Gerry & Sewell
Newcastle Theatre Royal
Until Saturday 13 June 2026
Last night I attended a special Gala evening of the return of Gerry & Sewell to the North East at the Theatre Royal and what a night it was.
Adapted from the book (and film) Purely Belter this is an unapologetically proud piece of Geordie Theatre. Conceived in an attic in Whitley Bay five years ago by Jamie Eastlake, he writes ‘stories like ours are rarely told on stages of this scale’ and he’s right. Being a proud, working class Geordie, it is far too rare that we see our stories told and hear our voices especially in such a bold, celebratory manner, so this is refreshing. The second thing I have to mention before talking about the actual show is - the theatre was packed with first time theatre goers, adults who had never been to the theatre, working class men who lapped every second of it up. This has engaged an audience beyond theatre goers and that in itself is one of the most impressive things about Gerry & Sewell, hearing grown men say, “wor lass bought us the tickets and I thought it would be a load of rubbish, I’m not gan to the theatre but here, I’m glad a did, this is class, it’s absolutely hilarious!” was really heartwarming. Edited slightly to take out the expletives but they were in fitting with the show.
Gerry & Sewell tells the story of two very working class young lads on North Tyneside. The story of their dream to get season tickets to see their beloved Newcastle United at St. James Park. There’s more to the story but I’m not sure there should be. That is enough for me and their adventure is what’s really at stake here. The show does have other through plot points but I think they change the pace of the show and jar somewhat, tackling domestic abuse, drug use, homelessness and the harsh realities of being working class in the North East. Gerry & Sewell navigate their way across the North East, stealing and selling to save for their Season Tickets and meet some hilarious characters along the way and get themselves into some amusing situations. Will they ever make it to St. James Park? Gerry’s hope for the boys adventure is the driving force in this narrative, even attending a job centre course for the promise of two tickets…cut to later in the show and they’re sat outside the stadium of light trying to sell two Sunderland tickets!
From the off this is a tour de force of a show, it feels bigger than the stories we see of the North East. The opening is a rousing, anthemic, feast for the senses, complete with audience flags waving and a thumping opening number to AC/DC’s Thunderstruck, this is big, it’s bigger than I expected. The stage set is stunning. Power Props have created an authentic, grubby, dynamic set that authentically feels like you're at a metro station, on the metro and on the streets of North Tyneside. The working metro was sensational.
Another design choice that needs celebrated is the puppetry. Rusty (a stray dog) was one of the most loveable characters in the show and one of the funniest considering it was a puppet. You totally forgot it was a puppet with its life-like animation, superb facial expressions and the comic timing that would make a pro jealous.
The show's real success though is in the leads, Dean Logan and Jack Robertson have a chemistry on stage that is electrifying. You can see the sparks, the energy and their love for this show. It’s authentic, it’s fast, it’s raw and they are perfect! I sincerely hope this is not the last time we see them on stage as a duo.
The show is not without criticism, it feels over stuffed, the movement and dance scenes, while impressive, felt unnecessary and out of place, the drama felt forced and again out of place with the overall tongue firmly in cheek tone of the piece. The surrounding characters felt underwritten and therefore a little two dimensional - in their writing, certainly not the performances. I don't want to say critical things about it because I felt an immense sense of pride watching it, it made me laugh, but I think with a few tweaks here and there, this could be a masterpiece of North East storytelling.
Gerry & Sewell is hilarious, the cast are outstanding and it’s a proud piece of North East Storytelling. If that’s not enough to get you into the theatre then I’m not sure what is! Go see it (unless you don’t like bad language) and support north east voices. The producer Jamie says in the programme, ‘Please keep an eye on what comes next, because this is only the beginning of our journey to create large scale entertainment in our region. We want to help supercharge the careers of talented people from the North East and ensure that our stories continue to be told on the biggest stages.” Well amen to that Bonny lad!
Review: Stephen Sullivan
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