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28/08/2024
Preview: Heathers the Musical at Newcastle Theatre Royal
Greetings And Salutations - Heathers Returns To Newcastle
Heathers the Musical
Newcastle Theatre Royal
Tuesday 3 – Saturday 7 September 2024
Following a smash hit West End run in 2018, two national tours and record-breaking performances at London’s The Other Palace, the WhatsOnStage ‘Best New Musical’ winner, Heathers the Musical is returning to Newcastle Theatre Royal.
Produced by Bill Kenwright Ltd and Paul Taylor-Mills, this high octane, black comedy, rock musical is based on one of the greatest cult teen films of all-time which starred Winona Ryder and Christian Slater.
At Westerberg High, popularity is so very a matter of life and death, and Veronica Sawyer is just another of the nobodies dreaming of a better day. But when she’s unexpectedly taken under the wings of the three beautiful and impossibly cruel Heathers, her dreams of popularity finally start to come true. That is until JD turns up, the mysterious teen rebel who teaches her that it might kill to be a nobody, but it’s murder being a somebody.
Heathers the Musical visited Newcastle Theatre Royal in 2021 and wowed audiences with its edgy humor, unforgettable performances, and captivating storyline. The dark comedy with it’s powerful musical numbers is returning to the region with a bang in 2024!
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| Heathers the Musical (2024) Photo: Pamela Raith Photography |
The award-winning writing team, Laurence O’Keefe and Kevin Murphy’s hit musical adaptation has enjoyed successful runs in Los Angeles and New York, and its European premiere saw it become the highest grossing show at The Other Palace. Heathers the Musical had similar success transferring to the Theatre Royal Haymarket and the show then broke records again back at its original home, The Other Palace, as the longest running show in the venue’s history.
The musical is directed by acclaimed American screen and stage director Andy Fickman, with choreography by Gary Lloyd, design by David Shields, lighting by Ben Cracknell and sound by Dan Samson.
Tickets:
Heathers the Musical plays Newcastle Theatre Royal, Tuesday 3 – Saturday 7 Sep 2024. Tickets can be purchased at www.theatreroyal.co.uk or from the Theatre Royal Box Office on 0191 232 7010.
REVIEW: 101 Dalmatians The Musical at Newcastle Theatre Royal
101 Dalmatians: The Musical
Theatre Royal Newcastle
Until Sunday 1 September 2024
This funny and endearing show uses delightful puppets and a strong ensemble cast to deliver a tuneful evening of first-rate family entertainment, with Kym Marsh giving full value to one of the most monstrous villains ever to haunt children’s nightmares.
You would struggle to be unaware of Disney’s 101 Dalmatians, given the 1961 film and its live action remake, and sequel. Everyone loves the cuddly animals, of course, but I suspect it is really the outrageous villain, Cruella De Vil who makes the piece memorable. After all, what could be more sinister than planning to skin puppies to make a coat?
This new musical version steps away from Disney territory and draws on a stage adaptation by distinguished playwright Zinnie Harris of Dodie Smith’s 1956 novel. Music and lyrics are by West End treasure, Douglas Hodge. Anyone who was fortunate enough to see his performance as Albin in La Cage Aux Folles can understand why he won both the Olivier Award and the Tony. As he also premiered the role of Willy Wonka in the London Production of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, you can judge that he knows his way round a musical. Based on this show, I’d say he can also write a good song.
New musicals are tricky for audiences. People tend not to come out singing the songs that they have only just heard that night, unless they are specially designed to be extractable. These songs are melodic and lyrically adept, delivering both entertainment and the emotional heart of the piece.
The show starts with a scruffy looking dog being abandoned by his owners at the roadside. He is rescued and taken to an animal sanctuary where bathing reveals he is actually a handsome dalmatian, as it gets rid of the smell that had caused the workers to name him Pongo. There is a very amusing scene in which various people come along to adopt dogs that reflect their own personalities, as a cleverly realised array of puppet dogs sing Take Me Home, a theme that is reprised throughout the show.
Tom is then offered a commission by the fashion house of De Vil, headed by the demonic Cruella, who decides his design can best be realised using the skins of the Dalmatian puppies Perdi has just realised she is carrying.
This sets the scene for the valiant rescue of the puppies and, of course, the other 85 that Cruella has also stolen, incorporating a society of animals communicating by something called the twilight bark, in a most entertaining sequence. Of course, there is a happy ending but then there had never been any doubt of that.
Johnny McKnight’s script is very funny and good-hearted, keeping the menace to a level that would be perfectly acceptable to small children, whilst keeping up the dramatic tension in a good story arc.
The dogs emerge as real stars through skilful handling of the charming puppets, designed by the inspired Jimmy Grimes, and committed and touching performances by the actors. Particularly effective were Emma Thornett’s Perdi and Linford Johnson’s Pongo, their warm voices blending in some lovely harmonies. The three featured puppies are also given distinct personalities by their clever performers.
Pop star and soap star Kym Marsh is the headliner, of course, as Cruella and she does not disappoint. She has three deliciously over the top numbers and delivers them with gusto, holding the stage in an array of fantastic costumes by Sarah Mercadė. She brings exactly the right balance of villainy and comedy and has a truly satisfying comeuppance.
Other standout moments include a cleverly mounted car sequence and a very funny number in a pub full of villains, featuring a hilariously unexpected cameo, which I won’t spoil. Also, the song A Thousand Kisses in the second act is truly lovely and very affecting.
Throughout, Bill Buckhurst’s slick direction and Lucy Hind’s effective choreography, coupled with David Woodhead’s evocative set designs all give the show a distinct character and charm. The small band does a great job, delivering a big, warm sound under Musical Director Leigh Stanford Thompson.
As the audience reaction made clear in the satisfying curtain call, this is a terrific night’s family entertainment and to my mind, this show must surely now deserve a West End transfer.
Review: Jonathan Cash
Photos: Johan Persson
Tickets:
101 Dalmatians the Musical plays Newcastle Theatre Royal Tuesday 27 August – Sunday 1 September 2024. Tickets can be purchased at www.theatreroyal.co.uk or from the Theatre Royal Box Office on 0191 232 7010.
REVIEW: Ghost at Sunderland Empire
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Ghost
Sunderland Empire
Until Saturday 31 August 2024
Tickets: https://tinyurl.com/GHOSTatSunderland
Sunderland musician Dave Stewart co-wrote the music and lyrics with Glen Ballard for a musical which has returned to Wearside this week for the first first time in 5 years. Based upon the popular 1990 film, the romantic musical still hits a chord with audiences today.
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| 2019 Production of Ghost |
What is it about? A couple settle down together and start talking about marriage. One, Molly is artistic and creates pottery exhibits for exhibitions, whilst Sam is a banker looking after large accounts. During a robbery, one of them is killed leaving the other one devastated. However the murdered spirit is left in limbo and relies on a con-artist/physic to communicate warnings and to try to get resolution.
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| 2019 Production of Ghost |
The strength of the show relies on the believability of the four leads. Rebekah Lowings and Josh St. Clair appear as the loved up couple Molly and Sam. They have moved into an apartment in Brooklyn and are planning to start the next phase of their life together. There is a need for the audience to buy into this relationship for the show to work. Likewise, we need to accept that Carl (James Mateo-Salt) is a friend that they both get on with and trust and that psychic Oda Mae (Jacqui Dubois) was a grifter that is surprised when she finally connects with those on the other side. If we accept these characters and, and this is important, care about them, then Ghost becomes a joyful ride. Fortunately we have a well matched cast that delivers.
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| 2019 Production of Ghost |
This is a musical and in addition to the Righteous Brother's Unchained Melody, we have some pretty functional songs that you'd expect to propel the narrative of such a production. The songs themselves often tell you how a character feels but they don't stick in the memory or work that well outside the confines of the musical.
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| 2019 Production of Ghost |
That said, we get some great heartfelt delivery of these songs. Rebekah Lowlings shines when singing With You, Jacqui Dubois brings her personality to I'm Outta Here and Josh St. Clair hits the right emotional note in Teach Me How.
One also needs to acknowledge the cameo role of Les Dennis, as the Hospital Ghost, who hits the tone perfectly after a tragic scene. He reminds us of his talents during You Gotta Let Go Now.
Director Bob Tomson has delivered a tight story that runs just under two hours, plus interval, that will please fans of the film. It hits the right emotional notes in the right places and moves with a fair pace, thanks in part to a busy cast and crew moving props on and off without a break in the action.
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| 2019 Production of Ghost |
There is some moments of great choreography from Alistair David, especially around the involvement of Garry Lee as the Subway Ghost.
Ghost is a popular story as it explores the delicate issues of untimely death and redemption. Likewise, this musical is an entertaining and heart warming evening's entertainment. Another great production cementing Sunderland Empires reputation as a North East venue that can attract West End shows.
Review: Stephen Oliver
Photo: Pamela Raith
Tickets:
Ghost The Musical is appearing at Sunderland Empire’s stage from Tuesday 27 – Saturday 31 August 2024. Tickets available online now from our affiliates ATG Tickets at https://tinyurl.com/GHOSTatSunderland *
* A £3.95 transaction fee may apply to online bookings.
27/08/2024
News: Live Youth Theatre Investigate food poverty in extra servings of show Fed Up!
Live Youth Theatre Investigate food poverty in extra servings of show Fed Up!
Live Youth Theatre’s truly powerful and imaginative show Fed Up! will be served up again in Autumn 2024. Following a sell out performance at Live Theatre in Spring, and shows at Newcastle United Foundation and Newcastle Cathedral, it will be performed to a select audience from the Young People’s Advisory Group (YPAG) at Newcastle’s RVI on Thursday 12 September 2024. The cast and creative team will then travel to the city of Gelsenkirchen in Western Germany to take part in InterTWINed, an International Youth Theatre Festival from Monday 16 to Saturday 21 September.
This exciting and thought-provoking show puts young talent and food poverty centre stage, with Fed Up! being an activist piece devised and delivered by the young people themselves. Using research, testimony and their own words 16 members of Live Youth Theatre investigated how hunger affects children and young people in the North East.
Food is at the heart (and the belly) of every culture. It is something we all have in common. We need it to live but how else does it affect our lives? Our emotions? Our bodies? And what happens if you don’t get it?
Paul James Senior Creative Associate for Children and Young People said: “’Fed Up!’ uses the words of the young cast to highlight the devastating affect that food poverty is having on families, children and young people in our region and beyond. The piece pokes fun at politicians and their failure to come up with a solution to the problem. We are thrilled that Fed Up! will be performed at Newcastle’s RVI and at the InterTWINed Youth Theatre festival in Gelsenkirchen.”
Fed Up! received praise from audiences, amongst them Chi Onwurah MP for Newcastle Central and West who said: ‘Extraordinarily powerful performance in Newcastle Cathedral from Live Theatre’s Youth Theatre, with Fed Up! about food poverty, young lives and political failure.’
InterTWINed is a European Youth Theatre event with drama groups aged 14-19 years, attending from Germany, Estonia, Italy, Norway, Poland, Republic of Ireland and the UK. The participants will perform their own plays, discuss them in groups an participate in creative and task-based workshops under the guidance of professional artists. InterTWINed is all about using dramatic expression to establish friendships beyond borders and create partnerships.
Working with some of the most exciting theatre makers in the region, Live Youth Theatre meet weekly to develop their skills in stage craft and create and perform unique plays that reflect their views, thoughts and opinions.
To find out more about Live Youth Theatre, the largest youth theatre in the North East go to www.live.org.uk
22/08/2024
Preview: Re:INCARNATION at Newcastle Theatre Royal
Qudus Onikeku On Bringing Nigeria To Newcastle
Re:INCARNATION
Newcastle Theatre Royal
Tuesday 15-& Wednesday 16 October 2024
Nigerian dancer and choreographer Qudus Onikeku shares how his dance creation, Re:INCARNATION, brings his home city of Lagos to Newcastle.
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| Photo: Herve Veronese |
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| Qudus Onikeku Photo: Hajarat Alli |
Created by Lagos-born dancer and choreographer Qudus Onikeku, Re:INCARNATION is inspired by the city, its people, its past and its present.
“Lagos is very much captured in the show,” says Qudus, whose work has been showcased across the globe. “The energy of Lagos, the vibrancy, the youthfulness, the craziness, the madness, the beauty, the ugliness – are what I was really inspired by.”
He adds, “The production is showcasing the young energy encapsulated in the city with a lot of joy and a lot of colour.”
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| Photo: Herve Veronese |
“I try as much as I can to involve the artists, whether it’s the costumier, the lighting designer, the sound artist, the dancers or the scenographer, in a collective creative process where we also highlight the authenticity and originality of each individual,” he says.
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| Photo: Herve Veronese |
In Re:INCARNATION, Qudus is exploring how young people fuse life today with influences from the past. He is connecting that spirit of youth with the ancient philosophy of the Yoruba people, who have lived in Nigeria for centuries.
“The notion of dying and being reborn in a continuous circle of reincarnation is what I wanted to capture in the show. The young dancers, despite their seeming disconnection with ancient philosophies, are in fact reproducing the codes and forms of the past."
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| Photo: Herve Veronese |
Qudus trained in France but returned to Lagos in 2014, establishing The QDance Center and building a reputation for new and exciting work. Re:INCARNATION was premiered in France in 2021 and has toured extensively since then, but will visit Newcastle and the UK for the first time in October.
“One amazing thing about this show is that whether we are in Europe, America or Africa, people connect to it in a very interesting way,” he says. “Maybe that’s because it was created after Covid and Black Lives Matter and there was a certain kind of openness and an awareness of alternative philosophies or ideologies.
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| Photo: Herve Veronese |
“Also Instagram and TikTok have helped popularise dance and music forms coming from West Africa, so it feels like we are adding into a tradition that is already ahead of us!”
Qudus is looking forward to the show’s UK tour which is presented by Dance Consortium, a group of 19 large-scale venues with a shared passion for bringing the best global contemporary dance to Britain and Ireland. Previous Dance Consortium productions delighting audiences at Newcastle Theatre Royal in recent years have included Ailey 2, Sao Paulo Dance Company and NDT2.
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| Photo: Herve Veronese |
Qudus is eager to share Re:INCARNATION with British audiences. He mentions novelists Chinua Achebe and Ben Okri, musician Fela Kuti, and painter Chris Ofili; “These are people that I consider to be like kin. To be in the spaces where they have been seen and heard is really an honour for me.”
“It’s a show that is quite multi-faceted but one thing that I know people have always got out of it is this vibrancy, this young energy that we are bringing. It’s a shared moment of beauty and vivacity and I hope that we can add joy to our world.”
Tickets:
Re:INCARNATION plays Newcastle Theatre Royal. Tickets can be purchased at www.theatreroyal.co.uk or from the Theatre Royal Box Office on 0191 232 7010.Preview: Derren Brown: Only Human at Sunderland Empire
The Multi Award Winning Derren Brown Returns!
Brand New Live Show
Derren Brown: Only Human
Sunderland Empire
29 July – 2 Aug 2025
The multi award-winning master of mind control and psychological illusion, Derren Brown, returns to the stage next Spring with a brand-new live show, Only Human.
The content of Only Human is still under wraps, but it is guaranteed to give audiences a mind-blowing experience that will take their breath away. Prepare to be astonished!
Derren Brown said: ‘After a year off from touring, I am ready to start the momentous climb to putting together another show. I’ve just realised it’s my 11th. Each show begins with a blank canvas and the question of what I could do with a thousand or more people locked in a room with me. It’s exciting, very exciting.’
Only Human is written by Derren Brown, Andrew O’Connor and Stephen Long.
It is directed by Andrew O’Connor, with set design by Simon Higlett, video design by Simon Wainwright, lighting design by Charlie Morgan Jones and sound design by Beth Duke. The age recommendation for the show is 12+.
Only Human is Derren Brown’s 19th tour. Amongst his many previous productions are Derren Brown Showman, Something Wicked This Way Comes, Enigma, Derren Brown’s Svengali and Derren Brown: Miracle.
His shows have garnered a record-breaking five Olivier Award nominations for Best Entertainment, winning twice – the largest number of nominations and wins for one-person shows in the history of the Awards. His 2017 show, Secret, won the New York Drama Desk Award for Unique Theatrical Experience and returned for a sell-out run on Broadway in 2019.
For further information on Derren Brown, visit www.derrenbrown.co.uk
Only Human is presented by arrangement with Vaudeville Productions, Michael Vine, Andrew O’Connor, Paul Sandler and Derren Brown for Only Human Productions Ltd.
Tickets:
Only Human will embark on a major UK Tour visiting Sunderland Empire from 29 July – 2 August 2025. ATG+ Pre-sale Thursday 22 August at 10am. General On Sale Friday 23 August at 10am. Tickets will be available at https://prf.hn/l/bxlgzqq *
*A 3.95 transaction fee may apply.