Preview: Bat Out of Hell – The Musical at Stockton Globe

 

A D V E R T I S E M E N T

 

THE THEATRICAL SPECTACLE THUNDERS INTO STOCKTON-ON-TEES IN ONE WEEK!

 

Bat Out of Hell – The Musical

Stockton Globe

Tuesday 1 - Saturday 5 February 2021

Tickets: https://tinyurl.com/STOCKTONbatoutofhell

 

All revved up and ready to go, there’s just one week to go before Bat Out of Hell – The Musical comes to the Stockton Globe, for eight electrifying performances between Tuesday 1 and Saturday 5 February 2021.

In recent news, the passing of the late, great Meat Loaf himself on January 20^th, 2022 makes the upcoming Bat Out of Hell tour even more poignant for Stockton audiences.

The team at the Stockton Globe were incredibly saddened to hear of this great loss. The tour will celebrate his life in the best way possible, raising the roof in celebration of his remarkable collection of hits and paying tribute to his wonderful life and career.

Bat Out of Hell – The Musical, featuring Jim Steinman and Meat Loaf’s greatest hits, stars Glenn Adamson (American Idiot) as Strat, Martha Kirby (Grease, Rags the Musical) as Raven and our original leading cast members Rob Fowler (Mamma Mia!, Bat Out of Hell) as Falco and Sharon Sexton (Mamma Mia!, Bat Out of Hell) as Sloane, plus Killian Thomas Lefevre as Tink, Joelle Moses as Zahara, James Chisholm as Jagwire, Kellie Gnauck as Valkyrie, and Danny Whelan as Ledoux.

Also in the cast are Laura Johnson as Kwaiden, Jamie Jukes as Markevitch, Rebecca Lafferty as Scherzzo, James Lowrie as Denym, Rory Maguire as Astroganger, Amy Matthews as Vilmos, Stacey Monahan as Moderna, Samuel Pope as Hoffman & Alternate Strat, Luke Street as Hollander, Leonardo Vieira as O’Dessasuite, Beth Woodcock as Spinotti, & Jayme-Lee Zanoncelli as Goddesilla.

Bat Out of Hell – The Musical wowed critics and public alike when it played limited seasons at Manchester Opera House, London Coliseum and London’s Dominion Theatre from 2017 to 2019. The musical also ran successfully in Canada, Germany and at New York’s City Centre in 2019.

Bat Out of Hell – The Musical won the Radio 2 Audience Award for Best Musical at the Evening Standard Awards and was nominated for eight WhatsOnStage Awards, including Best New Musical.

Bat Out of Hell became one of the best-selling albums in history, selling over 50 million copies worldwide. 16 years later, Steinman scored again with Bat Out of Hell II: Back into Hell, which contained the massive hit I Would Do Anything for Love (But I Won’t Do That).

For the stage musical, the legendary and award-winning Jim Steinman incorporated iconic songs from the Bat Out of Hell albums, including You Took the Words Right Out of My Mouth, Bat Out of Hell, I Would Do Anything for Love (But I Won’t Do That) and Two Out Of Three Ain’t Bad, as well as two previously unreleased songs, What Part of My Body Hurts the Most and Not Allowed to Love.

In Bat Out of Hell – The Musical, the electrifying rock songs propel an epic story of rebellious youth and passion as Strat, the immortal leader of The Lost, has fallen in love with Raven, the beautiful daughter of the tyrannical ruler Falco.

Bat Out of Hell dedicates this tour to the memory of Jim Steinman and Meat Loaf, who both sadly passed away in the last year.

 

Tickets:

Bat Out Of Hell

Tuesday 1 - Saturday 5 February 2022

Tickets from £13 (subject to a transaction fee of £3.65)

Box Office: 0844 871 7615

Online Tickets: https://tinyurl.com/STOCKTONbatoutofhell

News: Hexham Queen’s Hall Arts Centre announces Spring programme

Hexham Queen’s Hall Arts Centre announces Spring programme

The Queen’s Hall Arts Centre in Hexham has announced its Spring 2022 season - Northumbrian stories and North East talent take centre stage in a jam packed programme featuring live music, dance and theatre alongside stand up comedy and family shows.

Kicking off with a sold out Suggs gig on Thursday 27 January, Spring season highlights include:

The Monocle (17 Feb) - a Made in the North East commission, Rendez-Vous dance company will transform the main theatre into an intimate club inspired by the notorious 1930s Parisian lesbian club Le Monocle, featuring live music and dance for a fun night out.  

Telling the incredible tale of WW1 women's footballer Bella Ray - the Alan Shearer of her day scoring 133 goals in 30 matches for her team, Wor Bella (28 March) by Ed Waugh is the story of Blyth Spartans Ladies' remarkable munitionettes' cup victory in May 1918 - a Northumberland triumph! 

These Hills Are Ours (23 Feb) is a collaboration between award-winning theatre maker Daniel Bye and founder member of Chumbawamba who writes heartfelt catchy folk songs, Boff Whalley. Funny and moving, These Hills Are Ours is about escaping it all by running away, a celebration of wild places and our freedom to roam them.

Northern Stage present an electrifying new adaption of the H.G. Wells classic The Invisible Man (2 March) - set in the North East and written by Philip Correia from Northumberland, this new take on one of the most iconic characters in horror fiction explores themes of exploitation, identity and establishment power and corruption, asking who is really invisible in Britain 2022? 

Live music includes Northumbrian duo The Brothers Gillespie (15 March) - as part of a national tour the brothers are delighted to be playing the launch concert of their third album The Merciful Road on home ground at the Queen's Hall; founder member Billy Mitchell and frontman Ray Laidlaw present The Lindisfarne Story 50 Years of Fog (26 March) - a celebration of the music, life and times of one the UK’s most original and distinctive groups; Jeremiah (7 May) is an explosive new show from award-winning rap storyteller Jack Dean about one of England’s forgotten revolutionaries; and BBC Radio 2 Folk Award nominee Sam Sweeney (18 May) brings his new band on tour with a totally fresh approach and a big sound.

TV panel show regular, Shaparak Khorsandi (formerly known as Shappi), kicks the comedy off on 25 February with a trip down memory lane in brand new show, It Was the 90s! The comedy programme also includes Simon Evans who returns on 4 March - star of Live at the Apollo, Mock the Week and BBC Radio 4's The News Quiz, Simon has also made appearances on This Week, Question Time, Celebrity Mastermind, Pointless Celebrities and Mastermind the Professionals. On 16 March, Clowns to the Left of Me, Jokers to the Right is a satirical stand up show from Matt Forde - best known for Spitting Image, Matt has also appeared on Have I Got News For You, The Last Leg and The Royal Variety Performance. And TV household name Ed Byrne is back on 8 June with If I’m Honest - a brand-new masterclass in observational comedy hot on the heels of his 2017/18 touring hit, Spoiler Alert!

Family shows include The Gramophones Theatre Company who brought Tarzanna to Hexham last year, back by popular demand with Aidy the Awesome (27-29 May) - a stunning aerial theatre show for under 5s and their families. Wriggle Dance Theatre presents Squidge (25 March) - a fun interactive dance performance exploring our sense of touch and how it influences our everyday lives, with live music and digital projection for children aged 3-8 and their grown ups. Inspired by Aesop’s Fable, WOLF! (22-24 April) from Kitchen Zoo also returns after being cancelled in 2020 due to the pandemic - audiences might recognise a familiar face in this under 5s show, as Hannah Goudie-Hunter was in the Queen’s Hall’s hit Christmas show, Remarkable Robin. 

Artistic Director Katy Taylor said, “We were all delighted to see our audiences, volunteers and staff safely return to the building last year, supporting the Queen’s Hall as we re-emerged from our enforced hibernation. But Spring is on its way and as the days get longer we’re celebrating with a packed programme of performances. As we emerge from the long winter months we want to bring together families and communities to laugh with top-flight comedians, wonder at a beautiful aerial show, and be enthralled by fantastic theatre and live music. With wonderful Northumbrian stories and talent including the untold story of a WWI women’s football legend in Wor Bella and regional songsmiths Ray Laidlaw and Billy Mitchell from Lindisfarne, Queens Hall Arts are really celebrating our region.”

The Queen’s Hall continues to have Covid safety measures in place to keep audiences, artists and staff safe including strongly encouraging face coverings, hand sanitiser stations, extra cleaning and e-tickets to avoid congestion at the box office.

Tickets:

Book for two or more theatre shows and get a free ticket to the show of your choice to bring a friend along to. For more information or to book tickets visit www.queenshall.co.uk or call the box office on 01434 652 477. 

Preview: Fascinating Aïda at Newcastle Theatre Royal

 

Britain’s Greatest Cabaret Trio Are Back!

 

Fascinating Aïda

Newcastle Theatre Royal

Sunday 13 & Sunday 27 February 2022

Following smash-hit runs, Dillie Keane, Adèle Anderson and Liza Pulman return to Newcastle Theatre Royal next month with Fascinating Aïda playing two dates on Sunday 13 and Sunday 27 February 2022.

For nearly four decades, Fascinating Aïda have captured the political and social fixations of our times and have become firm favourites with audiences at Newcastle Theatre Royal. 

Their brand-new show will feature a selection of old favourites, songs you haven’t heard before and some you wish you’d never heard in the first place.  But the songs are mostly topical and the glamour remains unstoppable.  With three Olivier Award nominations and over 25 million YouTube and Facebook hits for Cheap Flights and their incredibly rude Christmas song how can you possibly miss them?

Dillie Keane founded Fascinating Aïda in 1983 (and was joined by key writing partner Adèle Anderson in 1984) and since then the group has played in hundreds of theatres in the UK and Ireland, with London seasons at the Donmar Warehouse, Lyric Hammersmith, Piccadilly, Vaudeville, Garrick, Apollo and Comedy theatres and the Theatre Royal, Haymarket.

They have toured Australia three times, including a month at the Sydney Opera House, and also played New Zealand, San Francisco, New York, Berlin, Kenya, South Africa and Singapore. They have made numerous television appearances and radio recordings, released seven CDs, three DVDs, two videos, an autobiography and a songbook, and have also been nominated for several awards - Perrier (once), Olivier (3 nominations) and New York Drama desk (3 nominations). 

In 2013 they won Best Musical Act in the London Cabaret Awards. Despite being around since before the birth of the internet, Fascinating Aida has clocked up over 25 million views on YouTube and counting, and their videos have become viral phenomena multiple times.

A significant influence on the contemporary cabaret scene is Musical Director, composer and pianist Michael Roulston who will join Dillie, Liza and Adele on stage.  Michael’s recent projects and collaborations have seen him win numerous awards including a Herald Angel, Spirt of the Fringe (twice), A Stage Edinburgh Award and a London Cabaret Award. Michael has previously accompanied Dillie Keane’s solo show Off-Broadway and on two UK Tours and he co-composed Fascinating Aida’s hit song “Down With The Kids”. He is thrilled to be joining them for their new show.

This show is directed by Paul Foster whose recent credits include Curtains (UK Tour); The Deep Blue Sea (Chichester Festival Theatre); Kiss Me, Kate and Annie Get Your Gun (Sheffield Crucible); The Light Princess and Sweet Charity (Cadogan Hall); A Little Night Music and Laurel and Hardy (Watermill) and Tell Me on a Sunday (Watermill/UK Tour).

 

Photos: Johnny Boylan

 

Tickets:

Fascinating Aïda plays at Newcastle Theatre Royal Sunday 13 & Sunday 27 February 2022. Tickets are priced from £26.00 and can be purchased at www.theatreroyal.co.uk or from the Theatre Royal Box Office on 0191 232 7010.

Preview: An Audience with Mark ‘Billy’ Billingham at Newcastle Tyne Theatre

 

A D V E R T I S E M E N T

‘An Audience with Mark ‘Billy’ Billingham’ brings SAS leader to Tyne Theatre and Opera House.

 

An Audience with Mark ‘Billy’ Billingham’

Newcastle Tyne Theatre and Opera House
Monday 28th February 2022

Tickets: https://tidd.ly/3fzLyMg

TV’s most experienced, highest ranking and most decorated SAS leader and sniper comes to Tyne Theatre and Opera House with his show An Audience with Mark ‘Billy’ Billingham on Monday 28th February 2022.

Billy is a former SAS Sergeant Major Class 1 and Bodyguard to the Stars including Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, Russell Crowe, Sir Michael Caine, Tom Cruise and many others.

Billy is also known for his role on SAS: Who Dares Wins, which sees ex-special forces soldiers put recruits through a recreation of the SAS selection process. The chief instructor of the show is Ant Middleton, who sold out his Tyne Theatre & Opera House ‘Audience with’ show in 2018.

This ‘in conversation’ event will be an evening of fascinating stories from Billy’s time in the SAS and as a bodyguard, hosted and produced by endurance (running) world record breaker Mark Llewhellin. There will also be a Q&A and a chance to meet Billy.

Tickets are available to book online now: https://tidd.ly/3fzLyMg

Preview: The Hollow at Newcastle People's Theatre

The People’s Theatre in Heaton kick off the year with another classic whodunnit from the Queen of Crime!

The Hollow by Agatha Christie 

Newcastle People's Theatre

Tuesday 18 – Saturday 22 January 2022 

All is going well as Sir Henry Angkatell gathers family and friends for a long weekend at The Hollow, his grand rural estate. Then a body is found in the garden room.

The stage is set for a detective tale full of intrigue, jealously and deception. Everyone from the Servants Hall up to the Drawing Room is under suspicion, with enough red herrings to keep you guessing until the very end!

Can tough-talking Inspector Colquhoun of Scotland Yard solve the crime before it’s too late?

The Holllow was adapted for the stage by Agatha Christie herself from her novel of the same name, and it premiered in London’s West End in 1951. Its success led to Christie adapting another of her stories into ‘The Mousetrap’ which opened in 1952 and continues to this day!

The People’s are no strangers to Christie mysteries, and have staged many of her classics including ‘Murder on the Nile’, ‘The Unexpected Guest’ and ‘Black Coffee’.

The Holllow  promises to be just as much fun and is just the thing to warm you up this January.

Tickets:

The Holllow  runs from Tuesday 18th to Saturday 22nd January, and includes a socially-distanced performance on the Tuesday.

Tickets:           £15 (Conc. £13) 

All details are on the website www.peoplestheatre.co.uk

Preview: Rhod Gilbert – The Book of John at Stockton Globe

 

A D V E R T I S E M E N T

 

Award-Winning, Stand-Up Comedy Star Brings Hilarious Show To Stockton Globe

Rhod Gilbert – The Book of John

Stockton Globe

Thursday 10^th February 2022

Online tickets are available from our affiliate ATG Tickets: https://tinyurl.com/RhosGILBERTstockton 

As one of the UK's leading stand-up comedy talents, the multi award-winning comedian, Rhod Gilbert is back on the road with his latest new live show, Rhod Gilbert - The Book of John. Rhod’s first live tour since 2012 is set to arrive at the historic North East art deco venue, Stockton Globe on Thursday 10^th February.

Following a seven-year break from stand-up (and a further enforced hiatus for obvious reasons), this show sees Gilbert as funny as ever, but like never before. It's a little bit raw, very personal, and brutally honest; no more lies, no more nonsense. This is Rhod, but different, the same, but not. It's a show about hitting rock bottom, and just when you think things can't get any worse, you meet a bloke... a bloke called John.

Stockton Globe

As one of the UK's leading stand-up comedy talents, Rhod has enjoyed many successful years as a star of television and radio. He has amassed nine series of his hugely popular 'Rhod Gilbert's Work Experience' and has hosted two series of 'Rhod Gilbert's Growing Pains' for Comedy Central. He's regularly hosted 'Have I Got News for You?' and has appeared countless times on 'Qi', 'Would I Lie to YOU?' and '8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown'. He has hosted 'Live at The Apollo' on multiple occasions and has performed on 'The Royal Variety Performance'. He has also appeared in a series of the Bafta award-winning 'Taskmaster'.

 

The comeback tour, Rhod Gilbert - The Book of John originally kicked off in 2019 and the Welsh wonder has already played to over 100 venues across the UK. The show has been met with widespread critical acclaim and every performance to date has sold out. Rhod will continue to donate some of the proceeds from the tour to his chosen charities: The Stroke Association and Alzheimer’s Society. 

Tickets:

 

Rhod Gilbert – The Book of John at Stockton Globe

Thursday 10^th February 2022, 8pm

Tickets from £31.65 (subject to a transaction fee of £3.65)

Online tickets are available from our affiliate ATG Tickets: https://tinyurl.com/RhosGILBERTstockton 

Box Office: 0844 8717615

News: Accessible pantomime performances available for Durham families over Christmas

 

Accessible pantomime performances available for Durham families over Christmas

With pantomime season in full swing, two County Durham theatre venues are providing accessible performances of their Christmas shows, so that all audiences can share in the festive fun.

 

Since late-November, Gala Durham and Consett’s Empire Theatre have been hosting their popular Christmas pantomimes with exciting performances of two traditional tales for audiences to enjoy.

 

At Gala, the theatre has been staging its annual panto with a production of Robin Hood, which will be entertaining families on stage until Sunday 9 January. In Consett, the Empire Theatre is staging its own pantomime with an original production of Treasure Island, running until 31 December.

 

Both venues have been making sure their shows are accessible to audiences of all needs and abilities, with dedicated British Sign Language (BSL), captioned and relaxed performances. Families can visit one of the upcoming accessible shows between December and January.

Characters Gertrude and Benjamin Gunn
in Empire’s Treasure Island

Consett Empire will be staging a relaxed performance of Treasure Island on Wednesday 29 December at 11am. Created for children and adult audiences with autism, learning difficulties or sensory conditions, relaxed performances are designed for those who would benefit from watching the production in a more informal environment.

 

In these performances, audiences are free to talk or move around if they need to, and a time out space is available for anyone who needs a break. Lighting, sound and special effects are slightly altered in order to reduce anxiety levels, and staff are trained to create a friendly setting and assist with any additional needs.

 

The Empire will also be staging a British Sign Language performance on 29 December at 3pm, where the performance will be interpreted by a trained member of the cast.

Robin Hood and Maid Marian on stage at Gala

At Gala, there will be a British Sign Language and captioned performance of Robin Hood on Wednesday 5 January at 6pm, for audiences with hearing impairments who would benefit from assisted interpretation.

 

And on Thursday 6 January at 6pm, Gala will also be staging a relaxed performance of Robin Hood.

 

Cllr Elizabeth Scott, Durham County Council’s Cabinet member for economy and partnerships, said: “Visiting the theatre is a great trip out for families, especially at this time of year when we have our fun-filled Christmas programme. Our festive season is full of fantastic productions and is a key part of our culture and events calendar, which is one of the reasons the county is bidding for UK City of Culture 2025.

 

“We want all audiences to be able to visit our venues and enjoy our shows, so our accessible performances have been specially adapted to suit different needs and abilities. Following Rose Ayling-Ellis’ success on Strictly Come Dancing, we've noticed a lot of interest from audience members wanting to learn sign language, and our BSL performances have been just as popular.  There is still time to book one of our shows before the year ends, so we encourage families to come along to a performance that suits them and enjoy the fun.”

 

Tickets:

To book a performance for Robin Hood, visit www.galadurham.co.uk or call the Gala’s box office 03000 266 600. For Treasure Island, visit www.empireconsett.co.uk or call 03000 262 400.

 

For more information about the accessibility of each theatre, visit www.galadurham.co.uk/yourvisit/access or www.empireconsett.co.uk/gettinghere/access

 

Following government guidance and to keep each other safe from the spread of coronavirus, visitors must wear face coverings at all times inside the theatre venues.

 

Visitors are being encouraged to take precautionary measures to prevent transmission, such as keeping a one to two metre distance from others and washing hands often and thoroughly.

 

People are also asked not to attend the venue if they believe they have coronavirus, are showing symptoms, have been in contact with someone who has tested positive, or if they have been instructed to self-isolate.