best-selling author for children.

Tickets:

Gangsta Granny runs at Darlington Hippodrome from Thursday 25 to Sunday 28 February 2021. To book or for more information call the Box office on 01325 405405 or visit www.darlingtonhippodrome.co.uk

New Dates: Strictly Ballroom at Darlington Hippodrome

STRICTLY BALLROOM UK TOUR
RESCHEDULED TO 2022

Strictly Ballroom

Darlington Hippodrome

Monday 3 - Saturday 8 January 2022

Due to the on-going Covid-19 pandemic, the 2020 UK tour of Baz Luhrmann’s Strictly Ballroom The Musical, starring Kevin Clifton and directed by Craig Revel Horwood, has been rescheduled and will now run at Darlington Hippodrome from Monday 3 to Saturday 8 January 2022.

To ensure everyone’s safety in these uncertain times, the producers of Strictly Ballroom The Musical had to take the difficult decision to reschedule the original tour dates. But the good news is that all of the shows in the touring schedule have been rearranged and tickets for each performance will be exchanged automatically, so fans will not miss out on this musical extravaganza. People who had booked for the show’s original dates will be contacted by the Hippodrome box office.

Kevin Clifton said: “I’m really delighted that the Strictly Ballroom tour has been rescheduled.  As I’ve mentioned before, it’s my all-time favourite film and Scott Hastings is my dream role, so I can’t wait to bring this musical to theatres across the UK next year.  In the meantime, please stay safe and keep well everyone.”

Craig Revel Horwood

Craig Revel Horwood added: “I’m thrilled that our new production of Strictly Ballroom The Musical has been rescheduled for 2021/2022. The tour may be a year later, but you can still expect those same sexy dance moves, scintillating costumes and a simply FAB-U-LOUS show for all to enjoy, starring the one and only Kevin Clifton!”

Strictly Ballroom The Musical tells the beguiling story of Scott Hastings, a talented, arrogant and rebellious young ballroom dancer. When Scott’s radical dance moves see him fall out of favour with the Australian Federation, he finds himself dancing with Fran, a beginner with no moves at all. Inspired by one another, this unlikely pair gather the courage to defy both convention and their families – and discover that, to be winners, the steps don’t need to be strictly ballroom.

Featuring a show-stopping book by Baz Luhrmann & Craig Pearce, and bringing together a sublime cast of over 20 world class performers, Strictly Ballroom brings to life iconic songs, including Love is in the Air, Perhaps Perhaps Perhaps and Time After Time with dynamic and joyous verve. This tour will also feature some amazing new songs by internationally acclaimed artists including Sia, David Foster and Eddie Perfect. The show’s scintillating singing, dazzling dancing and eye-popping costumes will combine together to bring audiences a story of heart, comedy and drama, and promises to be an unforgettable night under the glitter ball.

This uplifting and courageous musical originated as a stage play that Baz Luhrmann devised with a group of classmates at Sydney’s National Institute of Dramatic Art in 1984. Eight years later he made his screen directorial debut with ‘Strictly Ballroom’, the first instalment in Luhrmann’s acclaimed Red Curtain Trilogy. The vibrant film enjoyed staggering success, winning three awards at the 1993 BAFTA awards and a 1994 Golden Globe nomination for Best Picture, going on to become one of the most successful Australian films of all time, earning more than $80 million at the box office. In April 2014 Strictly Ballroom The Musical had its world premiere at the Sydney Lyric Theatre.

Baz Luhrmann’s Strictly Ballroom The Musical is a fabulous, feel-good evening full of sequins, singing and salsa. This unmissable kaleidoscope of glitz and glamour is a tonic for the soul and will send your heart soaring and toes tapping long after you leave the theatre!

Tickets:

Strictly Ballroom runs at Darlington Hippodrome from Monday 3 to Saturday 8 January 2022. To book or for more information call the Box office on 01325 405405 or visit www.darlingtonhippodrome.co.uk.