REVIEW: I, Daniel Blake at Newcastle Northern Stage

I, Daniel Blake

Newcastle Northern Stage

Until Saturday 4 April 2026 and touring

Ken Loach’s iconic 2016 film about a middle-aged man with a bad heart battling the welfare state, starring Dave Johns, was an enormous success. It won multiple awards and brought the iniquitous state of the British benefits system into the spotlight, even leading to questions in Parliament. In 2023, Johns worked with Northern Stage and director, Mark Calvert, to adapt Paul Laverty’s film script into a stage play. Its welcome return gives new audiences an opportunity to see just why this powerful story, with its well-judged blend of comedy and heartfelt drama is so highly regarded and, sadly, remains relevant today.

David Nellist as Daniel Blake

The play tells the story of the widowed carpenter and a displaced London woman and her daughter banding together into a family unit, united by their shared battle against the state, in the form of the Department for Work and Pensions. Blake is unfit to work but has been denied sickness benefit by some officious Civil Servant. He is harried into looking for work despite being unable to actually take on a job, whilst he waits interminably to appeal against the unjust decision. He runs into Katie, escaping a London hostel for a flat on Tyneside with her teenage daughter, Daisy. Over time, they develop a bond, based on his need to be helpful and her need for help.

L-R Micky Cochrane, Jodie Wild, David Nellist,
Jessica Johnson, Janine Leigh, Kema Sikazwe

David Nellist reprises his titular role and is marvellous at capturing the bewilderment, despair and crumpled nobility of this highly relatable Everyman. He is also, it should be stressed, extremely funny. The humour that runs through the play is the magical element that makes a story that could have been unbearably tragic, always watchable and entertaining.

Jessica Johnson’s Katie

He is matched by Jessica Johnson’s Katie, in a richly nuanced performance. Initially prickly and defensive, she slowly and believably opens up to Blake, and we learn what brought her to this parlous situation. With a note-perfect London accent, she is completely believable and natural as she gradually faces up to an intolerable situation and finds what she sees as the only way through it. Her bond with Jodie Wild’s vulnerable and engaging Daisy is touching in the extreme.

Kema Sikazwe as China

Janine Leigh does an excellent job of portraying Blake’s nemesis Sheila, the sour face of the intractable DWP. Kema Sikazwe is engaging as his friend, the would-be entrepreneur, China. They both play various other roles also, and Micky Cochrane delivers a series of well-judged cameos as everybody else.

Jodie Wild as Daisy

The action is punctuated by a series of quotes played and projected above the scene, highlighting the dismissive and monstrously uncaring attitudes of politicians, scoring points and cutting costs at the expense of the most vulnerable members of society. These comments seem particularly outrageous, when viewed from the perspective of the play’s protagonists. Hearing Boris Johnson’s plummy-voiced grandstanding actually made me, and others, I suspect, shudder with anger. And that, after all, is the point. We should be angry. Like other influential and timely dramas, such as The Boys From the Black Stuff, I, Daniel Blake puts a human face on what many would prefer to dismiss as mere statistics.

L-R Jessica Johnson, Jodie Wild, David Nellist

Still, this play does not forget that it is a piece of entertainment, however important its message, As well as the humour, the warmth of the scenes between the central trio gives relief from the unfolding tragedy, whilst also adding power to the denouement.

L-R David Nellist, Micky Cochrane

This is a memorable and rewarding evening’s theatre; well-directed, beautifully acted and as entertaining as it is heartbreaking. I had no hesitation in joining the rapturous audience in the standing ovation the cast and creatives richly deserved. As a reviewer, I am usually very glad that Northeast Theatre Guide doesn’t give ratings but if we did, this performance would have fully justified five stars.

Review: Jonathan Cash

Photos: Pamela Raith

Tickets:

Running: 20 March – 2 April 2026 

Box Office: 0191 230 5151

Online: www.northernstage.co.uk

Preview: PItmen Poets on tour

 

THE PITMEN POETS

Return for National Tour

Billy Mitchell  ·  Bob Fox  ·  Jez Lowe

 

Three giants of the contemporary folk world are coming home. Billy Mitchell, Bob Fox and Jez Lowe — the trio who collectively embody decades of North East musical heritage — are reuniting as The Pitmen Poets for a new national tour. And for audiences across the region, this summer brings a rare cluster of opportunities to witness one of the most authentic and deeply rooted shows on the UK folk circuit.

The show celebrates the songs, stories and living heritage of North East England's coalfield communities — music that carries the weight of history without ever losing its warmth, wit and humanity. From late June through to mid-July, nine North East venues will host this remarkable reunion, taking the tour from the market town of Barnard Castle all the way to the Fire Station in Sunderland, where it concludes.

THE STORY BEHIND THE SONGS

At the heart of The Pitmen Poets lies the work of Tommy Armstrong — the legendary pitman songwriter of the nineteenth century whose Pitmatic dialect verses captured the lives, humour and heartbreak of mining communities with a directness and compassion that still resonates today. Armstrong wrote not just about the daily grind of underground work, but about disasters, strikes, solidarity and the wry dark comedy of working life. He is, in every sense, the godfather of the North East folk tradition.

The trio do not simply mine Armstrong's legacy — they build upon it. Alongside his material, Mitchell, Fox and Lowe perform their own compositions: songs about coal, strikes, the weight of community and the communities that grew up around the pits. The result is a concert that moves fluently between past and present, between grief and laughter, and between the personal and the collective.

 

The project began some fifteen years ago when Bob Fox was invited to create a concert celebrating North East culture at London's Kings Place. With little rehearsal, the musicians took to the stage and simply let the show find its own shape. What emerged was so natural, so alive with shared experience and instinctive musicianship, that the ensemble has returned to it again and again ever since.

 

"It's a night of music, storytelling and humour that celebrates the culture we come from."

— Jez Lowe

 

THE PERFORMERS 

 

Billy Mitchell

One of the most distinctive voices the North East has produced, Billy Mitchell spent much of the 1970s touring Europe with folk-rock pioneers Jack the Lad before becoming one half of the hugely popular duo Maxie & Mitch. Then in 1996 came the call that cemented his place in regional legend: he was invited to front Lindisfarne, one of the most beloved bands Tyneside has ever produced, remaining with them until their retirement in 2003.

In recent years Mitchell has toured The Lindisfarne Story alongside drummer and fellow alumnus Ray Laidlaw, keeping the spirit of that extraordinary band alive for both lifelong fans and new audiences. On stage with The Pitmen Poets, his warmth and natural authority as a performer give the show much of its emotional grounding.

 

Bob Fox

Bob Fox is, by wide consensus, one of Britain's finest interpreters of traditional song — a singer whose voice carries both technical mastery and an instinctive feel for the emotional truth at the core of a lyric. Twice nominated as Folk Singer of the Year at the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards, he is a fixture on the national and international circuit whose reputation reaches well beyond the folk world.

Fox's career took a remarkable theatrical turn when he was cast as the Songman in the National Theatre's acclaimed production of War Horse. He performed in the West End production and subsequently in touring productions across the UK, Ireland and South Africa — bringing the same qualities of storytelling and presence that define his concert work to one of British theatre's most celebrated recent productions.

 

Jez Lowe

Jez Lowe was born in Easington Colliery, County Durham — a colliery village that has given him not just a subject but a perspective, a way of listening to the world and transforming what he hears into song. Over a career spanning around twenty albums, he has built an international reputation as one of folk music's great storytellers: a writer whose work documents ordinary life with the care and moral seriousness of the very best social realism.

Lowe has also been a principal writer for the award-winning revival of The Radio Ballads, the landmark BBC project that pioneered a documentary-music form in the 1950s and 60s. To be a principal contributor to its continuation is to stand consciously in one of British folk's most honourable traditions — and Lowe wears that responsibility with characteristic ease and generosity.

 

 

WHAT TO EXPECT ON THE NIGHT

 

 

The Pitmen Poets is not a heritage show in the sense of something preserved in amber and gazed at through glass. This is living music, performed by three artists at the height of their powers, who share a common culture and a shared conviction that the stories of working people deserve to be told with craft, humour and honesty.

 

Expect powerful songs — many of them new or newly arranged — woven together with the kind of rich, unhurried storytelling that is increasingly rare on any stage. Expect laughter, because humour is inseparable from the tradition Mitchell, Fox and Lowe are working in. Tommy Armstrong was above all a funny man, and his heirs have not forgotten it.

 

Expect, too, an evening that earns its emotion. These are songs about real communities, real losses and real resilience — and the men performing them carry all of that in their voices and their histories. The Pitmen Poets is one of those rare shows that leaves audiences feeling enlarged by the experience: more connected to the place they live, more aware of what was built and what was lost, and more grateful that there are still artists willing to hold it all in their hands and give it back to us.

 

 

NORTH EAST TOUR DATES

June – July 2025  ·  Tickets from venues and online

DATE	VENUE
Friday 26th June	The Witham, Barnard Castle
Saturday 27th June	Customs House, South Shields
Sunday 28th June	The Glasshouse (Sage), Gateshead
Thursday 2nd July	Playhouse, Alnwick
Friday 3rd July	Queens Hall, Hexham
Wednesday 8th July	Forum, Billingham
Friday 10th July	Playhouse, Whitley Bay
Saturday 11th July	Gala, Durham
Sunday 12th July	Fire Station, Sunderland

 

Tickets available from individual venues and online

 

 

North East Theatre Guide  ·  Reviews  ·  Listings  ·  Features

World Tour 2026

Waitress

The Smash Hit Romantic Musical Comedy

Sunderland Empire

Monday 4 – Saturday 9 May 2026

Feature  ·  Sunderland Empire

Durham-born actress Emma Lucia is set to make a homecoming to remember this May, stepping into the leading role of Jenna in the touring production of Waitress — the beloved and award-laden musical that has captured hearts around the world since its Broadway debut a decade ago. The show arrives at Sunderland Empire for a six-night run from Monday 4 to Saturday 9 May 2026, brought to the North East by producers Barry & Fran Weissler and David Ian for Crossroads Live.

For Lucia, this engagement carries a deeply personal significance. Having trained and built her career performing on stages across the UK, returning to lead a major touring production at the very theatre where she spent childhood evenings watching shows feels nothing short of full circle. It is the kind of story that the musical itself — warm, resilient, rooted in the power of finding courage within oneself — might have been written to tell.

"I'm very excited to take on the role of Jenna in the Northeast. I grew up watching shows at the Sunderland Empire, so it feels like a full circle moment to be back on home soil leading this wonderful and heartfelt production."

Emma Lucia

Emma Lucia is no stranger to stages of scale and ambition. Her theatre credits span the breadth of British musical performance, including Perdita in the Regent's Park Open Air Theatre's production of 101 Dalmatians, Kolokolo Bird in Just So at the Watermill Theatre, Girl in the national tour of Once, and Marilyn in the national tour of Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, in which she also understudied both Carole and Cynthia. The role of Jenna represents her most prominent leading turn to date — and the prospect of delivering that performance to a hometown audience makes the occasion all the more charged.

The production marks the tenth anniversary of Waitress on the world stage. It opened on Broadway on 24 April 2016 at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre, where it ran for nearly four years before closing in January 2020. The show crossed the Atlantic to open at London's Adelphi Theatre on 7 March 2019, garnering rapturous reviews and earning its place as one of the most celebrated musicals of the modern era. Since then, the production has toured North America, Japan, Holland, and seen French and Spanish language productions in Canada and Mexico respectively. Spring 2026 brings a major Australian run in Melbourne and Sydney — testament to the show's extraordinary global reach as it enters its second decade.

The Story

Based on the 2007 film written by Adrienne Shelly, Waitress tells the story of Jenna, a gifted pie-maker working in a small-town diner, who dreams of escaping a loveless and difficult marriage. When a baking contest in a nearby county and the arrival of the town's new doctor each offer the possibility of something new, Jenna must find the courage to seize her chance. All the while, her fellow waitresses — the forthright Becky and the sweetly awkward Dawn — provide friendship, solidarity, and their own recipes for happiness.

The show is, at heart, a celebration: of female friendship, of the tenacity required to remake one's own life, and of the quietly extraordinary comfort of a well-made pie. It is funny, tender, and deeply felt — and has a score by Sara Bareilles that is among the finest of any musical in recent memory.

✦   ✦   ✦

The Cast

Leading Role

Emma Lucia  —  Jenna

Becky

Sandra Marvin

Dawn

Evelyn Hoskins

Joe

Les Dennis

Dr Pomatter

Dan Partridge

Ogie

Mark Anderson

Earl

Mark Willshire

Cal

Dan O'Brien

Company

Will Arundell, Yochabel Asante, Alice Croft, Jamie Doncaster, Daniel George-Wright, Will Hardy, Bayley Hart, Olivia Lallo, David Mairs-McKenzie & Ellie Ruiz Rodriguez

The production boasts a company of remarkable experience and pedigree. Sandra Marvin, who returns to the role of Becky having played the part in both the West End run and the previous tour, is a genuine powerhouse of British musical theatre, her credits encompassing Sister Act, Show Boat, and Hairspray. Audiences familiar with Emmerdale will recognise her as Jessie Grant/Dingle, while music fans may know that she performed alongside Kate Bush during the celebrated Before the Dawn concert residency, and sings the title track on the Grammy Award-winning soundtrack to George Clooney's Gravity.

Evelyn Hoskins likewise returns to the role of Dawn. Her stage work ranges from originating the role of Thea in the London premiere of Spring Awakening to most recently playing Carol Van Deusen in 42 Balloons at Chicago Shakespeare Theatre. The role of Dr Pomatter falls to Dan Partridge, best known for his turn as Charlie Price in the UK and European tour of Kinky Boots, while the beloved elder Joe is played by the inimitable Les Dennis — a figure whose career spans half a century of British entertainment, including West End stints in Chicago, Spamalot, and Hairspray alongside Michael Ball at the London Coliseum.

The Creative Team

Music & Lyrics

Sara Bareilles

Book

Jessie Nelson

Direction

Diane Paulus

Choreography

Lorin Latarro

Original Story

Adrienne Shelly

Producers

Barry & Fran Weissler / David Ian for Crossroads Live

The creative team is led by Tony Award-winning director Diane Paulus, the Artistic Director of the American Repertory Theater and a Professor of the Practice of Theater at Harvard University, whose Broadway productions have amassed multiple Tony Awards across productions including Pippin, Porgy and Bess, and Hair. Choreography is by Lorin Latarro, a Drama Desk, Lortel, and Chita Rivera nominee who trained at Juilliard and has brought her inventive movement vocabulary to shows on both sides of the Atlantic.

The score by Sara Bareilles — Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter and recording artist whose songs have been streamed more than 3.5 billion times worldwide — is among the most distinctive in contemporary musical theatre. Warm, witty, and emotionally precise, her music gives Waitress its particular character: a sound that feels both deeply rooted in American idiom and entirely, unmistakably her own. The book by Jessie Nelson, herself an accomplished director and writer whose credits include the film I Am Sam and the Apple TV series Little Voice (co-created with Bareilles), ensures that the story never loses its beating, human heart.

Together, Bareilles and Nelson made history when Waitress opened on Broadway in 2016 as the first Broadway musical to have been created by an all-female team — a milestone whose significance resonates as strongly now as it did a decade ago.

✦   ✦   ✦

Tickets

General tickets for Waitress at Sunderland Empire are on sale now. Don't miss the chance to see this extraordinary production — and to welcome Durham's own Emma Lucia home.

Book at ATGTickets.com/Sunderland

* A £3.95 transaction fee may apply to online bookings.

North East Theatre Guide  ·  Waitress at Sunderland Empire  ·  4–9 May 2026

News: Standing Ovations Celebrate a Triumphant Opening Night for The Shawshank Redemption at Forum Theatre Billingham

Standing Ovations Celebrate a Triumphant Opening Night for The Shawshank Redemption at Forum Theatre Billingham

Forum Theatre Billingham welcomed a packed audience on Tuesday 17 March for the opening night of Bill Kenwright Ltd’s acclaimed stage production of The Shawshank Redemption and the response was nothing short of extraordinary.

From the moment the curtain rose, the audience was fully immersed in the gripping story of hope, resilience and friendship. The outstanding performances by Joe McFadden (Andy Dufresne), Ben Onwukwe (Ellis "Red" Redding) and Bill Ward (Warden Stammas) captivated theatre‑goers throughout, earning thunderous applause and an emotional standing ovation at the final curtain.

Directed by David Esbjornson, the production delivers a powerful retelling of Stephen King’s iconic story, adapted for the stage by Owen O’Neill and Dave Johns. Audiences praised the intensity of the performances, the atmospheric staging, and the seamless storytelling that brought one of modern literature’s most compelling narratives to life.

The opening‑night crowd described the show as “powerful”, “deeply moving”, and “a must‑see”, with many highlighting the cast’s chemistry and the production’s ability to balance raw emotion with moments of light and humanity. Viewers described the performance as “one of the best shows to visit the venue in recent years.”

Alex Aird, General Manager at Forum Theatre Billingham, said:

“The opening night was a fantastic success. The atmosphere was incredible, and the audience response shows just how special this production is. We’re proud to host such an outstanding show here in Billingham.”

Tickets:

The Shawshank Redemption continues its run at Forum Theatre Billingham until Saturday 21 March before heading out on the next leg of its national tour. With limited tickets remaining, audiences are encouraged to book as soon as possible at: https://www.forumtheatrebillingham.co.uk/ 

REVIEW: Blood Brothers at Sunderland Empire

Blood Brothers

Sunderland Empire

Tuesday 17 – Saturday 21 March 2026

Willy Russell’s 1983 ‘Liverpool Folk Opera’ continues to draw standing ovations in its current incarnation, owing to its tried and tested blend of comedy, drama and social comment, plus the sheer visceral power of its climax.

It is a paradox that theatre of the comparatively recent past can sometimes seem to be more dated than shows from previous centuries. Some of us might feel this has happened to Blood Brothers. At least, I did when I first saw it 20 years ago. But this is to deny its importance in the evolution of musicals in Britain. It was extremely rare in the 1980s for musicals to feature the gritty realism and unpalatable truth of life in the underprivileged working class. Blood Brothers’ success, in winning the Olivier Award for Best New Musical, and through extended runs in Britain and abroad, changed all that. Would we have had Spend, Spend, Spend, the splendid Viv Nicholson musical, or even the wonderful Billy Elliot without Russell’s work?

Since one cannot go back in time to experience the impact of the show when it first opened, the best one can do is probably to see this solidly produced revival, with a cast including actors who have been with the show for some time.

To summarise the plot, a slum-dwelling Liverpudlian single mother, unable to adequately feed her existing children, gives one of her new-born twin boys to a wealthy, childless woman. The two are sworn to secrecy and try to keep the two boys apart at all costs. 

Unfortunately, fate takes a hand, and the boys meet and become friends, the eponymous blood brothers. As they grow up and their fortunes diverge dramatically, the conflict between the two boys and the differing worlds they live in, ultimately leads to tragedy.

I make no apology for what sounds like a spoiler, as the outcome of the story is flagged up in the very first moments of the show. This may seem like a brave choice, but Russell’s skill as a dramatist means that it does not diminish the impact of the show’s denouement.

The score effectively serves the plot, rather than producing memorable or extractable songs, with the exception of the much-recorded Tell Me It’s Not True and, possibly, Easy Terms. There is very little in the way of dance, as the show maintains the feel of a play with songs that comment on the action, rather than staged numbers.

Central to the show are Mrs Johnston and the two boys, Mickey and Eddie, played respectively by Vivienne Carlyle, Sean Jones and Joe Sleight. All three have been with the show through various productions and their assurance and the level of detail the boys bring to their roles is clear evidence of this. The boys are both excellent, easily meeting the challenge of portraying their characters from young boys through to adulthood. Sean Jones, in particular, exploits every possible opportunity for comedy in his beautifully observed and vulnerable characterisation of the young Mickey.

On this occasion, I was not especially engaged by Vivienne Carlyle’s portrayal, either dramatically or musically. I am sure this is just a matter of personal taste and I must say she delivered the last note of the show, which is essentially a musical scream of despair, with great power and conviction.

The supporting cast were versatile and effective in portraying multiple characters. Kristofer Harding sang well as the wandering narrator and Gemma Brodrick was heartfelt and engaging as Mickey’s girlfriend and later wife.

Though I believe this show works best in a more intimate theatre, the audience reaction on this Tuesday night in Sunderland showed me how deeply audiences still respond to the show, and proved its emotion and social comment have retained their power over the 43 years since its debut.

Review: Jonathan Cash

Photos: Jack Merriman

How to Book

Dates:  Tuesday 17 – Saturday 21 March 2026

Venue:  Sunderland Empire, High Street West, Sunderland SR1 3EX

Tickets:  From £15 — available at ATGTickets.com/Sunderland

Note:  A transaction fee of £3.95 may apply to online bookings

Preview: Blood Brothers at Sunderland Empire

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Bill Kenwright's legendary production returns to Sunderland Empire

Blood Brothers

Sunderland Empire

Tuesday 17 – Saturday 21 March 2026

Photos: Jack Merriman

Few musicals have endured with the fierce, tearful loyalty that Willy Russell's Blood Brothers commands. Since its premiere at the Liverpool Playhouse in 1983 — itself born from a school play two years earlier — this epic tale of twins separated at birth, class division and inexorable fate has sold out theatres on every continent, clocked more than 10,000 performances in London's West End alone, and earned the unofficial title of the Standing Ovation Musical. This March, Bill Kenwright's multi-award-winning production sweeps into Sunderland Empire for five unmissable performances, carrying with it a cast of returning favourites and fresh talent that promises to make the rafters of this magnificent Edwardian theatre ring once more.

Blood Brothers runs at Sunderland Empire from Tuesday 17 to Saturday 21 March 2026. Below, we present everything you need to know about the production — and an in-depth interview with its leading lady, Vivienne Carlyle, who has spent much of her career inhabiting the indomitable Mrs. Johnstone.

 

VENUE	Sunderland Empire
DATES	Tuesday 17 – Saturday 21 March 2026
TICKETS	From £15 at ATGTickets.com/Sunderland
WRITTEN BY	Willy Russell
DIRECTED BY	Bob Tomson & Bill Kenwright
RUNNING TIME	Approx. 2 hrs 30 mins (including interval)

 

 

About the Show

Blood Brothers tells the captivating and moving tale of twins separated at birth, who grow up on opposite sides of the tracks, only to meet again with tragic consequences. When Mrs. Johnstone — a young mother deserted by her husband and left to provide for seven hungry children — takes a job as a housekeeper to make ends meet, her brittle world crashes around her when she discovers she is pregnant again, this time with twins. In a moment of weakness and desperation, she enters a secret pact with her employer that leads inexorably to the show's shattering climax.

What makes the piece so remarkable is its tonal range. For all its heartbreak — and there is a great deal of it — Blood Brothers is also frequently hilarious, shot through with Russell's characteristic wit and a deep, affectionate warmth for its working-class Liverpool characters. Adults playing children, broad comedy alongside piercing social observation, and a score of indelible songs: it is a combination that has proved irresistible to audiences for over four decades.

'Considered one of the best musicals ever' — The Sunday Times. Bill Kenwright's production has been affectionately christened the Standing Ovation Musical, and inevitably it brings the audience cheering to its feet — Daily Mail.

The show's credentials are extraordinary. It has completed sell-out seasons in the US, Australia, Canada, New Zealand and Japan, and received seven Tony Award nominations on Broadway. It also scooped four Best Musical awards in London. Yet for all its global success, Blood Brothers retains an intimacy — a sense that it is speaking directly to each member of the audience — that is rarely found in musicals of its scale.

 

Willy Russell: A Playwright of His People

The writer behind Blood Brothers, Willy Russell, is one of this country's leading contemporary dramatists. His credits include Educating Rita — originally commissioned by the Royal Shakespeare Company and subsequently filmed with Michael Caine and Julie Walters — and Shirley Valentine, which also transferred triumphantly from stage to screen with Pauline Collins and Tom Conti, before making a triumphant West End return in 2023 with Sheridan Smith in the title role.

Russell's genius lies in his ability to create characters — almost always working-class, almost always women — of extraordinary depth and comic richness. Mrs. Johnstone is perhaps his greatest creation: a woman who begins the story as a teenager and ages across three decades of hardship, love, loss and guilt, yet never loses the fierce, bruised dignity that makes audiences fall in love with her every night.

"It started as a play at a Liverpool comprehensive school in 1981. Now it moves the world."

 

The Production

This production, presented by Bill Kenwright Ltd, has been directed by Bob Tomson and Bill Kenwright himself — the same creative partnership that has shepherded the show through countless tours and the long West End run. The Resident Director for the current tour is Tim Churchill, who also appears on stage as Mr. Lyons.

The creative team is completed by Music Supervisor Matt Malone, Sound Designer Dan Samson, Set and Costume Designer Andy Walmsley, and Lighting Designer Nick Richings. Together, they have created a production that honours the timeless simplicity of Russell's original storytelling while delivering the visual and sonic scale that modern audiences expect.

 

Spring 2026 Cast

The Spring 2026 tour brings together a company of performers with long and deep connections to this show, many of whom return to roles they have inhabited on previous tours. Sunderland audiences will be treated to a cast at the height of its powers.

 

PERFORMER	ROLE
Vivienne Carlyle	Mrs. Johnstone
Richard Munday / Kristofer Harding	The Narrator
Laura Harrison	Mrs. Lyons
Sean Jones	Mickey
Joe Sleight	Eddie
Gemma Brodrick	Linda
Michael Gillett	Sammy
Tim Churchill	Mr. Lyons / Resident Director
Francesca Benton-Stace	Donna Marie / Miss Jones
Latesha Karisa	Brenda
Danny Knott	Perkins
Dominic Gore	Neighbour
Alex Harland	Policeman / Teacher
Graeme Kinniburgh	Postman / Bus Conductor

 

Vivienne Carlyle continues as Mrs. Johnstone after gaining widespread critical acclaim and nightly standing ovations on the show's most recent tours. Richard Munday rejoins as the Narrator at certain venues, having played the role on the 2022–23 UK tour, sharing the part with Kristofer Harding, who first took on the role in 2016 and returned for the most recent 2025 tour.

Joe Sleigh, Gemma Brodrick & Sean Jones

Fresh from alternating the role of Elphaba in Wicked at the Apollo Victoria and covering Norma Desmond in Jamie Lloyd's celebrated production of Sunset Boulevard at the Savoy, Laura Harrison returns to Blood Brothers as Mrs. Lyons — a significant step up from her previous appearance in the 2015 tour as Donna Marie. Sean Jones and Joe Sleight reprise the roles of twin brothers Mickey and Eddie, and Gemma Brodrick continues as Linda.

 

 

INTERVIEW

Vivienne Carlyle on Mrs. Johnstone, the magic of theatre, and a life spent in the spotlight

 

 

Vivienne Carlyle has one of the most remarkable histories with Blood Brothers of any performer currently touring in it. She played Mrs. Lyons in 2006, understudied Mrs. Johnstone and took the lead at that time, then played Mrs. Johnstone for the Scottish tour dates in 2007 and 2008, before returning to the role for nine months at the Phoenix Theatre in London in 2012. She spoke to the North East Theatre Guide ahead of the Sunderland run.

 

 

Vivienne Carlyle & Sean Jones

 

For people who are new to the show, what is Blood Brothers all about?

Blood Brothers is by the amazing Willy Russell, who wrote the book and the music, and it's about a mother named Mrs. Johnstone who is trying to make ends meet. She's very poor. Her husband leaves her and she's left with seven children and then discovers she's pregnant again. When she finds out she's having twins, Mrs. Johnstone confides in her employer Mrs. Lyons, who is childless and who persuades her to give her one of the babies. Fast-forward to seven years later, the two boys end up meeting, and it's about their story as well as their mother's and how their lives are intertwined even though they're separated. They're brought back together with tragic results, but it's not just a heartbreaking show. There are huge comedy elements in it and you have adults playing kids, which also strikes the imagination of our younger audiences. You become connected to these characters and then you see them grow up, and you follow on their journey with them. It's a very interesting piece of theatre and in my opinion one of the best shows I've ever performed in.

What do you like about the character of Mrs. Johnstone?

I love her strength and her resilience. No matter how hard life is for her and despite her feeling guilt for what she's done, she still tries to do the best she can with as much grace as she can muster. In spite of everything that happens, she still rises up at the end. I love that and I think it's a great message for us in life because that's what we have to do. We've all had terrible things happen in our lives and it's about how we deal with them, recover, move on and live the rest of our lives.

Can you relate to her in any way?

Both of my parents were very encouraging in terms of how when you have a problem you work through it. They set the bar high for me in terms of saying 'We don't run away from our problems, we stand up to them, we do the best we can, we keep going and never take no for an answer' and all that sort of thing. I was very lucky that they instilled that in me and in that way I can relate to Mrs. Johnstone because I think I'm quite strong. I'm a feisty Scot and Mrs. Johnstone is a feisty scouser. She's a beautiful character to play.

What's your history with the show and what's it been like returning to it for the UK tour?

I played Mrs. Lyons in 2006, when Maureen Nolan was playing Mrs. Johnstone and I was also her understudy so I got to play the lead for my first time back then. In 2007 and 2008 I played Mrs. Johnstone for the Scottish dates of the tour, then returned to the role in 2012 for nine months at the Phoenix Theatre in London. Being back in the show now is just amazing and hopefully I'm bringing new things to it. You grow as a person and I feel like a completely different person now. Emotionally I would say I'm tougher in some ways and more vulnerable in others. As an actor, you use your life experiences and try and dig deep. Our director Bob Thomson wants us to be as raw, authentic and as real as we can possibly be.

What makes Mrs. Johnstone such an iconic musical theatre character?

She starts out at around age 18, so you get to play this huge arc of a beautiful story and a beautiful journey. Life keeps throwing things at her and she keeps rising. She keeps getting knocked down again but she keeps going. I think that's what makes Mrs. Johnstone so relatable because that's what we all do. People watching it — and I don't mean just women, I think it's the same with men who come to see it as well — go 'Well, that's life, isn't it?'

How's the reaction been to the show from audiences on the tour so far?

They laugh, they cry and they are very emotional at the end. It really touches people, a lot of whom come back to see it again. We get a lot of return visitors who have seen the show many times over the years. They come back, they see a different cast and they fall in love with it all over again in a different way.

What's the nicest bit of feedback you've gotten about it?

One time we were in Skegness and a boy aged around 14 or 15 had been to see it with his school the day before. He brought back his mum and dad the following night, and I was so touched by that because he had felt such a connection to the piece. He was really quite overwhelmed by it and I just felt 'How fantastic is it that the show is still relevant to this age group when, you know, there's not a mobile phone in sight and none of the technology that we have today?' because it starts in the 50s and goes through to the 80s.

Blood Brothers premiered in 1983. Why do you think it has endured for all these years?

I think the story is really unique and gripping, and the characters are very strongly drawn. No matter who you are — whether you're in your teens, your 30s, your 70s or whatever stage in life you're at — you'll come and see the show and there'll be some character in it that you can connect with. You go on this journey with the person that you connect with the most and it moves you emotionally.

Vivienne Carlyle & Kristofer Harding

How would you sum up the magic of musical theatre?

Theatre is live, so you immediately connect with it and it's got that sense of urgency. The stakes are higher when you're watching something knowing that it's unravelling in front of you. You can't press pause, which you can with streaming and things like that. Anywhere there's live theatre and live music there's a level of excitement that you don't get anywhere else. It's like coming together as a community and watching something that bonds you. And of course with a musical the emotions are heightened. As a performer, when I'm on stage it's music that moves me in an almost primal way.

What first sparked your interest in acting as a career?

My dad and gran started an amateur group in Glasgow called The Apollo Players, which is where he met my mum. I was pretty much raised in a trunk. They used to do two shows at the King's Theatre in Glasgow every year, so I was kind of weaned on musical theatre. One time they were doing Gypsy and I remember sitting in the audience, aged six or seven, listening to the orchestra tune up, then they played the overture and I just started crying. I felt so connected to it. As for what led to me taking it up as a profession, I'd gone to university thinking that acting was something I'd like to do but never imagining it would happen. Then I was cast as the principal girl in panto at the King's Theatre in Glasgow, in Babes in the Wood, and that led to other work. I eventually travelled down to London and gave myself three months, vowing 'If I haven't got anything within that time, I'm going back to Scotland'. Within two months I was the Narrator on the tour of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat and three years later made my West End debut with Stephen Gately as Joseph.

Can you pick a few career highlights?

Doing Joseph was really special because it was my West End debut. I was a singer for Cirque du Soleil, which was another highlight, and I was Mother Gothel in Disney's Tangled: The Musical, where it was great fun playing a villain. And Blood Brothers is really dear to my heart, which is why I'm so happy to be back in the show. I'm just happy to keep working and I hope the roles keep coming in.

 

Whether you have seen Blood Brothers a dozen times or are coming to it fresh, this production offers something rare: a show in which every element — writing, performance, design — operates at the very top of its game. Vivienne Carlyle's Mrs. Johnstone has been winning standing ovations on every leg of this tour, and the supporting cast bring decades of collective experience to roles they clearly love. Willy Russell's score, from the haunting 'Tell Me It's Not True' to the irresistibly joyous 'Bright New Day', delivers the full emotional spectrum in under three hours.

And then there is the venue itself. Sunderland Empire, one of the North East's great theatrical treasures, is the ideal setting — its grand Edwardian interior lending the story of class, aspiration and fate an added weight and grandeur. Five nights only. Do not miss it.

"They laugh, they cry — and they come back to see it again. — Vivienne Carlyle"

 

How to Book

Dates:  Tuesday 17 – Saturday 21 March 2026

Venue:  Sunderland Empire, High Street West, Sunderland SR1 3EX

Tickets:  From £15 — available at ATGTickets.com/Sunderland

Note:  A transaction fee of £3.95 may apply to online bookings