REVIEW: Rocky Horror Show at Sunderland Empire

Rocky Horror Show 

Sunderland Empire

Until Saturday 24 January 2026

Is there a greater cure for the January blues than a night at the theatre? Surely not, and cures don’t come much better than a night out watching Richard O’Brien’s cult classic Rocky Horror Show on stage. Having celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2023, Rocky Horror shows no signs of slowing down - indeed, the 2025-26 tour proves that the show manages to stay incredibly fresh. 

Stephen Webb [Frank-N-Furter] 

Built around freshly-engaged innocents Janet and Brad and their accidental trip to Frank-N-Furter’s castle and the craziness that ensues, the beauty of Rocky Horror is that you know what you’re going to get - it’s hilarious, it’s sexy and it’s ridiculous. Its cult classic status is built partially on the fact that, unlike most shows, where anyone singing along next to you is rightfully shunned, with Rocky Horror, audience participation is not only encouraged, it’s part of the show. The audience, even on a rainy Monday night in Sunderland, are well versed in all the usual call outs, never leaving an innuendo unsaid or missing an opportunity to slander Brad and Janet. 

 Nathan Caton [Narrator]

The show remains ever faithful to the original musical and to the masterpiece film, and yet, despite the predictability and the fact that large sections of the audience know the piece inside out, this production manages to feel modern and refreshed. The iconic role of the Narrator plays no small part in this, with stand-up comedian Jackie Clune masterfully taking the audience through the story with a solid helping of Donald Trump jokes, self-deprecating humour and a heavy sprinkling of sarcasm. 

What also helps with the fresh feeling of the current production is the mix of experience and fresh blood in the tour cast. Perhaps more than any other touring show, people who star in Rocky Horror tend to spend a fair time involved, with Kristian Lavercombe famously starring in the show over 2600 times. So iconic has Lavercombe’s portrayal of Riff Raff become, I admit I was hesitant to see anyone else step into his shoes (or perhaps into his jacket), but Ryan Carter-Wilson is a brilliant successor. He brings a lighter, younger feel to the role, and is wonderfully complimented by the brilliant vocals and stage presence of Laura Bird as Riff’s sister Magenta. 

L-R_ Ryan Carter-Wilson (Riff Raff), Stephen Webb (Frank-N-Furter), Edward Bullingham (Dr. Scott), Nathan Caton (Narrator), Daisy Steere (Columbia), Laura Bird (Magenta). 

Another newcomer to Rocky Horror, though by no means an inexperienced actor, is James Bisp as Brad. Bisp’s vocal and comedic performances were a real strength of the performance, embodying the awkwardness of Brad from bespectacled head to stilettoed toe. He is partnered by seasoned performer, Haley Flaherty, who has been playing the wide-eyed Miss Weiss since 2015. Flaherty is not simply perfect for the part - she is Janet. Every word, every movement is perfectly crafted to tell the story of how the innocent Janet quickly descends into a creature of the night. Her interpretation is the perfect homage to Susan Sarandon’s portrayal in the film and is an absolute joy to watch. 

L-R  Haley Flaherty (Janet), James Bisp (Brad)

There is, of course, no Rocky Horror without the central figure of Frank-N-Furter. For film fans, it may feel nigh on impossible to imagine anyone but Tim Curry as Frank, but Stephen Webb has crafted his own truly iconic version of Frank since first taking on the role in 2018. His stage presence is exceptional, and there is not a moment he is on the stage that you aren’t immediately drawn to him. From his initial entrance in Sweet Transvestite to his genuinely moving performance of I’m Going Home, his charisma and range keep the show moving at pace. 

L-R Ryan Carter-Wilson (Riff Raff), Laura Bird (Magenta).

The ensemble cast round out a talented bunch, with tight dance numbers and a genuine joy and vivacity that infects the audience. A special mention to Daisy Steere, who manages to capture the unhinged extremes of Columbia with such energy. Between an excellent cast, a wonderful band and the pure hilarity of it all, there is very little to complain about. My one gripe would be that the mix at the Empire once again did not seem to be quite right, with some lyrics slipping away under the sounds of the band, but with something as visually entertaining as Rocky Horror, I lean towards forgiving the occasional muffled line. 

L-R_ Morgan Jackson (Rocky), Daisy Steere (Columbia), Edward Bullingham (Eddie)

Whilst it isn’t necessarily a show for those who don’t enjoy crude humour - more so for the comments made by the audience rather than the performance itself - Rocky Horror continues to weave a ridiculous story into something truly special. Whether you are a seasoned Rocky Horror fan and have your fishnets at the ready, or if you’d just like to see what all the fuss is about, the current touring production breathes fresh life into the story, and is certainly worth a visit. As Frank-N-Furter himself might say, don’t dream it - see it. 

Review: Hannah Daglish

Photos: David Freeman

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Tickets:

The Rocky Horror Show plays at Sunderland Empire Theatre from Monday 19 - Saturday 24 January 2026. Tickets are available from ATG TICKETS link. 

Please note: this show contains adult content.

REVIEW: Pinocchi-Hoe at Newcastle Boulevard

Pinocchi-Hoe

Newcastle Boulevard

Until Sunday 8 February 2026

The original Newcastle Adult Panto is back for the ninth outing featuring a cast that deliver a professional evening of outrageous rude fun. 

Last year, the show won our "Laugh Out Loud Comedy of 2025" award because it had the unadulterated, near-the-knuckle hilarity and nothing quite matched its raucous energy. 

They said "Once upon a time, Gepenis longed for a toy boy. One starry night, with a little help from the VERY Blue Fairy, his wish was granted and his latest creation, Pinnochi-hoe, came...to life! But the magical puppet catches the eye of the evil showman Strombollocks who will stop at nothing to get his hands on Pinnochi-hoe's wood. With the help of Dame Patsy, her thick as s**t son Limpwick and the cheeky Jiminy Flick-it, will Pinocchi-hoe learn what it takes to be a 'real boy'? And what is THAT that grows when he lies?! Find out when Newcastle's Original Adult Pantomime returns for its NINTH sensational year with PINOCCHI-HOE: the adult panto with no strings attached!"

What sets the show apart is both the on stage chemistry and the cleverly worked script. The cast have known each other for many years and it comes across that they are not a group that has been thrown together just for this project. The non-verbal stuff between them is noticeable. The script isn't jus a rehash of a family version with a few rude words put in.  There is some thought put into the opportunities to be naughty. Director, writer and panto comic Tom Whalley gets how to produce a show that mirrors the traditional format but also takes a fun, yet caring, swipe at it.

Luke David Martin is Gepenis, a gentleman with questionable habits who goes on to create Pinocchi-hoe (Jacob Anderton) and wished he was a real boy. The Very Blue Fairy (Miss Rory) grants  his wish to make him real and provides a conscience Jiminy Flick-It (Hazel Pude). Alas a baddie called Strombollox (Stephen Sullivan) wants the lad for his circus. Luckily the wooden one has local pizzeria owner Dame Penne Patsy (Dame Patsy) and her son Limpwick (Tom Whalley) in support when he needs rescuing from Pen Island. There is a story here and the show broadly sticks to it - even when singing a song about what they'd be if they were not swallowed by a whale. No spoilers here but Miss Rory's part brought the house down as it was so funny.

The cast is a collection of local panto actors who share the limelight. Whilst the central driving force is naturally Miss Rory, the likes of Jacob Anderton, Luke David Martin and Stephen Sullivan are given the room to push on with the narrative. Hazel Pude gets a chance to show her singing talents whilst Dame Patsy gets to shake their stuff in a musical number too. If I had one slight issue - I wanted to see more of Tom - he is naturally funny but for some reason I didn't feel he had given himself enough opportunities to do his act as much as previous years.  

The jokes and insults fly out from the stage. One memorable highlight, though, did come from Miss Rory's experienced dead pan reaction to one heckle, as a member of the audience noticed something about Gepenis's appearance half way through the show.

As an ensemble the cast demonstrated great Broadway style harmonies and choreography too, which raised the entertainment standard even further.

Breaking the fourth wall with Miss Rory
Photo: Joanne Oliver

Strictly for broad-minded adults, this is a well paced and funny show that goes beyond the crude and tries to bring something unique to the region. Others have tried to copy but nothing quite matches the original. Roll on next year!

Review & Photos: Stephen Oliver

Tickets and details:

https://tickets.boulevardnewcastle.co.uk/shows/26/pinocchi-hoe-annual-adult-panto-2026

Interview: Matilda The Musical at Sunderland Empire

 MATILDA THE MUSICAL COMES TO SUNDERLAND EMPIRE

Royal Shakespeare Company's Multi-Award-Winning Production Celebrates 15 Years on Stage

Interview: Marianka Swain 

Matilda is all grown up. The Royal Shakespeare Company's beloved stage version of Roald Dahl's children's book, Matilda The Musical, this year celebrates its 15th anniversary, and as well as continuing its hit run in the West End, this February the show arrives at Sunderland Empire for a spectacular three-week run from Wednesday 11 to Saturday 28 February 2026.

This anarchic production about a strong and determined heroine with a vivid imagination has won over 100 global awards, including 24 for Best Musical. The internationally renowned musical continues to play to packed houses in the West End at the Cambridge Theatre and has been seen by 12 million people across 100 cities around the world.

Meet the Cast

Madison Davis, Mollie Hutton, Olivia Ironmonger and Sanna Kurihara will share the title role of Matilda, with Richard Hurst playing the terrifying Miss Trunchbull, Tessa Kadler as the kind Miss Honey, Adam Stafford as Mr Wormwood and Rebecca Thornhill as Mrs Wormwood.

Tim Minchin with Tour Matildas -
L-R Olivia Ironmonger, Mollie Hutton, Sanna Kurihara and Madison Davis
Phot: Phil Tragen

They are joined by Scotty Armstrong, Sam Holden, Portia Jefferies, Caiomhe Judd, Brooke Kelly, Ryan Lay, Cassandra Lee, Samuel Leon, Jordan Maisuria-Wake, Nicole Manumbre, Lizzie Nance, Esther Niles, Jordan Ricketts, Josh Singleton, Bradley Trevethan, Ella Tweed, Ben Tyler and Karen Walker.

The talented young performers bringing the story to life include Rudy Bragg, Jacob Connor-Ashton, Charlie Cox, Sylvie Grace, Rose Jammeh, Dottie Jones, Takunda Khumalo, Sana Lennon, Oisin-Luca Pegg, Millie-May Mankowska, Tate Masuku, Leo Maurice, Carter-J Murphy, Jaxon James Nolan, Cole Nicholson, Pixie Pettigrew, Brodie Robson, Haiden Sihapanya and Felix Schmitt.

Tim Minchin with the Young Tour
Cast of Matilda the Musical, 2025
Photo: Phil Tragen

Tim Minchin, who wrote the music and lyrics for the musical, made a surprise visit to the rehearsal room this week to meet the young tour cast, demonstrating the enduring passion and care the creative team continue to invest in this remarkable production.

An Extraordinary British Success Story

Matilda is an extraordinary British success story, premiering in Stratford-upon-Avon in November 2010, and then transferring to the West End's Cambridge Theatre the following year. It won a record-breaking seven Olivier Awards and has played everywhere from Broadway to Australia. In 2022 it was adapted into a Netflix movie.

It's a level of success that continues to astonish its creative team, says Matthew Warchus, who also developed and directed Matilda. "None of us knew it would have the long life and the impact that it's had. You could never have predicted it."

However, Warchus vividly remembers the audience reaction to their first performance. "I'd had a few successes as a director, but as the show ended I had the strange feeling of 'Oh, I see, that's what a hit is.' There was an explosion of emotion. You looked around and saw people with tears running their cheeks and big smiles on their faces. It was like a cultural bomb going off."

The RSC had originally thought Matilda would be their short-run Christmas show. But the moment Warchus read playwright Dennis Kelly's adaptation, he knew "it was a much bigger prospect." He explains: "Dennis gave the source material such emotional heft. Most importantly, for a musical, it felt like there was a lot to sing about. I thought it could have an audience of not just young people but adults as well."

Creating Emotional Depth

Kelly, who grew up reading Dahl, immediately connected with Matilda as "a powerful hero." Still, he knew that the narrative needed to be fleshed out considerably. "I was quite lucky: I hit on this idea for Miss Honey's backstory, about an acrobat couple who want a child. It makes complete sense for Matilda to narrate it, since she's a storyteller, and it makes her more active: she sets up the whole climax."

Poignantly, notes Kelly, the tale Matilda creates is "about parents who love their child more than anything – in sharp contrast to what she's experiencing. I always get swept up in the emotion of that. I also love that she and Miss Honey form this unconventional family. We still don't see those enough in drama."

Honouring Dahl's Dark Humour

Matilda composer and lyricist Tim Minchin was passionate about honouring Dahl's distinctive tone. "One of the first things I said to Matthew was: please don't do a cute princess version." Minchin explains he always thinks of Quentin Blake's illustrations in Dahl's books, "which are disturbing and grotesque. When I went into Matilda, I brought my childhood bathed in dark, inky drawings and Dahl's revolting rhymes. It translated into a particular sound musically, which is quite angular."

Minchin adds: "If you want people to genuinely root for a character to overcome something, you have to give them real jeopardy. Kids understand monsters. Miss Trunchbull is such a great monster that at the end of the show, when the children are rebelling against her, we all feel like we've scaled a mountain."

Kelly got some crucial advice from Dahl's widow Felicity. "She invited me for lunch at her house and took me to see the shed where Dahl wrote. He had a chair with a hole in it because he had a bad back, and a sleeping bag he put on his knees to keep warm. She was very nice about my script, but she said did say, about the Trunchbull, 'You must remember she's a murderer.' It was her brilliantly subtle way of pointing out that I was having too much fun with the character, which stopped her being genuinely dangerous when we needed it. Perfect note."

The Magic of Child Performers

In the show's early workshops, recalls Warchus, the child characters were played by adults, which "increased the comedy quota a lot. Then we tried it with young actors: the irony and self-awareness vanished immediately. When Trunchbull or the Wormwoods shouted at Matilda, and she stood up to them defiantly and said 'Leave me alone, you big horrible bully!', something extraordinary happened. You felt transported back to your own childhood."

It created an unusual challenge for children's casting director Jessica Ronane. She began life as a dancer, and her first casting job was on Billy Elliot: The Musical. "They'd had such trouble casting the film and they didn't know if they'd be able to find that number of boys for the West End," she explains. "But I learnt from our brilliant choreographer Peter Darling, who then brought me onto Matilda, about the authenticity and energy that kids bring to a show."

Likewise, Matilda relies on a huge cast of young performers. "We have four Matilda's, four Bruce Bogtrotters, and then three for everyone else, like Lavender, Amanda, Nigel and Eric," says Ronane. "It's a big ask: the dance is hard and the vocals are incredibly complicated. Like Bruce does this amazing falsetto riff, because our original Bruce had just been in the Michael Jackson Thriller musical and Tim was excited to use his massive high range. Now we have to replicate that!"

Ronane says she can quickly spot promising kids in auditions. "It's a combination of having the energy to attack it and the skill to maintain it. The Matilda's might not be the kid pushing to the front of the room, but they're smart and they have inner steel."

There are practical considerations too. "We have a specific height range, so you have to predict their growth over the next six months," explains Ronane. "The boys' voices might change. Matilda has to be physically small for the story to work."

She notes that the Matilda team is proactive in looking beyond stage schools, whether it's sticking up a poster in the local sports centre or approaching a choir.

Kelly says audiences always fall in love with 'their' Matilda. "You talk to people who've seen it and they go 'I know there's four of them, but our one was the best.'"

Never Talking Down to the Audience

Notably, the musical never talks down to its young audience. That's very deliberate, explains Minchin. "Matilda is obviously gifted, so we couldn't write a show where the protagonist is anything less than a genius. If you don't believe kids can be brilliant, you can't really make Matilda."

Equally, he loves the silliness – which produces great big belly laughs from both children and adults. "Like the song says, sometimes you have to be a little bit naughty," quips Minchin. Kelly agrees: "It's a show that we experience together, not in our isolated little bubbles. We can all enjoy jokes like Bruce's epic burp."

A Distinctive Design

That combination is reflected in Rob Howell's wonderfully distinctive design, with its cluttered backdrop of Scrabble tiles (spelling out clues to the story) and alphabet blocks which are memorably stacked in "School Song" to illustrate Minchin's intricate letter puns. "It's clever but also fun and a bit messy, so it speaks to audiences of all ages and it immerses you totally in this heightened story-book world," says Warchus.

Playful set-pieces include the infamous "phys ed" lesson. That was in Kelly's script, says Warchus, "but we didn't know the extent of the gymnastics that the kids and Miss Trunchbull would be able to manage. It's a real thrill to discover that our Trunchbulls can do this huge vault, eight shows a week."

It took more experimenting to figure out how the Trunchbull could swing poor Amanda Thripp around by her pigtails. "We tried with a dummy, which was the jokey version, and I kept asking if it could be done for real," says Warchus. "The kids actually love being swung around."

The cast also adore flying out into the auditorium on giant swings during the number "When I Grow Up". It's now an iconic moment in the show but it came late in the day, recalls Warchus. "We were thinking about a roundabout or alphabet cubes. It was Peter Darling who had the brainwave and said, 'Let's try swings.'"

It might sound simple but it requires absolute precision, notes Warchus. "Peter worked out that the length of the ropes has to coincide with the number of beats in a bar for the pendulum point to be in the right place, in order to swing in time with the song. So wherever in the world the production plays, that measurement is sacrosanct."

A Show About Justice and Standing Up

Alongside the fun, Kelly notes that the show captures "children's burning sense of justice: 'That's not right'. Matilda doesn't just use her skills to help herself – she stands up for others. She's a great role model."

Ronane's favourite moment is when Matilda sings "Quiet". It's extraordinary, she says, "watching this little girl hold the audience in the palm of her hand. The music is transporting and gorgeous, and it's the kind of shared experience you can only have in the theatre." Kelly concurs, noting: "Tim is a very intelligent, funny guy, but what underpins his music is emotion. His kids were quite young when we made this and you can feel his love of being a dad."

Warchus says he feels a great affinity with Matilda since he similarly didn't fit in as a kid. "But I was never as courageous as her. I find that inspiring because it's a quality I lack." He continues: "I got bullied a lot at school, and creative imagination wasn't generally nurtured (with the exception of a couple of great teachers: Beryl Nairn and Tony Norris). For me, Matilda is a revenge show. It's a way of fighting back against all the Trunchbulls in my life who said 'You can't do this.' That's ridiculous because creativity isn't just a route to escapism – it can transform the world."

Kelly says he would have been closest to Eric as a kid, "someone who was lucky to have been hanging out with Matilda", while Ronane was like Lavender: "A feisty best friend." Minchin relates to naughty Nigel. "He runs on stage saying 'Hide me, someone put treacle on Miss Trunchbull's chair and she thinks it's me but I never'. Well I reckon he did!"

A Family Affair

The team have all had the pleasure of sharing Matilda with their own children. Warchus's three kids, now aged 17, 19 and 21, watched those early Stratford rehearsals since his wife Lauren Ward was the original Miss Honey. "I always had one child on my lap and one squished up next to me, and I had to stop them calling out 'Mummy!' every time Miss Honey came on stage. They've grown up with it."

Kelly recalls that he was married to his first wife at the time, and she didn't want children. "We don't talk about the male biological clock. But when I look at Matilda now, I see the story of the circus couple who desperately want a child – that's who I was. Now that I'm a father, I have a whole other connection to it." He's eager for his five-year-old daughter Kezia to see it. "Her friends talk about it at school and she knows it has something to do with me."

That's actually a turnoff for Minchin's children, he says wryly. "My kids are pathologically interested in everything but my work." But he thinks his daughter Violet "turned out to be a Matilda – she's a kid with a pretty interesting brain."

Back on the Road

Ronane is delighted that Matilda is going back on the road. "I remember the last tour when we opened in Leicester, seeing it in that new space was incredible. Every theatre brings a different energy to it."

Kelly saw the show several times on its last tour. Minchin visited it in Leicester and is hoping to catch it in one of his favourite venues, the Playhouse Theatre in Edinburgh.

Warchus, who's originally from Selby in North Yorkshire, recalls seeing touring shows "in Manchester, Hull, Leeds and Bradford. That's how I fell in love with theatre. I'm proud that Matilda's standards on tour are enormously high – you're getting the full bells-and-whistles production."

Celebrating 15 years is "absolutely incredible," says Minchin. "It's my proudest, proudest achievement." Warchus feels the same way. "Matilda has got so much of me in it. It would be my favourite thing even if it had been a flop. The fact that it's gone on to do all these amazing things and impact so many people is something I think we all find very moving and very humbling - the way all our efforts came together and fused, it's a kind of miracle."

About the Production

Written by Dennis Kelly, with music and lyrics by Tim Minchin and developed and directed by Matthew Warchus, the production is designed by Rob Howell, with choreography by Peter Darling, orchestrations, additional music and musical supervision by Christopher Nightingale, lighting by Hugh Vanstone, sound by Simon Baker and special effects and illusions by Paul Kieve.

Matilda The Musical swept the board at the 2012 Olivier Awards, with a record-breaking seven awards, and won four Tony Awards and a Tony Honor for Excellence in the Theater for the four girls sharing the title role on Broadway. It has since toured North America, Australia, New Zealand, the UK and Ireland, South Africa and China and played its first non-English language production in Seoul, South Korea in 2018/19. In 2023, Matilda The Musical played for the first time in Japan.

A film adaptation made by the core creative team received its World Premiere at the London Film Festival in October 2022 and can now be watched on Netflix.

Tickets:

Matilda The Musical will be at Sunderland Empire from Wednesday 11 – Saturday 28 February 2026.

Tickets are available from £15 online now at ATGTickets.com/Sunderland

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

#TimeToBeRevolting

Preview: The Mirror Crack'd. at Newcastle People's Theatre

The Mirror Crack'd.

Newcastle People's Theatre 

Tuesday 20 - Saturday 24 January 2026

Agatha Christie's Miss Marple returns to the stage at the People's Theatre this January in a new adaptation of The Mirror Crack'd.

Originally published in 1962 as The Mirror Crack'd from Side to Side, the novel was Christie's eighth Miss Marple mystery. The title draws from Alfred, Lord Tennyson's poem "The Lady of Shalott," in which the lady sees a curse fulfilled through her mirror. Christie was 72 when she wrote the book, which many consider among her finest late-period works. The story brings Hollywood glamour to the quiet village of St Mary Mead when an American film star takes up residence, only for a local woman to be fatally poisoned at a reception party.

This production uses Rachel Wagstaff's recent stage adaptation, which condenses Christie's intricate plotting for the theatre while preserving the novel's exploration of past tragedies and their consequences. The mystery centres on Miss Marple's observation of a peculiar expression on the film star's face—a frozen look that provides the key to understanding a death that appears to be a case of mistaken identity.

Christie, who died in 1976, wrote 66 detective novels and created two of crime fiction's most enduring characters: Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple. The elderly spinster sleuth, who first appeared in 1930's The Murder at the Vicarage, used her understanding of human nature and village life to solve crimes that baffled professional investigators.

The People's Theatre production runs from Tuesday 20 to Saturday 24 January 2026 at their Stephenson Road venue in Newcastle upon Tyne.

Tickets

Tickets are available from the People's Theatre Box Office on 0191 265 5020 (option 2) and online at www.peoplestheatre.co.uk.

The Theatre Royal Pantomime - The Joe McElderry Interview

The Theatre Royal Pantomime - The Joe McElderry Interview

Joe McElderry takes to the stage as Spirit of the Ring in Newcastle Theatre Royal’s panto Aladdin, playing until Sunday 18 January, the South Shields singer/songwriter reflects on his fifth year as part of the panto cast, his incredible performing relationship with Danny Adams, and why North East audiences are the best...

What makes Panto at Newcastle Theatre Royal so special?

I’ve done panto shows all over the country but there is something so unique about Newcastle. Such an impressive amount of people come every year, many booking before they've even seen the previous year’s production. It’s testament to what the team have built up here at Newcastle Theatre Royal over the years. This year is special too because it’s the 20th anniversary year of Danny & Clive and panto producer Michael Harrison!

Tell us about the story of this year’s panto Aladdin (without giving too much away!).

This is a brand new panto, it’s got a twist to it and it’s an exciting twist, not what the audience will be used to. Obviously sticking to the well-known story but with some nice surprises along the way. There are some great songs, some hilarious comedy scenes, and some fantastic special effects. It’s really like a West End musical on stage here and it’s amazing to be a part of.

We stand here in the wings in the parts when we’re not on stage and we think: “Wow!” It’s such an incredible feeling to be a part of it!

How much are the audiences a vital part of the performances?

With pantomime, the audience dictates what goes on. When we’re doing a scene, especially the comedy and Danny & Clive routines, so much of it goes off-piste when the audience gets involved. The pantomime evolves and changes throughout. We do eight weeks of shows, and each day something different happens, and it gets bigger and more outrageous!

What keeps you going when you do a panto run?

It’s honestly just the energy from the audience. We do three shows on a Saturday, which is pretty intense. You get to the first show and you think: “How am I going to do this another two times?” And before you know it the day has flown past. When we’re not on stage, doing a number, or singing or doing a comedy routine, we’re off stage getting changed or we’re getting clipped into some special suit that’s going to make you fly over the audience. It’s like a full-blown show backstage too - that is so fascinating to watch. The greatest thing about pantomime is you just laugh every day and we have as much fun backstage as we do on stage. It does get tiring, but I can’t say it’s hard work because it’s totally enjoyable.

How is panto different to doing other shows like a West End production?

It is its own artform and I think Danny (Adams), Clive (Webb) and Chris (Hayward) are the masters of their craft, and to be welcomed into that and be working with them has been amazing over the last five years. No show is ever the same and that’s the beauty of pantomime. It’s the off-script, gold moments where people feel like they are seeing things for the first time, and often, in some of the scenes, they are because we do something different every day.

Is the need to improvise quite stressful at times?

It can be, but I love it. My background of starting out many years ago on The X Factor, meant I had to adapt and learn things quickly. It’s not scary for me, I work better under pressure. If I wasn’t nervous, I’d be more terrified to go on stage. I am kept on my toes with Danny, I never know what is coming next, but we’ve built up a good friendship, and we can look at each other with an eye contact and know where each other are going to go. That’s a special relationship. I feel very lucky to have that. When you have that with another performer it’s quite rare. We’re able to do whatever we want really, within reason!

Photos: Paul Coltas

Tickets:

Aladdin plays Newcastle Theatre Royal until Sunday 18 January 2026. Jack and the Beanstalk plays Newcastle Theatre Royal Tuesday 24 November 2026 – Sun 17 January 2027. Tickets for both productions can be purchased at www.theatreroyal.co.uk or from the Theatre Royal Box Office on 0191 232 7010.

Interview with John Cleese as Fawlty Towers – The Play is heading to Sunderland

Interview with John Cleese as Fawlty Towers – The Play is heading to Sunderland

Fawlty Towers – The Play 

Sunderland Empire 

Tuesday 3 – Saturday 7 February 2026

By Richard Barber

John Cleese is talking about the runaway success of Fawlty Towers – The Play, having had two sold out West End seasons and a 10 month UK tour which began in September.

“To be honest, I was more confident about it than almost anything I’ve ever done. I remember reading the finished script and thinking it was really funny. And the English do love farce. Think Ben Travers. Think Brian Rix and Ray Cooney. Look at the success of Noises Off and One Man, Two Guvnors. Farce is universal.”

For all his quiet confidence that this evening in the theatre would be enthusiastically received, he couldn’t have predicted its rapturous reception.

The Daily Mail said it was “a fine reproduction of a vintage antique”. The Express deemed it “the funniest show in town” and The Times called it “hugely entertaining”.

I sat next to two women, both in their 30s, and not only were they enjoying it: they knew every single word of every sketch written surely before either of them was born.

Cleese doesn’t try to hide his pride in this much-loved classic co-created with first wife, Connie Booth. But he shakes his head in mild wonder at the way in which it seems to have rooted itself in the public consciousness.

“I was told not so long ago of a family who have a game where one of them tries to introduce a quote from Fawlty Towers into the conversation without the other three realising. How great a compliment is that? For instance, if anyone says: ‘Don’t mention the war’, everyone knows its origin.”

The show opened at London’s Apollo theatre in May 2024 and he won’t easily forget the reaction of the first night audience. “They were literally rocking with laughter.” But then who could resist the self-delusional Basil, once described so brilliantly by Cleese himself as: “Rude but inefficient?”

The Fawlty stage show, niftily directed by Caroline Jay Ranger who scored a huge hit with the West End musical version of Only Fools and Horses, was a resounding success from the off, its run repeatedly extended until March 2025 when it had to give way to a pre-booked play about the American actor Sidney Poitier.

But it recently returned to the same theatre Apollo, Shaftesbury Avenue ahead of that whacking 10-month tour which began in Bromley on 30 September and not completing its 38-venue progress through the UK until it comes to rest in Canterbury in July.

This ‘new’ production includes some cast changes. Danny Bayne plays the crane-legged Basil with Mia Austen as his acerbic wife, Sybil. Joanne Clifton, winner alongside Ore Oduba in 2016 of the famed Strictly glitterball, takes on the role of Polly, the woman who pretty much single-handedly prevents Fawlty Towers from collapsing like a pack of cards. Happily, the peerless Paul Nicholas remains as The Major. It features three of the most cherished sketches, cleverly stitched together (by Cleese himself) with a new finale wrapping up proceedings. Prepare to enjoy yourself all over again.

Miscommunication is the name of the game with a threatened visit by a brace of hotel inspectors followed by a party of German tourists. Then there’s Basil’s ongoing – futile, as it turns out – attempt to keep from Sybil his flutter on the horses with little or no help from Spanish waiter Manuel, played by the excellent Hemi Yeroham. 

For two months until recently, an inexhaustible John, 85, has been writing a book called Fawlty Towers: Fawlts And All - My Favourite Moments (recently published by Headline) to celebrate 50 years of the comedy milestone.

He and younger daughter Camilla have also been working on developing a reboot of a possible third TV series of Fawlty, set in a Caribbean motel where she will play opposite him as Basil’s illegitimate daughter. And she’s been collaborating with him on a stage musical version of the hit film, A Fish Called Wanda.

Nor does it end there. A new film script called Lookalikes is currently in development. “Originally, it was going to be about those people who stand on Sunset Boulevard in LA pretending to be famous stars.

“That changed when someone came up with the brilliant idea of getting real superstars to play the lookalikes.” The script is currently with Arnold Schwarzenegger. People love laughing, he says, which is why he has little time for much of what is currently shown on TV. “I’ve never seen Game of Thrones but I did catch a few minutes of something the other day where a dragon was tied to a chain. It wasn’t for me.”

Fawlty, he argues, is funny and timeless. “And we were lucky with Monty Python. We made two good movies, one of them medieval, one of them set in the time of Christ. Neither is going to date.” Now there is talk of bringing Life of Brian to the London stage.

He beams when I ask him about his wife. “Oh yes,” he says, “She’s wonderful.” Jennifer Wade is a superfit jewellery designer he married in 2012. “She gets up at 5am every morning and swims two-and-a-half miles in a hotel pool and then does Pilates classes.”

He turned down a CBE (Commander of the British Empire) in 1996. “I asked the authorities if I could call myself Commander Cleese. Absolutely not, apparently. Also, look at other people who have turned down awards and titles: David Bowie and Michael Frayn and Alan Bennett and Albert Finney. I have respect for them.”

Michael Palin accepted a knighthood in 2019. “And good luck to him. I was genuinely pleased. I now call him Sir Mickey: that’s how I always address my emails to him. He’s a lovely guy.”

So, let’s be clear: if John were offered a knighthood in the New Year’s Honours List, he’d turn it down? “I would. I don’t need that sort of validation. It’s enough for me to know – because people kindly tell me sometimes – that I’ve helped them through difficult times by making them laugh.

Which is delightful.

“They come home, turn on an episode of Fawlty Towers and the world doesn’t seem quite so bleak. That’s my reward. I think we need much more laughter in the world. I’m not advocating mean teasing. Just good old-fashioned laughter,” says jolly John Cleese. “There’s nothing to beat it.”

Photos: David J Hogan

Tickets:

Fawlty Towers – The Play plays Sunderland Empire Tuesday 3 – Saturday 7 February 2026 (evenings at 7:30pm, matinees Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday at 2:30pm). Tickets available at ATGTickets.com/Sunderland.

The production then visits Newcastle Theatre Royal Tuesday 30 June – Saturday 4 July 2026. Tickets can be purchased at www.theatreroyal.co.uk or from the Theatre Royal Box Office on 0191 232 7010.

News: Tyne Theatre Seeks Memories of Iconic Stoll Picture Theatre Era

Tyne Theatre Seeks Memories of Iconic Stoll Picture Theatre Era

The Tyne Theatre & Opera House is reaching out to the North East community to help preserve a remarkable chapter of Newcastle's entertainment history by gathering memories and photographs from the beloved Stoll Picture Theatre.

In 1919, the historic venue underwent a dramatic transformation when renowned impresario Oswald Stoll converted the theatre into a cinema. For more than six decades, the Stoll Picture Theatre became an integral part of Newcastle's cultural landscape, entertaining generations of cinema-goers through the silent film era, variety performances, and into the golden age of "talkies."

Photo: Neal Ferry

The venue served as a vibrant showcase for both British and international cinema, with audiences experiencing everything from intimate dramas to spectacular epics on the big screen. The theatre even welcomed Hollywood royalty, hosting stars such as Ingrid Bergman during its illustrious run as a cinema.

As part of plans for a new semi-permanent exhibition launching in 2026 at the venue's 1867 Café, the Tyne Theatre & Opera House is now actively seeking stories, anecdotes, and images from anyone who attended the Stoll Picture Theatre before its closure in the early 1970s. The exhibition aims to celebrate and preserve these precious memories before they fade, ensuring the venue's unique contribution to Newcastle's cultural heritage is properly documented and shared.

A similar appeal made in 1974 unearthed a treasure trove of colorful recollections that paint a vivid picture of the Stoll experience. Former patrons fondly recalled audience sing-alongs that turned screenings into communal celebrations, the peculiar tradition of eating tripe out of newspaper during showings of Ben Hur, and the romance that blossomed in the Gallery's back rows where courting couples sought privacy. Many also remembered the famous "chocolate boat" cakes that could be enjoyed in the Winter Gardens, a detail that speaks to the venue's role as more than just a cinema, but as a complete entertainment destination.

The theatre is particularly interested in hearing from those who attended before 1974, as these first-hand accounts provide invaluable insights into an era that shaped Newcastle's entertainment culture.

How to Share Your Memories

If you, or someone you know, has stories or photographs from the Stoll Picture Theatre years, the Tyne Theatre & Opera House encourages you to contribute:

Complete the online form: https://forms.gle/kK1KDcaXcWMBMVHs8

Write to:
FAO Stoll Picture Theatre Project
Tyne Theatre & Opera House
Westgate Road
Newcastle NE1 4AG

Email: info@ttoh.uk

For more information: Contact the Tyne Theatre & Opera House at info@ttoh.uk

Help bring this remarkable story to life and ensure that the magic of the Stoll Picture Theatre continues to inspire future generations.