REVIEW: Wipers Times at Newcastle Northern Stage

“The War Is Not Funny, Sir”

“I’ve A Feeling That May Be The Point”

Wipers Times

Newcastle Northern Stage

Until Saturday 7^th October 2017

1916. Ypres. Belgium. (Though the British Tommies mispronounce the place “Wipers”).  Two officers find a printing press and start producing a satirical newspaper for the delight of those on the Western Front. Wipers Times is written by Ian Hislop, editor of satirical magazine, and Nick Newman, Private Eye cartoonist and scriptwriter of Spitting Image, and it looks at the  efforts of the officers Private Eye to raise the morale of the men whose life was a daily hell full of gas attacks, machine guns and enemy soldiers.

Sherwood Forester Captain Fred Roberts, as played by James Dutton, is a glass half full type of character. Always able to find the funny side to some of the most awful situations, he had the skills to keep his men motivated. Lieutenant Jack Pearson (George Kemp) is a perfect partner for Fred to produce an entertaining, and grammatically correct, publication for the troops. Whilst they could come up with the words and the ideas, as luck would have it, they have in their ranks Sergeant Harris who was a printer on civvy street and he is able to get the publication into print.

The use of comical pseudonyms for cutting observations in articles was trail blazing for modern publications like Private Eye. The use of fake and funny adverts is reminiscent of Viz in its prime. Composer Nick Green has been able to insert musical interludes and musical hall set pieces to typify the almost absurd nature of their adverts.

Director Caroline Leslie has enabled an almost faultless and entertaining production from the 10 strong ensemble. The meetings by the staff miles behind the front line have the feel of Blackadder Goes Forth at its best. The discussions between the officious Colonel Howfield (Sam Ducane) with the more sympathetic General Mitford (Dan Mersh) does have the Captain Darling vs General Melchett situation comedy about it. Between the copy being produced for the paper and the couple not seeing eye to eye in the staff house, there was plenty of laughs for the packed Northern Stage audience.

There have been a number of productions as the Great War reached its 100^thanniversary. The set design in many of these shows often settles for a simple trench scene. The design in Wipers Times by Dora Schweitzer has the versatility to be not just a trench, but also the production facility and a music hall too. The cast can also perform skits, from behind the trenches, that illustrate the typical content of the Wipers Times to great comic effect.

Yes the show has swipes at the Generals, the Germans and the general situation that the rank and file soldier found themselves in. There are a couple of knowing digs at the Daily Mail newspaper too. There are a number of great comedic points that had the audience laughing. Wipers Times, though, is more than just a comedy. It has suitable pathos and deferential respect for those who laid down there life in what was supposed to be the war to end all wars. The narrative doesn’t get too maudlin though. This is a true story and it is valuable to remember the efforts of this group of men at maintaining morale.

A packed house enjoyed tonight’s show and it is really difficult to fault it. Entertaining and educational about a forgotten episode in history, the great cast delivered a wonderful performance at Northern Stage.

Review by Stephen Oliver

Photographs by Alastair Muir

Tickets:

Tickets from £10 are available from the box office on 0191 230 5151 or online from the website: https://www.northernstage.co.uk/whats-on/the-wipers-times

Running time: 2 hours 10 mins (including interval)

Recommended Age: 12+

Post-show discussion: Thu 5 Oct

Video Trailer: https://youtu.be/7ozT_xO0DwQ

Preview: War Horse at Sunderland Empire

The National Theatre production of

WAR HORSE

will return to the Sunderland Empire
from 6 – 23 February 2019
as part of its 17 date 10^th Anniversary UK Tour

★★★★★
 ‘Beautiful and heart-touching theatre’
The Chronicle

‘An emotional tour-de-force of a play’

Sunderland Echo

‘A thrilling piece of theatre’
The Northern Echo

It is announced today that WAR HORSE will return to Sunderland Empire from 6 – 23 February 2019 as part of its 10^th Anniversary UK Tour. War Horse previously visited the venue for a sold out three week run in 2014.

Michael Morpurgo said:  ‘After a few months rest, out at pasture, Joey, the War Horse and his great team from the National Theatre, is touring the UK again, through to 2019 and during the centenary of the end of the First World War, taking their show all over the country, to towns and cities, many of them places War Horse has not been seen before.  I am so pleased this is happening; that so many more people will have the chance to enjoy this unique theatrical event. Steady boy, steady Joey. Trot on!'

On returning to Sunderland Empire with the production, Kash Bennett, producer for National Theatre Productions said: “We’re so delighted to be bringing War Horse back to Sunderland after a few years away, as part of its 10^th Anniversary Tour. After the brilliant welcome we received with the show’s last visit to the Empire, it’s fantastic to have the opportunity to introduce this beloved show to a whole new generation of theatre-goers in the North East, and for returning audiences to revisit Michael Morpurgo’s beautiful story.”

 

Ben Phillips, General Manager, Sunderland Empire said: “It was a great honour to host the North East debut and successful run of War Horse in 2014. We are absolutely delighted that this critically acclaimed production will grace our stage once more in 2019, giving audiences another opportunity to see this poignant and highly charged production on tour.”

War Horse, which has been seen by over seven million people worldwide, completed its record-breaking eight year London run at the New London Theatre on 12 March 2016.  It has won 25 awards including the Tony Award for Best Play on Broadway.  Directed by Marianne Elliott and Tom Morris, Nick Stafford’sadaptation of Michael Morpurgo’s remarkable story of courage, loyalty and friendship, about a young boy called Albert and his horse Joey, is set against the backdrop of the First World War. It features ground-breaking puppetry work by South Africa’s Handspring Puppet Company, which brings breathing, galloping horses to live on stage.

War Horse received its world premiere on 9 October 2007 at the National Theatre, where it played for two seasons before opening at the New London Theatre in March 2009.  Since then, War Horse has been seen in 97 cities in 10 countries, including productions on Broadway, in Toronto and Berlin, with touring productions in the UK and Ireland, North America, the Netherlands, Belgium and China.

War Horse is directed by Marianne Elliott and Tom Morris, designed by Rae Smith, with puppet direction, design and fabrication by Basil Jones and Adrian Kohlerfor Handspring Puppet Company, lighting by Paule Constable, and movement and horse choreography by Toby Sedgwick, with video design by Leo Warner and Mark Grimmer for 59 Productions, songmaker John Tams, music by Adrian Suttonand sound by Christopher Shutt.

Katie Henry is the revival director and Craig Leo is the associate puppetry director.  They are joined by resident puppetry director, Matthew Forbes and resident director, Charlotte Peters.

The tour of War Horse coincides with the Centenary commemorations of the end of the First World War and follows the production’s sold-out tour of the UK and Ireland in 2013-2014.

War Horse is produced on tour by the National Theatre.

Photo credit: Brinkhoff / Mögenburg

Tickets: LINK

  

Tickets available from the Box Office on High Street West, via the ticket centre 0844 871 3022* or online from our affiliate ATG Tickets *calls cost up to 7p per minute plus standard network charges. Booking and transaction fees may apply to telephone and online bookings.

Preview: Dirty Dusting at South Shields Customs House

DIRTY DUSTING COMING HOME AFTER CLEANING UP ON TOUR

Dirty Dusting

South Shields Customs House

Thursday 19^th October 2017

Long-running comedy Dirty Dusting is coming home to The Customs House.

The play premiered at the South Shields theatre in February 2003 and hasn’t stopped since, touring both nationally and internationally.

Lee Brannigan, Dolores Poretta Brown,

Crissy Rock and Leah Bell

Written by Ed Waugh and Trevor Wood, it tells the story of three cleaning ladies who start a telephone chat line when they are threatened with redundancy. 

Providing Elsie (Benidorm’s Crissy Rock) can teach the other two a few new tricks, there’s no reason why they can’t get rich quick – providing they keep their operation a secret from their bosses, husbands, children and grandchildren.

Crissy Rock

Former I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! contestant Crissy, who joined the cast of Dirty Dusting in 2014, stars alongside Dolores Porretta Brown as Olive and Leah Bell as Gladys, with the saucy cleaners dubbing themselves The Telephone Belles.

Leah Bell

Leah said: “Although we perform Dirty Dusting all over the country, there is always something special about bringing this play back to its debut theatre, The Customs House.  We always feel a little extra twinge of nerves, especially the time we knew the original cast of Jean Southern, Gwen Doran and Helen Russell were sitting in the audience. Every time we tour in Dirty Dusting, we always add a little something extra naughty into the closing scene - and this time we have a bit of a surprise for everyone!”

Dirty Dusting is described by Waugh and Wood as “a searing indictment of ageism in the 21st century, heavily disguised as a hysterical, laugh-out-loud, heart-warming comedy”.

It has toured Scotland, England and Ireland on several occasions and recently toured New Zealand and Australia. It is heading to Spain next year.

It has recently being released to the amateur market and is proving to be very popular.

Tickets:

Dirty Dusting comes to The Customs House for one night only on Thursday 19^thOctober, at 7.30pm, with tickets priced £21.

To book, contact the box office on (0191) 454 1234 or visit www.customshouse.co.uk

News: New theatre production company provides the perfect excuse to get in out of the cold this winter

New theatre production company provides the perfect excuse to get in out of the cold this winter

Newcastle Alphabetti Theatre
Tuesday 7 to Friday 10 November The Establishment: Eton Mess
Tuesday 21 to Friday 24 November Hummingbird
Tuesday 5 to Friday 8 December Be More, Do Better But Don’t Change
Wednesday 13 to Friday 15 December Improvised Bond

Thursday 14 December C Hammersmith’s Magical Freestyle Factory

As the nights draw in and the temperature drops new North East based company CaroleW Productions is providing theatregoers with the perfect excuse to get in out of the cold and be entertained this winter as it presents work by five eclectic companies at Alphabetti Theatre, Newcastle’s newest theatre venue based on St James Boulevard.

During November and December audiences will have the chance to enjoy an eclectic mix of entertainment including the side-splitting, stiff-upper-lipped hilarity of The Establishment: Eton Mess; a startling tale of love, murder and Americana in Hummingbird; an evening featuring villains, gadgets and femme fatales galore in Improvised Bond; freestyle hip hop comedy courtesy of MC Hammersmith as well as the homegrown talents of Rosin Crowley Linton with her endearing brutal honesty and disarming charm in Be More, Do Better But Don’t Change.

The Establishment: Eton Mess

Kicking off the CaroleW Productions season will be energetic duo Dan Lees and Neil Frost with their show The Establishment: Eton Messfrom Tuesday 7 to Friday 10 November. Following critically-acclaimed runs at Edinburgh, Brighton and Prague Fringes this is a chance to see some of the best of clowning, quick wit and British stiffed lipped eccentricity in action courtesy of Honky Bonk Theatre. Audiences will get the chance to meet two ultra-privileged British gents from a bygone era as they take to the stage in this extremely fun, high-spirited show. Struggling to hold on to their values, wealth and power in the modern world, their whimsical world of cricket, tea and secret arms deals is under threat and they’re not giving up that easily.

Hummingbird

Next up is young international company Tooth+Nail with their award-winning physical theatre production Hummingbird which shares a darkly beautiful story of how doomed love leads to complicity in murder from Tuesday 21 to Friday 24 November. Like latter-day Macbeths audiences are invited to meet Ralph Conti and Edith Cole as they lead each other ever further into darkness along a path that ultimately leads to the electric chair.

Inspired by the infamous Lonely Hearts Killers who entrapped their victims through newspaper small ads in the USA in the late 1940s and early 1950s Hummingbird, which premièred at the Edinburgh Fringe 2016 is both disturbing and thrilling. Using songs, jingles, TV broadcasts, adverts and other Americana typical of the era the show conjures up the spectre of a couple who are mesmerised by consumer culture. This acrobatic, delicate and often funny show is underpinned by an awareness of love’s destructive potential.

Be More, Do Better But Don’t Change

Taking to the stage from Tuesday 5 to Friday 8 December will be Newcastle’s very own Roisin Crowley Linton with her own unique take on love. Members of the public are invited to join her as she talks about Love with a capital L, how annoying Love is, and ultimately how much she wishes we could talk about anything else in her debut one woman show Be More, Do Better But Don’t Change.

Using her unique and seamless blend of spoken word poetry, stand up and story telling this is a show that feels just like having a chat in the pub with your new best friend, if your best friend drank her wine too quick and told her intimate secrets to a room full of strangers.

Improvised Bond

Providing alternative Christmas entertainment from Wednesday 13 to Friday 15 December will be improvised comedy troupe The Men With Coconuts with their show Improvised Bond. Based in Edinburgh, The Men With Coconuts have firmly established themselves as Scotland’s leading professional musical improv troupe. Known for their energy, easy confidence, self-effacing good humour and quick fire comedy, Improvised Bond showcases the eccentric talents of Steve Worsley, Charles Hindley, Colin Bramwell and Will Naameh. This a real crowd pleaser, programmed to encourage audiences to dress to impress and incorporate this hour long show in their Christmas festivities.


These productions have been hand-picked by seasoned theatre professional Carole Wears whose new company CaroleW Productions aims to bring the best the festival circuit has to offer to the region. Carole explains “I am delighted to be bringing such a talented group of companies to the region, many for the first time. With each show lasting no more than an hour this is a great way to start a night out in such a vibrant city. As a space to experiment, evolve and discover excellence I could think of no better venue than Alphabetti Theatre to present my first season of shows. I can’t wait for audiences to sample the range of eclectic, engaging and professional productions that I will be bringing to stages across the region now and in the future.”

Carole will be a familiar face to may of Newcastle’s theatre going audiences after spending the last 25 years welcoming audiences to theatres across the region, most recently for the last 22 years at Newcastle’s Live Theatre. Incredibly, Carole has also spent the last 17 years as Associate Director of the Prague Fringe after co-founding it in 2000. Since then she has welcomed over 600 companies from far flung destinations including Japan, Norway, USA, Holland, Serbia, India and Canada. This year’s Prague Fringe festival ran for nine days in late May/early June, presenting 160 performances of fifty shows across nine venues.

Ali Pritchard, Artistic Director at Alphabetti Theatre said: Like all great plans the seed for Carole to launch CaroleW Productions with Alphabetti's new venue was firmly planted over a pint of beer in a sunny/rainy beer garden! Carole's work with Live Theatre and setting up Prague Fringe Festival has been invaluable to not only the North East but the UK's art scene - Alphabetti and I are honoured to be part of her next chapter.”

All of the companies presenting work via CaroleW Productions are also offering a series of accompanying workshops for schools/students making these production real value for money.

Tickets:
For more information about productions or to book tickets visit www.alphabettitheatre.co.ukor contact the Alphabetti Theatre box office on (0191) 261 9125 to reserve tickets. Tickets range from ‘Pay what you like’ to £8.

#Review : the @tynemusicstudio Networking event 29/9 @MiningInstitute #musicals #musicaltheatre

Review: Creative Networking Night held by Tyne Music Ltd at The Mining Institute 29/9/17

Dennis Westgate has written 10 musicals. He only started doing this when he retired and now on his 81st birthday he is launching Tyne Music Ltd to get those musicals on stage. The networking event had the aim of showcasing some of Dennis’s music and a short video adaptation of his railway station musical Platform 9.

Dawn Furness was our hostess for the evening and gave us introductions and backgrounds for each song. Accompanied by Dennis on piano in the beautiful surroundings of the Miners’ Institute Library were four talented young singers and musical actresses who have been rehearsing at the Tyne Music studio in Bamburgh House.

Angela Evans, Amber Jessop, Bethany Hall and Imogen Evans performed a number of songs from Platform Nine in part one of the show and songs from Broken Doll and Dennis’s latest musical, Closed Circuit in the second half. The singers carried off harmonies, solos and characterisations for the songs that show great promise for their futures on stage.
In the interval while people chatted over wine, we were treated to some cover versions by the creative director of Tyne Music, Lee Symons. Lee is definitely worth seeing live if you get the opportunity. 

The video, entitled Platform 2 (to avoid any Harry Potter confusion) was directed by Kim Tate and was filmed in one day at the Stephenson Railway museum. The musicians performed the short piece live to camera and gave an impression of how the musical can be brought to life. A lot of thought had clearly gone into giving the production a 1950s look with the costumes and props.

The evening was certainly a pleasant one (with a rendition of Happy Birthday to You for Dennis)and was intended as the first of many, as Tyne Music wants to collaborate with other creative companies and seeks sponsorship in the northeast. 

The end of the evening had a soundtrack of some of Dennis’s studio recordings of tracks from his shows, some of these are a definite surprise when you realise he’s in his 80s and some songs sound very chart-ready. 

For example Bionic Love from the Musical UFO
https://soundcloud.com/tynesider/bionic-love-live-recording?in=tynesider/sets/u-f-o-a-sci-fi-musical
Definitely one to get you dancing!

Twitter @tyne_music
https://www.facebook.com/TyneMusicLtd/

NEWS: ENGLISH YOUTH BALLET TO HOLD OPEN AUDITIONS IN DARLINGTON

ENGLISH YOUTH BALLET TO HOLD OPEN AUDITIONS IN DARLINGTON

On Sunday 26^th November English Youth Ballet is auditioning for roles in a production of Coppélia at Darlington Hippodrome.

At the audition 100 young male and female dancers aged eight to eighteen from across the region will be offered the chance to rehearse with and then dance alongside international professional principal dancers in the production for three performances which will be presented at Darlington Hippodrome from 13 to 14 April 2018.

  

Photo: Ben Garner

The charming story of Coppélia follows the escapades of the dreamy Franz and how he comically falls in love with a beautiful, life-like doll. The doll - Coppélia - is created by the eccentric, yet mysterious inventor, Dr Coppelius. The hilarious plot thickens when Franz’s jealous lover, Swanhilda, takes her friends on an adventure into the spooky house of the mad inventor to confront her rival. Of course, the story ends happily after the truth is uncovered. The whole town joins the most extravagant wedding celebration for the smitten Franz and Swanhilda.

Award-winning English Youth Ballet (EYB) is now in its 19th successful year and is one of the largest ballet companies in the UK. EYB is a national touring ballet company with Director - Janet Lewis MBE at its helm. Miss Lewis enjoyed an illustrious dancing career with the Royal Ballet Company and London Festival Ballet dancing alongside such greats as Margot Fonteyn and Rudolf Nureyev. The company consists of a core team of 8 international principal dancers, 2 artistic ballet staff, 2 wardrobe mistresses and 4 theatre technicians. The principal dancers have danced in some of the world’s greatest companies including English National Ballet, La Scala and the Royal Ballet. EYB is highly regarded for presenting lavish, large-scale classical ballets and critics have praised the quality of the beautiful sets and costumes. 

Photo: Peter Mares

EYB Director Janet Lewis says: “The EYB audition is an experience in itself. EYB is all about performance experience and this starts at the audition as the dancers are given a regular ballet class on the stage. Parents and family are encouraged to watch from the auditorium. We are looking for young dancers of all abilities who can show the audience how much they enjoy their dancing."

The policy of EYB is to give professional performance experience to young dancers in beautiful venues close to where they live. The young dancers benefit from being coached and mentored by the professional dancers in an 11-day rehearsal period which takes place out of school hours. They gain a unique insight into what it is like to be a professional dancer.  

Young dancers have said “EYB is the best thing I have ever done”. Parents have said “it is lovely to see my daughter gaining in confidence.” Teachers have said “EYB inspires young dancers and you notice something different about them in class when they return.”

Audition Details

Each audition will take the form of a regular ballet class. Dancers will find out on the day if they are successful. It is advisable to register for the audition in advance but it is possible to register on the day (please arrive 30 minutes early to register). The audition fee is £15.00 and all dancers participate in a full ballet class. Parents are invited to watch the audition.

Auditions will be held on Sunday 26th November 2017 at Darlington Hippodrome, Parkgate, Darlington.

3pm to 4.45pm audition for dancers aged 8 to 11, and 5.15pm to 7pm Audition for dancers aged 12 to 18.

For more information and to register for the audition please contact EYB either by telephone on 01689 856747 or by email:  info@englishyouthballet.co.uk

For more information about English Youth Ballet please visit www.englishyouthballet.co.uk