Preview: The Commitments at Newcastle Theatre Royal

 THE COMMITMENTS GET READY TO TAKE NEWCASTLE THEATRE ROYAL BY STORM

 

The Commitments

Newcastle Theatre Royal

Monday 26 June – Saturday 1 July 2023

 

Following a sell-out run in 2017, the world’s hardest working and most explosive soul band – The Commitments – are set to burst back onto the Newcastle Theatre Royal stage.

 

Nigel Pivaro

And no one could be happier than its creator, Irish writer Roddy Doyle.

Roddy Doyle

“The original stage show of The Commitments in 2013,” he says, “was a brilliant experience from my point of view.  It stayed in the West End for over two years. Then it went on a successful tour.”

Nigel Pivaro, James Killeen

Nigel Pivaro, erstwhile lovable rogue, Terry Duckworth, in Coronation Street from 1983 to 2012, will take the pivotal role of Da, Jimmy Rabbitte’s father, while Andrew Linnie, sax player Dean in the original West End production and then Jimmy Rabbitte himself on tour, will be directing.

 L-R James Killeen, Ciara Mackey, Eve Kitchingman, Guy Freeman

For the original West End production, Roddy lived in London for 12 weeks, attending rehearsals every day, doing daily rewrites. “I attended every preview and then the meetings the next day as we discussed what was and wasn’t working. My role this time round has been less vital although sitting in on the read-through with the new cast was just terrific.”

L-R Eve Kitchingman, Ciara Mackey, Sarah Gardiner 

He’s not counting his chickens but, if the reception to this latest production is anything like the way it was greeted almost 10 years ago, he’ll be a happy man. For the Sunday Times, "A sweet-soul, solid-gold, five-star blast.” The Telegraph declared it “touched the sublime”. And The Times deemed it “unstoppable fun”.L-R Eve Kitchingman, Conor Litten, Stuart Reid, Ciara Mackey, Sarah Gardiner

L-R Eve Kitchingman, Conor Litten, Stuart Reid, Ciara Mackey, Sarah Gardiner

Has he felt emotional returning to this first work of fiction? “It’s brought back a lot of memories, yes. I was a geography and English teacher at the time when I wrote the novel. I wanted an excuse to bring a bunch of young people together in book form and capture the rhythm of Dublin kids yapping and teasing and bullying.

Ryan Kelly

“But I needed to find a setting outside school and that’s when the idea of a band came to me. A big band with a brass section and backing vocals as opposed to three or four young men that was the norm back then.”

Ronnie Yorke 

Roddy has resisted the temptation to update the action. “The vibrancy is still there but so is the tension caused by lack of communication. For instance, will Deco, the obnoxious lead singer, turn up on time? These days, you’d track him down on your mobile in no time at all. But there wasn’t that option in the late 80s. And I chose ‘60s music – Motown and Memphis soul – because, at the time, it felt timeless.   Thirty-five years later, I was right.”

For a long time, Roddy was a teacher who wrote on the side. “I loved teaching and the holidays were great, a time when I got into the habit of writing. I wrote The Commitments in 1986, it was published the following year and I was working on the screenplay in 1988. But I was still teaching up until 1993.”

The Snapper and The Van followed in 1990 and 1991 respectively and, along with The Commitments, make up what is known as the Barrytown Trilogy. Then, in 1993, Roddy hit the jackpot. His novel, Paddy Clarke Ha, about a rumbunctious 10-year-old living quickly changing north Dublin suburb in 1968, won the prestigious Booker Prize. Roddy was 35.

 James Killeen

“I was delighted. It was a great compliment although I can’t remember what I said in my acceptance speech. But I do recall then being taken away to be interviewed when all I really wanted to do was get back to the table and share the moment with my wife and publisher.

 James Killeen and Ciara Mackey

“But it felt as if I’d instantly become public property, and I didn’t like it. What I wanted more than anything was to go back to Ireland and live as near a normal life as possible. I deliberately continued to use public transport, for example. But now, almost 30 years later, I can take it in my stride.”

 Michael Mahony, Stephen O'Riain, Guy Freeman 

Pick up any of the early books, in particular, and you could almost be reading a screenplay. “That’s true. I think that the best way of establishing characters is to get them talking. That’s especially true of The Commitments – and it gave me a template which I used for some years. The fact is, we talk a lot in Ireland.”

He has an attic office in his home where he writes. But, since the lifting of lockdown, he’s acquired a room in the city centre where he’ll also write. “At one level, I was asking myself why I’d want another office.

“But it struck me as a good idea to get out of the house and walk around and experience Dublin opening up, coming alive again. It’s been really interesting. Also, my children are grown up and no longer living at home. So I’m not surrounded by the rhythm of their speech.” 

His is a disciplined approach to work, usually writing from nine until six each day. “But I’ve become a bit more relaxed as I’ve got older. There’s nothing quite as nice as going to see a film at the cinema in daylight. And, I never don’t feel guilty.”

Whatever came afterwards, The Commitments will always hold a special place in Roddy’s heart for the simple reason that it was his first published book. And at 65, Roddy remains prolific with twelve novels, three collections of stories, eight books for children, a book he co-wrote with Roy Keane and, of course, a stage musical under his belt so retirement seems unlikely. He was once quoted as saying that he hoped to die mid-sentence.

He laughs. “Well,” he says, “it might be nice to get to a full stop.”

Photos: Ellie Kurttz

Tickets:

The Commitments  plays Newcastle Theatre Royal Monday 26 June – Saturday 1 July 2023. Tickets can be purchased at www.theatreroyal.co.uk or from the Theatre Royal Box Office on 0191 232 7010.

Preview: 2:22 A Ghost Story at Sunderland Empire

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The Hit Play 2:22 A Ghost Story, by Danny Robins, is coming to Sunderland

2:22 A Ghost Story

Sunderland Empire

Tuesday 21 - Saturday 24 May 2024

Tickets: https://tinyurl.com/222SunderlandTickets 

Producer Runway Entertainment today announces additional 10 venues, including a North East date, for the UK tour of the critically acclaimed, smash hit, supernatural thriller 2:22 – A Ghost Story.

The show will visit newly announced Sunderland Empire from Tue 21 – Sat 25 May 2024. Casting to be announced soon.

The additional venues are announced ahead of the opening at the Apollo Theatre this Sunday, which marks a record-breaking fifth transfer for the show. The tour will bring this edge-of-your-seat thriller to audiences across the country.

Written by award-winning writer Danny Robins, creator of the hit BBC podcast The Battersea Poltergeist, and directed by Matthew Dunster and Isabel Marr; 2:22 is an adrenaline-filled night where secrets emerge and ghosts may, or may not, appear…

Danny Robins said: “I’m so pleased to announce that EVEN MORE audiences across the UK will be able to experience the spine-tingling thrills of 2:22 – A Ghost Story. I can guarantee that every audience, from Truro to Aberdeen, will laugh, scream, cry and jump out of their seats at this ghostly tale.”

What do you believe? And do you dare discover the truth?

“THERE’S SOMETHING IN OUR HOUSE. I HEAR IT EVERY NIGHT, AT THE SAME TIME.”

Jenny believes her new home is haunted, but her husband Sam isn’t having any of it. They argue with their first dinner guests, old friend Lauren and new partner Ben. Can the dead really walk again? Belief and scepticism clash, but something feels strange and frightening, and something is getting closer, so they’re going to stay up… until 2:22… and then they’ll know.

‘A slick, chilling, romp of a play’ – The Guardian

‘A modern classic’ – Sunday Times

Danny Robins is an award-winning writer and journalist. He most recently created The Battersea Poltergeist, an 8-part podcast that combined drama and documentary to tell a real-life ghost story, starring Toby Jones and Dafne Keen. It became a global phenomenon – the #1 Drama Podcast across the world, including the US, and sparked a bidding war for the TV rights. Danny is now adapting it for TV with Hollywood producers Blumhouse. The series recently won the Gold Award for Best Serialised Podcast at the 2021 New York Festivals Radio Awards.

Danny’s first stage play, Rudy’s Rare Records, co-commissioned by Birmingham Rep and Hackney Empire was a critical and commercial success (“A wonderful funny, humane play.” The Daily Telegraph). The follow up was the acclaimed End of the Pier at London’s Park Theatre (“A tour de force” Sunday Times). His debut radio drama The Most Wanted Man in Sweden was nominated for the Writer’s Guild’s Tinniswood Award. He has created and written various shows for TV and radio, including the Bafta-nominated hit series Young Dracula, Rudy’s Rare Records and The Cold Swedish Winter. He also presented the podcast series Haunted. His new 15-part podcast series, Uncanny, for BBC Sounds and BBC Radio 4, exploring real-life ghost stories, launched on October 20th. “A contemporary Van Helsing… like Bram Stoker’s character, he’s a paranormal hunting polymath…” Sunday Times.

The production premiered at the Noel Coward Theatre, starring Lily Allen, Julia Chan, Hadley Fraser, and Jake Wood, where it won the WhatsOnStage award for Best Play. It then transferred to the Gielgud Theatre for 10 weeks, starring Stephanie Beatriz, James Buckley, Elliot Cowan, and Giovanna Fletcher, which completed its run on 12 February 2021. For the first season at the Criterion (May – September 2022), the cast included Tom Felton, Madip Gill, Sam Swainsbury, and Beatriz Romilly, the second season, launching in September, starred Laura Whitmore, Matt Willis, Felix Scott, and Tamsin Carroll.

The box office record-breaking run at the Lyric cast included Cheryl, Jake Wood, Scot Karim, and Louise Ford, concluded its run on 23 April. The newly announced cast – Sophia Bush (Lauren), Ricky Champ (Ben), Clifford Samuel (Sam), and Jaime Winstone (Jenny) – will begin their run at the Apollo Theatre on 14 May.

2:22 – A Ghost Story features set design by Anna Fleischle, costume design by Cindy Lin, lighting design by Lucy Carter, sound by Ian Dickinson for Autograph Sound and illusions by Chris Fisher. Casting by Matilda James.

2:22 – A Ghost Story is produced by Tristan Baker and Charlie Parsons for Runaway Entertainment, Isobel David and Kater Gordon.

On The Web:

@222AGhostStory

#222AGhostStory

Age recommendation: 12+

Tickets are available from the Box Office and online from ATG Tickets: https://tinyurl.com/222SunderlandTickets 

REVIEW: Strictly Ballroom The Musical at Newcastle Theatre Royal

Strictly Ballroom The Musical

Newcastle Theatre Royal

Until Saturday 6 May 2023 

Based upon the 1992 Baz Luhrmann film, Strictly Ballroom appears at the Newcastle Theatre Royal this week, with a book by Baz Luhrmann and Craig Pearce and directed by Craig Revel Horwood. Given that the movie influenced the Come Dancing Reboot Strictly Come Dancing, it is no surprise to see Strictly’s Kevin Clifton, a professional dancer who was in 2019’s winning pair, in the lead role.

The show is a fairy tale with a massive dose of other influences. Scott Hastings (Kevin Clifton) is a leading light in the Australian competitive dance scene. He decides to add some new crowd pleasing moves to his routine which leads to the wrath of judge Barry Fife (Gary Davis). As a result he, and his partner Liz (Liv Alexander) lose a competition. 

Behind every competitive young dance star is usually a pushy parent and this comes in the form of Scott’s mother Shirley (Michelle Buckley) who teaches at a Ballroom Dance Studio. By contrast his Dad Doug (Mark Sangster) is a more meekly mild mannered gent who goes more with the flow. Shirley is none too impressed by her son going off-script and improvising his own dance steps.

Liz heads off to make up a new partnership leaving Scott needing a new partner. Whilst his folks, and Barry Fife, want him to form a new partnership with experienced Tina Sparkle (Agnes Pure) there is another option putting herself forward.

Now when I called this a fairy tale at the start of the review - the rags to riches element comes in the form of Fran (Faye Brookes) who has hung out at the dance studio for the past two months and still has an awful lot of basics to learn. But - and this is the whole point - as a novice she is willing to take on new ideas and innovate.

Of course, in this well worn trope, there has to be a levelling up between Scott and Fran and this occurs back at Fran’s home when the suggestion of performing the Paso Doble is quickly followed by a lesson (humiliation) by her father Rico (Jose Agudo) and grandmother Abuela (Karen Mann). 

This is an entertaining production. As someone with no interest in the television programme and has not seen the film - this tale had to stand up on its own for me. It successfully did this. The storytelling is well executed without labouring the exposition too much.

The show looks fabulous. Mark Walters has created both glamorous costumes and a clever set design that allowed the action to flow. The lighting design from Richard G Jones is very much a part of the set and helps set the mood in a number of the scenes. At two hours plus interval the show was well paced.

A decision had been made to keep the band out of sight until, and this was a nice measure, they all appeared at the end. Too often it is just the musical director that appears in such circumstances. The band were able to work with the action of stage and vice versa.

The dancing is, of course, a major element. I did comment, in the interval, that 8 shows a week must be brutal of the physical demands of the dancers.  There are no weak links in either the dancing or the singing. This is in part due, as much as anything, to the on stage chemistry between the pairs, including Kevin Clifton and Faye Brookes. If you don’t believe that there is chemistry then the story falls flat very quickly.

A final word here must be made about understudies. Three great performers had to step up on the evening that I attended and they segued into the action seamlessly. If nothing had been said at the start you wouldn’t have noticed. The Understudies and Swings that are very much a part of theatre are often overlooked. Perhaps, that is because they fit in too well. Michelle Buckley, Agnes Pure and Liv Alexander take a bow. Well done.

Review by Stephen Oliver

Photos: Ellie Kurttz

 

Tickets:

Strictly Ballroom The Musical plays Newcastle Theatre Royal Monday 1 – Saturday 6 May 2023. Tickets can be purchased at www.theatreroyal.co.uk or from the Theatre Royal Box Office on 0191 232 7010.

REVIEW: Protest at Newcastle Northern Stage

 Fuel, Imaginate and Northern Stage in association with National Theatre of Scotland present

Protest

Newcastle Northern Stage

Until Saturday 6 May 2023 

Written by Hannah Lavery (Lament for Sheku Bayoh, The Drift, National Theatre of Scotland, Eavesdropping, ThickSkin)

Directed by Natalie Ibu (Road, The White Card)

Performed by Tamara Fairbairn (The Moors), Esmé Kingdom and Kirsty MacLaren (The Crown, Our Ladies of Perpetual Succour)

Stage 2 of Northern Stage has been the venue of many an emotional piece of theatre over the years. It have become a place to learn, to empathise, to think and the catalyst of change. It was a pleasure to be invited to see three incredible actors deliver a measured work with the energy and enthusiasm of kids in their final year in primary school.

So what is this tale about? The official blurb says that the show follows Alice, Jade and Chloe. Running is Alice’s happy place - she’s the best runner at her school but is struggling to prove her worth. Jade is slowly coming to realise that prejudices can be found everywhere, even in the most surprising places. Realising that her education is ill-equipped to encompass her own history and heritage, and taunted by bullies at school, she knows it’s time to tell her own story. Meanwhile, litter is piling up in the local forest, and all over the world an environmental crisis is looming. Chloe is determined to make a change, starting with the town. The three girls prepare to stand up for what they believe in despite the injustices stacked against them.

For much of the first half of the hour long show you are presented with three apparently separate stories. Three girls, of the same age, with three separate issues: misogyny, racism and the environment. Depressingly in Hannah Lavery's script, some of this is perpetuated by their teachers at school. Amy Jane Cook has designed a set for the cast to climb over as they establish their point of view. The clever part (no spoilers here) is when they merge into a single event.

Kirsty MacLaren is able to show the constant energy of a 10/11 year old. In her segments Alice is running around like a pre-teen on a full set of batteries. Is it really eight years since Our Ladies set the North East's theatre world on fire? 

Tamara Fairbairn appears as Jade, the child who becomes painfully aware that the history taught in school is only part of the story. Tamara is able to powerfully convey a point of view and give her character agency.

Esme Kingdom makes a fine professional debut as Chloe who, like Jade, often remarks in the way of someone with a passion - but not always the full picture does. That innocence of observing but not always fully understanding the impact. With Chloe, this is as much about the family upheaval as the desire to improve her environment. 

The teachers and the parents are a significant element to an 11 year olds world and that is reflected in the script. The kids, at that age, often look up to their elders, but are then confused by the position taken up by those people that they trust. I found the idea that a school leader would make the title of the exhibition about the "Empire" - without fully understanding the baggage that comes with it shocking. Likewise, a teacher settling a sports event with a vote rather than a trial seems at odds with fair play. But, in doing so, the play has worked in flagging up the issue of only viewing life within the bubbles that each of us lives in. If only schools were receptive to long lasting changes to support the environment. for example.

If director Natalie Ibu and writer Hannah Lavery set out to promote discourse on this issues, then this has, in my opinion worked.

But the show is not just about doing the "right thing" it is an entertaining journey for the audience - complete with an uplifting finish. It is nice to leave a theatre feeling positive. Perhaps the future, in the hands of the next generation is bright, after all.

Review: Stephen Oliver

Photos: Oluwatosin Daniju

Tickets:

Northern Stage, Barras Bridge, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 7RH

Thursday 27 April - Saturday 6 May 2023

Box office: 0191 230 5151 or www.northernstage.co.uk

Running time: 50 minutes approx.

Recommended for: 8+

Preview: Kidnapped at Newcastle Northern Stage

 World Premiere 

National Theatre of Scotland presents  

A Swashbuckling Rom-Com Adventure 

KIDNAPPED

Newcastle Northern Stage 

Tuesday 9 – Saturday 13 May 2023.  

Adapted by Isobel McArthur with Michael John McCarthy 

Co-directed by Isobel McArthur and Gareth Nicholls  

Based on the novel by Robert Louis Stevenson 

Kidnapped, Robert Louis Stevenson’s adventure-classic is touring Scotland and England in a riotous new retelling for 2023.  

This swashbuckling new production from the National Theatre of Scotland, adapted by Isobel McArthur with Michael John McCarthy, premieres at the Beacon Arts Centre in Greenock in March 2023 before touring to Glasgow, Edinburgh, Inverness, Perth, Newcastle and Brighton. 

Kidnapped -  Photo: Laurence Winram

Kidnapped is a colourful new take on Stevenson’s historical novella about David Balfour who leaves home for the first time and must grow up fast to solve a family mystery and take revenge on an evil assailant. This vibrant production is a coming-of-age romcom for today, which celebrates the poetry, humour and heart of Stevenson’s writing.  

Co-created by Isobel McArthur and Michael John McCarthy, writer and musical supervisor of the Olivier award-winning Pride & Prejudice* (*sort of), Kidnapped is packed full of 20^th century pop music and 18^th century romance, all performed by a dynamic ensemble of actor-musicians. 

Kidnapped - Photo: Mihaela Bodlovic

Davie Balfour will be played by Ryan J Mackay, who was most recently seen on stage in Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, and he will be joined by Malcolm Cumming as Alan Breck Stewart, familiar to Scottish audiences from the acclaimed James IV: Queen of the Fight, (Raw Material and Capital Theatres, in association with National Theatre of Scotland) which toured Scotland in late 2022. Kim Ismay will be playing Frances and is perhaps most familiar to audiences for playing the role of Tanya in the West End production of Mamma Mia, and Madame Morrible in the international and UK & Ireland tours of Wicked.

Kidnapped - Photo: Mihaela Bodlovic

They will be joined on this adventure by a talented ensemble including: Christina Gordon, who will be reuniting with Isobel McArthur and Michael John McCarthy after her run as an original cast member of Pride and Prejudice* (*sort of), for which she was nominated for a Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role; David Rankine who is a Scottish actor most recently seen in the revival of the National Theatre of Scotland production of Rocket Post, which featured song arrangements from Michael John McCarthy; Danielle Jam, who recently worked with Raw Material, Capital Theatres and National Theatre of Scotland as one of the lead roles in James IV: Queen of the Fight and will be reunited with her James IV co-star Malcolm Cumming in Kidnapped; Grant O’Rourke has done extensive work in theatre, television, film and radio, and is most familiar to Scottish audiences for his role in Outlander, and more recently, Shetland; Isaac Savage is an actor, musician and composer who will joining the ensemble as the Performing Musical Director for Kidnapped, and last year was the Performing Musical Director for Cinderella at Dundee Rep; Karen Young is a Scottish actress, recently appeared in Cinderella at Dundee Rep; Fatima Jawara was most recently seen as the titular role in Eastern Angles’ Christmas production of Little Red. 

“I don’t believe it…...I finally have a chance at a decent future – and my only surviving relative pays to have me knocked unconscious and forced onto a knackered old boat by a load of bloody… Pirates!” 

19-year-old Davie Balfour has never left home, never been kissed and never fired a gun. Armed with nothing but a hand-drawn map, he heads off on an adventure like no other – quickly realising that he has a lot of catching up to do. The production follows Davie on a journey of eye-opening discovery as he navigates murderous foes, Jacobite outlaws and the most inept crew of pirates this side of the Atlantic. 

Kidnapped - Photo: Mihaela Bodlovic

This version of Kidnapped reframes the relationship between the central characters Davie Balfour and Alan Breck Stewart as a romance, which is played out through their adventures across the Lowlands and Highlands of a Scotland still reeling from the aftermath of the 1745 Jacobite rebellion. Robert Louis Stevenson's wife, Frances, an American writer who supported her husband throughout his writing, also features in the production in the role of a spirit guide to the protagonist.  

The music - performed live - is arranged by Michael John McCarthy and will include well-loved songs including denim-clad Americana, late 90s love songs, art rock, protest anthems, 80s synth-pop, Gaelic folk song and more. 

Kidnapped - Photo: Mihaela Bodlovic

Isobel McArthur is an Oliver award-winning actor, director and playwright. Her plays have toured the UK and been performed internationally. Her five-star West End adaptation of the classic novel Pride & Prejudice* (*sort of) is currently on tour across the UK. Previous work for National Theatre of Scotland as an actor includes Edwin Morgan’s Scots language Cyrano De Bergerac (with Citizens Theatre) and as writer/co-director of The Quiz! (with BBC Scotland) as part of Scenes for Survival. 

Kidnapped - Photo: Mihaela Bodlovic

Michael John McCarthy is a musician, sound designer and composer for stage and screen. He has worked on over eighty theatrical productions and has collaborated on the making of ten Scotsman Fringe First Award winners, most recently The Last Return by Druid Theatre Company. He is the musical supervisor & co-sound designer on Pride and Prejudice* (*sort of), winner of the 2022 Olivier Award for Best Entertainment or Comedy Play, and his previous work for National Theatre of Scotland includes The Cheviot, The Stag, & The Black, Black Oil, Rocket Post and In Time O’ Strife. 

Kidnapped - Photo: Mihaela Bodlovic

Isobel McArthur and Michael John McCarthy – Kidnapped co-creators said: “In Kidnapped, there seemed to us to be more of Stevenson the man, his beliefs and experiences, than in any other of his works of fiction. His deeply romantic view of being human, his attempts to hold onto a sense of innocence and wonder at the world, his lust for travel, his attraction to glamour and physical strength… they are all here! In this novella, Stevenson asks what it is to be Scottish, to be in in love, to be a grown-up – all through the telling of a historical tale, full of humour, heart and song. It’s a true adventure story – where body and soul are put through their paces – to, by turns, thrilling, moving and humorous effect. We just couldn’t pass it up.” 

Kidnapped was originally written as serialised fiction in the magazine Young Folks from May to July 1886. The novel first appeared in book form from Cassell and Company in July 1886 and has since been adapted several times with numerous versions for film and television. Edinburgh born Stevenson based many of the characters and events in the much-loved classic on actual people and places. Principal characters Davie Balfour and Alan Breck Stewart are celebrated in a 15-foot-tall statue by Alexander Stoddart situated on the outskirts of Edinburgh near Corstorphine Hill. 

Kidnapped - Photo: Mihaela Bodlovic

Full cast:  Malcolm Cumming, Christina Gordon, Kim Ismay, Danielle Jam, Fatima Jawara, Ryan J Mackay, Grant O’Rourke, David Rankine, Isaac Savage, and Karen Young. 

Composer and Music Supervisor Michael John McCarthy Set and Costume Design Anna Orton, Sound Design Clare Hibberd Movement Director Emily Jane Boyle Video Design Tim Reid Lighting Design Ben Ormerod Associate Director Isla Cowan Fight Director Claire Llewellyn Casting by Michael Howell 

Supported by Sir Ewan and Lady Brown 

Tickets: https://northernstage.co.uk/whats-on/kidnapped/ 

Recommended for ages 12+

Contains strong language and themes of bereavement, kidnap, love and loss.

Join the conversation: #Kidnapped 

Preview: Hey Duggee Newcastle Theatre Royal

 SQUIRRELS GET READY!

 

Hey Duggee

Newcastle Theatre Royal

Thursday 18 – Sunday 21 May 2023.

 

Hit children’s show Hey Duggee is to tour the UK for the first time ever in a vibrant and interactive stage show and is coming to Newcastle Theatre Royal in May 2023.

Duggee, The Squirrels and some of their friends will come together for Hey Duggee The Live Theatre Show, a brand new play packed with non-stop fun, laughs, singing and dancing.

The smash hit CBeebies series is brought to life through innovative puppetry and storytelling in this new live show, making it an ideal first theatre experience for younger audiences.

Since bursting onto TV screens in 2014, the BBC and Studio AKA creation has won no fewer than six BAFTAs and is an international Emmy award-winning hit.

 

Hey Duggee was the most streamed children’s show on BBC iPlayer in 2021 and is popular among both children and parents; with fans young and old, up and down the country now able to join the much-loved character on its first ever theatre tour.

Hey Duggee The Live Theatre Show is presented by award-winning theatre producer Kenny Wax and theatre and live entertainment promoters Cuffe and Taylor in association with Live Nation.

Producer Kenny Wax said: “We are so thrilled to be working with Live Nation, Cuffe & Taylor, Studio AKA and BBC Studios to create a brand new stage show with lots of surprises touring the country. I can't wait.”

Ben Hatton, director of theatre touring for Cuffe and Taylor, added: “This is an incredibly exciting tour. Hey Duggee is quite simply a phenomenon and has taken the world of children’s entertainment by storm. We look forward to Duggee and his friends filling theatres around the UK.”

Mat Way, Global Director of Live Entertainment, Gaming and Interactive at BBC Studios, said: “Studio AKA’s Hey Duggee is such a fun and iconic show and we can’t wait to bring the humour and adventures to life for families all around the country. We’re delighted to be working with Kenny Wax and Cuffe and Taylor to introduce young people to the wonders of the theatre.”

 

Photos: Pamela Raith Photography

 

Tickets

Hey Duggee The Live Theatre Show plays Newcastle Theatre Royal Thursday 18 – Sunday 21 May 2023. Tickets can be purchased at www.theatreroyal.co.uk or from the Theatre Royal Box Office on 0191 232 7010.