REVIEW: Jack & The Beanstalk at Bolton Albert Halls

Jack & The Beanstalk

Bolton Albert Halls Theatre

Until Saturday 12^th August 2018

Writer: Liam Mellor

Director: Andrew Curphey

Producer: Joseph Purdy Productions

Choreographer: Jo Swaby

Sound & Lighting Design: Adam Cookson

Fee fie foe fum… A giant is causing havoc in Bolton’s historic Albert Halls. The North East Theatre Guide was on its summer travels and we decided to pop in to see some North West panto action and the good news is that we had a fun time.

It is a really imposing building, a short walk from the NCP Octagon Car Park which offers free parking on Saturdays and Sundays. Once inside it is a bit of a maze to find the way to the theatre itself. We were wandering around the floor above the one in which we picked up our tickets, before trying the floor above and finding the correct part of the venue. Perhaps this Spinal Tap moment could be avoided with some clear signage. Once inside we found the seats comfy enough and plenty of leg room. The website suggests it is 670 capacity and it has some tiering to the seating so we had a clear view midway back in the theatre which was good. Room wise, it reminded us in its impressive style to Hull City Hall (without that venues balcony) and shares its acoustic quality.

Enough of the venue…what about the show?

First on stage is South Shield’s very own panto regular Stephen Sullivan reprising his role as Fleshcreep. Stephen seems to revel in the role of the panto baddie. Indeed, at the interval it was clear that he had got to the children around us. The Ying to his Yang is Anne Nolan as the Fairy Queen. Between them they set up the story, using clever rhyme, for those unfamiliar with the tale, which given that most of the audience are under 8 is probably a good idea.  

A giant has built his castle high above Boltonia and his henchman Fleshcreep pops down to pick up his next tasty meal. Fleshcreep cons the beautiful Princess Jill (Rebecca Lake) and kidnaps her. Her father the King (Warren Donnelly) offers a reward for her safe return. Meanwhile poor Dame Trott (Richard Aucott) is struggling to raise her two children, Silly Billy (Gary Morrison) and our hero Jack (Andrew Curphey).

Gary Morrison and Richard Aucott work well together as comic and panto dame. They get the audience on side and lead one of the early songs In The Dairy to the tune of In The Navy. They work a nice comedy routine with Daisy the cow which had the little ones around us laughing. Now we see a lot of panto over the year (Oh, yes we do!) and some shows are aimed at older audiences, and forget the younger kids, whilst some shows recognise that these shows are an important entry point into theatre for many young people. One couple behind us was discussing in the interval how their child (who must have been under 10) wants to go into drama when she is older. This show is both very safe and entertaining for the youngest members of the audience. The young lad in front of us, who was fidgeting in the 10 minutes before the show, was totally captivated by the action on stage for the 2 hour show – no mean feat with such a young audience. The young audience needs a little training with the mechanics of a panto (“Hi, when I come on I want you to…”) and the cast brought the audience into the action – and that doesn’t happen at every panto either.  

This panto is sparkly and glamourous too. The sets sparkle, the Princess beautiful, and the giant suitably hideous. Which, as the Princess sings to help the giant sleep, brings us to the music. The songs bridged the generations. The young girls near us were singing along to Rebecca Lake’s version of One Last Time whilst the parents were joining in with YMCA. Of course, you don’t invite a vocalist with the quality of Anne Nolan along without giving her a couple of songs to show off her power and range, and I thought Climb Ev'ry Mountain was the pick of the bunch. The show concludes with the Nolan’s classic I’m In The Mood For Dancing and Dancing In The Streets which had a number of parents up on their feet.

The show has two groups of dancers, some younger dancers and some older dancers. They were well choreographed into many of the musical routines and sketches.

Did we get to scream “Its behind you!”? Of course we did, as Warren Donnelly, Gary Morrison and Richard Aucott did a great ‘take off’ sketch.

The show gets the proper ending and the Beanstalk comes down (unlike one show last Christmas which was weird). No ‘messy scene’ here but we have community singing as Gary Morrison led 4 youngsters on stage through Old MacDonald Had A Farm. The cast worked hard and the young audience applauded appreciatively at the end. Jack And The Beanstalk is a perfectly fun way to spend a Saturday afternoon in Bolton, especially as it was lashing it down with rain outside!

Review by Stephen Oliver

Tickets:

https://www.quaytickets.com/boltonalberthalls/Online/default.asp

Preview: Madagascar at Sunderland Empire

FIRST LOOK AT MADAGASCAR THE MUSICAL STARRING X-FACTOR WINNER MATT TERRY

Madagascar – A Musical Adventure

Sunderland Empire 

Tuesday 28^th August – Saturday 1^st September 2018

Are you ready to GO wild? First look at Madagascar the Musical which is heading to Sunderland Empire in just one month for a roaring summer with Matt Terry as Alex The Lion.

Based on the smash DreamWorks animated motion picture, Madagascar – The Musical follows all of your favourite crack-a-lackin’ friends as they escape from their home in New York’s Central Park Zoo and find themselves on an unexpected journey to the madcap world of King Julien’s Madagascar.

Alex the lion is the king of the urban jungle, the main attraction at New York's Central Park Zoo. He and his best friends – Marty the zebra, Melman the giraffe and Gloria the hippo – have spent their whole lives in blissful captivity before an admiring public and with regular meals provided for them. Not content to leave well enough alone, Marty lets his curiosity get the better of him and makes his escape – with the help of some prodigious penguins – to explore the world.

Since winning X-Factor, Matt has been non-stop. He’s been recording music all over the world including Miami, LA and Scandinavia. After a top 3 hit with Ed Sheeran penned winner’s single When Christmas Comes Around, he released his debut album ‘Trouble’ in November 2017. His first single from the album, Sucker For You has had nearly 60 million streams on Spotify. After Sucker For You, Matt went back to his Spanish childhood by featuring on Enrique Iglesias’s smash single, Subeme La Radio alongside Sean Paul.

Matt will be joined by cast including Antoine Murray-Straughan, Timmika Ramsay, Jamie Lee-Morgan, Shane McDaid, Laura Johnson, Jessica Niles, Victoria Boden, Matthew Pennington and Darren John.

This wacky adventure for the whole family is brought to life by Selladoor Family, the producers behind James And The Giant Peach, Seussical and The Owl And The Pussycat and Hartshorn – Hook, producers of the Olivier Award winning Rotterdam, Murder Ballad, Urinetown and American Idiot . Madagascar – The Musical is directed by award winning Kirk Jameson with choreography from Fabian Aloise. Designed by Tom Rogers, with Lighting design by Howard Hudson, Sound Design by Chris Whybrow, Musical Supervision from Mark Crossland and Puppet Direction from Emma Brunton.

Join Alex the Lion, Marty the Zebra, Melman the Giraffe, Gloria the hip hip Hippo and those hilarious, plotting penguins as they bound onto stage in the musical adventure of a lifetime. Filled with outlandish characters, adventure galore and an upbeat score, you’ll have no choice but to “Move It, Move It!” 

Photos: Scott Rylander

On The Web:

Twitter @MadUKTour

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/Madagascar-UK-Tour-2769884936558881/

Tickets:

 Tickets available in person at the Box Office on High Street West, from the Ticket Centre on 0844 871 3022* or online from our affiliates ATG Tickets * http://bit.ly/SundMadagascar*

*Calls cost up to 7p per minute plus your standard network charge. Booking fees may apply to telephone and online bookings

Preview: The Lovely Bones at Newcastle Northern Stage

A Royal & Derngate, Northampton, Birmingham Repertory Theatre and Northern Stage co-production in association with Liverpool Everyman & Playhouse

WORLD PREMIÈRE

The Lovely Bones

By Alice Sebold

Newcastle Northern Stage

Tuesday 9th - Saturday 20th October 2018

Adapted by Bryony Lavery

Directed by Melly Still

ALICE SEBOLD’S GLOBAL BEST-SELLING BOOK, THE LOVELY BONES, IS BROUGHT TO LIFE ON STAGE FOR THE FIRST TIME

DESIGNED BY ANA INÉS JABARES-PITA

ORIGINAL MUSIC COMPOSED BY DAVE PRICE,

LIGHTING DESIGN BY MATT HASKINS

SOUND DESIGN BY HELEN SKIERA

CHARLOTTE BEAUMONT TO PLAY SUSIE SALMON, IN A CAST INCLUDING PETE ASHMORE, EMILY BEVAN, BHAWNA BHAWSAR, SUSAN BOVELL, NATASHA COTTRIALL, KEITH DUNPHY, KARAN GILL, JACK SANDLE AND AYOOLA SMART

The full cast and creative team have been confirmed for the world première of The Lovely Bones, one of the best-selling novels of the 21^st century. Adapted for the stage by Bryony Lavery from Alice Sebold’s story and directed by Melly Still, it will open at Royal & Derngate, Northampton on 1 September 2018 before transferring to partner theatres Everyman Liverpool, Northern Stage, Newcastle and Birmingham Repertory Theatre.

Alice Sebold’s coming-of-age tale captured the hearts of readers throughout the world when it was first published in 2002. An unforgettable story about life after loss, The Lovely Bones achieved critical acclaim and became an international best-seller. It won the Indies Choice Book Award for Adult Fiction 2003.

The Lovely Bones tells the story of young Susie Salmon, who is just like any other girl. She wants to be beautiful, adores her charm bracelet and has a crush on a boy from school. There’s one big difference though – Susie is dead. Susie can only observe while her family cope with their grief in their different ways. Her father, Jack, is obsessed with identifying the killer. Her mother, Abigail, is desperate to create a different life for herself. And her sister, Lindsay, is discovering the opposite sex with experiences that Susie will never know. Susie is desperate to help them and there might be a way of reaching them.

In the 10-strong ensemble cast, the part of Susie Salmon will be played by Charlotte Beaumont, well known for her role as Chloe Latimer in TV series Broadchurch, with recent theatre credits including Three Winters at the National Theatre. Jack Salmon will be played by Jack Sandle (War Horse, National Theatre; Running Wild, UK tour), Emily Bevan (The Haunting of Hill House, Liverpool Everyman & Playhouse) as Abigail Salmon, with Ayoola Smart (Othello, Unicorn Theatre; The Taming of the Shrew, Shakespeare’s Globe) as sister Lindsay. Kevin Dunphy (The Rivals, Bristol Old Vic) takes the role of Mr Harvey. The cast is completed by Pete Ashmore as Len Fenerman/Samuel, Bhawna Bhawsar as Ruana Singh/Franny, Susan Bovell as Lynn/Cop/Mrs Flanagan, Natasha Cottriall as Ruth Connors/Buckley Salmon and Karan Gill as Ray Singh/Principal Caden.

Playwright Bryony Lavery’s acclaimed work includes the Tony Award-nominated Frozen (revived in the West End in spring this year), Stockholm (Frantic Assembly), Kursk (Young Vic) and Beautiful Burnout (National Theatre of Scotland and Frantic Assembly). Her other adaptations include A Christmas Carol (Birmingham Repertory Company), Treasure Island (National Theatre), Brideshead Revisited (York Theatre Royal/ETT) and most recently Brighton Rock (Pilot Theatre). 

Bringing The Lovely Bones to life on stage is director Melly Still, whose credits include the acclaimed Olivier and Tony Award-nominated production of Coram Boy (National Theatre and Broadway), My Beautiful Friend (Rose Theatre Kingston) and several recent productions for Glyndebourne, the National Theatre and the Royal Shakespeare Company.

The production is designed by Ana Inés Jabares-Pita whose credits include Wish List (Royal Exchange and Royal Court) and The Driver’s Seat (National Theatre of Scotland), with lighting design by Matt Haskins (Death of a Salesman, Royal & Derngate UK tour; Turn of the Screw, Opera North), sound design by Helen Skiera (Instructions for Correct Assembly, Bodies, Royal Court) and movement direction by Mike Ashcroft (The Christmas Truce, Henry IV parts 1 & 2, RSC). Music will be composed by Dave Price whose original scores include From Morning to Midnight (National Theatre) and Cymbeline (RSC).

Only The Web:

#LovelyBones18

Tickets:

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

Dates: Tuesday 9^th - Saturday 20^th October 2018

Times: Evenings 7.30pm, Thursday 11 October, 6pm

Matinees Wednesday 10, Saturday 13 & Saturday 20 October 2pm

No performances on Sundays

Tickets from £10

Box Office:  0191 230 5151 or online at www.northernstage.co.uk

NEWS: Newcastle’s Live Theatre’s announces new season

Newcastle’s Live Theatre’s announces new season

New plays by writers including Roddy Doyle, Paul Sirett, Ishy Din and Alex Oates

Live Theatre has announced its new season through to March 2019. Highlights include the British Premiere of Two Pints, a hilarious and provocative play by Irish writer Roddy Doyle. Having started as a conversation on Facebook that gained a large following, Roddy Doyle brought the two characters to life in a play, in which two men meet in a pub for a pint, chew the fat, and set the world to rights.

Roddy Doyle said “When I wrote Two Pints, I didn’t envisage it being performed in a pub, but it is part of the adventure. This new play is being put on in a context that is unfamiliar to me – that excites me.”

Lorcan Cranitch and Liam Carney
in Two Pints by Roddy Doyle
Directed by Caitriona McLoughlin.
Photo by Ros Kavanagh

Joe Douglas, Artistic Director, Live Theatre, said: “We are delighted to host the British debut of Roddy Doyle’s comedy Two Pints, that has been a sell-out success across Ireland. We look forward to bringing it to audiences in Newcastle and Sunderland, in partnership with Sunderland Culture and as part of the Culture Ireland GB programme. The show is usually performed in pubs, so at Live Theatre, the bar is returning into the main theatre space. Audiences can get a pint, pull up a chair and listen in to the conversation at the bar. In Sunderland, we are delighted to have the perfect pub-setting ready-made in the beautifully restored Peacock pub on Keel Square. Wherever you see Two Pints expect big laughs and good craic.”

Following its second tour performing in pubs across Ireland, this Abbey Theatre Production comes to Live Theatre (Wednesday 12 to Sunday 23 September), and The Peacock Pub, Sunderland (Tuesday 25 to Friday 28 September).

This autumn see the World Premiere of Clear White Light, a modern gothic story, and the first play at Live Theatre to be directed by it’s new Artistic Director, Joe Douglas. Written by Olivier Award nominated writer Paul Sirett, Clear White Light is a modern retelling of Edgar Allan Poe’s The Fall of the House of Usher and set against the backdrop of cuts to the 70-year-old NHS, with the songs of Lindisfarne. Inspired by Alan Hull’s time working at psychiatric nurse at St Nicholas’ hospital in Gosforth, the play features many of the hit songs he wrote at that time, including Winter Song, Lady Eleanor and Clear White Light played by a live band. The show's musical directors are Billy Mitchell and Ray Laidlaw, also of the band Lindisfarne.

Ray Laidlaw explains: ‘'We've been working with the wonderfully creative team at Live Theatre for a long time, searching for the perfect vehicle for Alan's great songs which doesn't rely on cliché. Clear White Light is just that - it's fresh and inventive, and I'm sure it'll introduce Alan's music to a whole new audience.”

Billy Mitchell added: “Alan was profoundly touched by his time at St. Nick's, caring for people with mental health issues. The music he wrote around then - often while on duty - has stood the test of time. Unfortunately the NHS hasn't fared so well, something Clear White Light addresses head-on.”

The play was originally commissioned by Max Roberts, Live Theatre’s Emeritus Artistic Director, and Max and Joe will work closely together to bring the show to life. Clear White Light premieres at Live Theatre from Saturday 18 October to Saturday 10 November.

Live Theatre’s collaboration with Open Clasp continues with the World Premiere of don’t forget the birds, the follow up to the award-winning Key Change, telling the true story of a mother and daughter after release from prison. The mother was one of the original collaborators on Key Change, now released, and this first-hand account written by Catrina McHugh MBE and directed by Laura Lindow, picks up on their story and tells how prison took a mother from a daughter and their heart lifting journey to find each other again. Featuring both women as themselves, don’t forget the birds is at Live Theatre from Tuesday 20 to Saturday 24 November before touring nationally.

Christmas Crackers is Live Theatre’s alternative Christmas offering, of four new plays in one evening celebrating this special time of year, with a wry twist. Written up by and coming writers Tamsin Daisy-Rees, Olivia Hannah, Henry Lawrence and Jamie Morren who have been selected as Live Theatre’s Associate Artists this year. Catch Christmas Crackers from Thursday 13 to Saturday 22 December.

Graeme Thompson, Creative Producer, Live Theatre said “Tamsin, Olivia, Henry and Jamie will all give their individual take on a Christmas play. Don’t expect a traditional nativity or a panto, but be prepared for laughter, turkey, tears and sarcasm. They will follow in the footsteps of Nina Berry who wrote her hit play The Terminal Velocity of Snowflakes when she was a Live Theatre Associate Artist, which debuted in its original form as a short play in Live Theatre’s alternative Christmas show in 2015.”

Set in the North of England in the aftermath of Margaret Thatcher’s death, two old friends go into the taxi business together in Approaching Empty written by Stockton based writer, and former cab driver, Ishy Din. This brand new co-production between Live Theatre, Tamasha and Kiln Theatre is at Live Theatre from Wednesday 6 to Saturday 23 February 2019.

Five performers from across the globe challenge notions of ‘home’ in Where We Began on Thursday 20 and Friday 21 September.

Bismillah! (an Isis Tragicomedy) which follows Dean who joins the Army and Danny who joins the Islamic State, comes to Live Theatre for two performances on Saturday 29 September following critically acclaimed sell-out runs in Edinburgh and London. 

Inspired by real music fan confessions, Fans (Wednesday 3 to Saturday 6 October) written by Nina Berry, is part gig and part theatre crammed full of classic hits and original tunes. Also from company The Six Twenty there are two Mixtape shows, which mix sketch show with music quiz, Mixtape Timehop (Thursday 30 August to Saturday 1 September) and Mixtape Xmas (Wednesday 5 to Saturday 8 December).

It's Different For Girls, a brand new musical inspired by Mandy & The Girlfriends, Hull's own 1960s girl band, comes to Live Theatre from Tuesday 13 to Thursday 15 November.

Alex Oates's hit play Silk Road (How To Buy Drugs Online) returns to Live Theatre from Tuesday 27 November to Saturday 1 December following its sell out run earlier this year, and a West End transfer.

Theo Ancient (Albus Potter in Harry Potter and the Cursed Child) stars in The Shy Manifesto, a bittersweet comedy drama about a boy who is fed up of being told to come out of his shell, on Tuesday 28 and Wednesday 30 January 2019.

Mark Thomas - Photo: Steve Ullathorne

Mark Thomas takes a comedic look at the NHS at 70 based on a series of interviews with leading experts in Check Up: Our NHS@70 from Tuesday 5 to Thursday 7 March 2019. 

Sparkplug, written by David Judge, is an exploration of family, race, identity and love performed between Thursday 14 to Saturday 16 March.

There’s another great line-up of live music presented by Jumpin' Hot Club plus the chance to get involved with new creative opportunities, including the Introduction to Playwriting Course and Write Here, Write Now writing course for young people of colour aged 16-25 both led by Live Theatre’s new writer in residence Chinonyerem Odinba, and for young people aged 11 to 25 to join Live Theatre’s award-winning Live Youth Theatre as its prepares for its 21^st birthday year in 2019.

Tickets:

For more information and tickets call Live Theatre’s Box Office on (0191) 232 1232 or see www.live.org.uk.

ADVERTISEMENT: All Saints Tickets available from 

affiliate Ticketmaster - please click on the image  below.

Preview: Othello at Newcastle Northern Stage

ENGLISH TOURING THEATRE ANNOUNCES

VICTOR OSHIN’S PROFESSIONAL DEBUT AS OTHELLO

English Touring Theatre, Oxford Playhouse and Shakespeare at the Tobacco Factory present   

Othello

Newcastle Northern Stage

Tuesday 13^th – Saturday 17^th November 2018

English Touring Theatre have announced Victor Oshin as Othello in the upcoming revival of Richard Twyman’s critically acclaimed production of Othello, a co-production with Oxford Playhouse and Shakespeare at the Tobacco Factory. Full cast to be announced shortly.

Further dates are announced for the tour which opens at Oxford Playhouse on 20 September and tours to Harrogate Theatre, Cast in Doncaster, Lawrence Batley Theatre, Everyman Theatre Cheltenham, Oldham Coliseum Theatre, The New Wolsey Theatre, Warwick Arts Centre, Northern Stage and Lighthouse Poole.

In addition ETT’s Othello Education Programme will run alongside the tour offering students and teachers insight into Shakespeare’s Othello and their critically acclaimed production. The programme will provide education packs, workshops, pre and post show talks with members of the company, as well as additional resources including podcasts and recorded footage.

English Touring Theatre said, ‘We are thrilled to announce the full tour of our critically acclaimed production of Othello which will visit 10 cities this Autumn, continuing our commitment to touring exceptional work to audiences across England.  We are delighted to be working with Victor Oshin in the title role. Victor is a dynamic actor of huge potential and we look forward to giving audiences across the country the chance to see him in his professional stage debut. We'll soon be announcing the full company of actors that he will be working alongside to bring this masterful play to life.’

Othello is one of Shakespeare's most startlingly contemporary plays – a masterful depiction of a life torn apart by prejudice.

Venice; a western colonial power employs the newly-married Othello, a Muslim general, to lead their army against the impending Turkish invasion. The strain of fitting into a society riven by discrimination and fear soon take their toll. Manipulated by Iago, Othello's life quickly unravels as he turns on everything he holds dear.

Cast and Creatives:

Director: Richard Twyman;

Designer: Georgia Lowe;

Associate Designer: Alex Berry

Composer & Sound Designer: Giles Thomas;

Lighting Designer: Matt Graham

Movement Director: Lanre Malaolu;

Creative Advisor: Abdul-Rehman Malik

Casting Director: Annelie Powell CDG

Originally co-produced with Tobacco Factory Theatres.

Victor Oshin plays Othello. This marks his professional stage debut.

ETT’s Othello Education Programme

Through an exploration of their critically acclaimed production of Othello, ETT’s Othello Education Programme offers students and teachers the opportunity to gain an exciting insight into one of Shakespeare’s most startlingly contemporary plays.

The programme offers an education pack, workshops, talks and other resources including podcasts and recorded footage. The lessons and activities provided are specifically designed to support KS3-4 students studying the play and who have attended the production, and cover themes including Moorish identity, women’s roles in the play and the setting and staging.

Education Pack

Click here to access the Othello Education Pack – the pack includes discussion topics, exercises and links to podcasts and video footage.

Workshops

Workshops are designed to enrich and expand on the themes discussed in the Othello Education Pack. Each workshop runs for 2 hours, for up to 30 students, and is run by a specially trained facilitator. The workshops can be held at your venue at any time to suit your schedule.

Pre and post show talks
There will be free pre-show talks, with the production’s Assistant Director and ETT’s Producer, and post-show talks with the company. The dates for these can be found at: www.ett.org.uk/whats-on/othello/access

If you are unable to attend the pre or post-show talk but would like to discuss how you can access these digitally or alternatively arrange an additional talk for a fee then please contact ETT. 

To book a workshop or other enquiries regarding ETT’s Othello Education Programme contact Bridie: bdonaghy@ett.org.uk

On The Web:

www.ett.org.uk
@ETTtweet

Tickets:

Northern Stage

13 - 17 November

Box Office: 0191 230 5151 / www.northernstage.co.uk

REVIEW: Boogie Nights at Seaton Delaval Arts Centre

Boogie Nights - The 70's Musical

Seaton Delaval Arts Centre

Until Saturday 28^th July 2018

The Arts Centre was as hot as a 70s discotheque as an enthusiastic cast boogied their way through the classic 70s hits in a musical written by written by Jon Conway with Shane Richie and Terry Morrison.  Bye Bye Baby, Sugar Baby Love, Disco Inferno, Y. M. C. A., We Are Family and Boogie Wonderland plus some Elvis hits are performed by the live band under musical director Gareth Miller.

The essence of the tale is pretty much a British version of that 70s US classic Saturday Night Fever in so much as it looks at a disco crowd trying to make sense of their passage into adulthood.

Disco-loving Debs (Sarah McBean) and Roddy (Stu Bennett)  have been together for 5 years, as have their best friends Trish (Madi Hindson) and Terry (Mark Robinson). Roddy has dreams of becoming a rock star rather than getting a regular job, much to the annoyance of his Dad Eamon (Ken Richardson). The Elvis-loving patriarch would much rather he was paying his way and this adds to the discord in Roddy’s life. Another problem is Dean (Kyle Yates), who is DJ at the club, who thinks Debs could do better than Roddy. In pursuit of his dreams, Roddy starts working with the singers, at the disco, Spencer (Martin Futers) and Lorraine (Katie Jackson).

Director Claire Willis has a fairly tight handle on proceedings unlike the previous version of this that I saw. An ensemble of 12 further cast members also help the club to look full and there’s enough people to do larger scale dance routines. Choreographers Mark Robinson and Hannah Lazenby capture the spirit of the 70s boogie with a number of those routines.

This particular performance suffered from a number of sound issues with microphones not always picking the vocal work up or being too loud and distorted in the mix. This will be hopefully sorted in subsequent shows in this run.

There were some highlights from the solo spots. Sarah McBean gave a passionate I Will Survive and Ken Richardson added real emotion to Always On Your Mind. The ensemble numbers at the end of the second act were also a treat.

It is weird to think of a 70s musical as a period piece, but I suspect the majority of the cast were born after Ottawan got to number 2 with D.I.S.C.O. The eagle eyed amongst you might have spotted that that was in 1980… but a few anachronisms apart the set was suitably orange and beige. The smoking in a venue and chauvinistic attitudes towards women is very much of that time. Perhaps in years to come this will be viewed as a challenging show for those reasons in the same way as the King And I seem out of set now.

The Seaton Delaval Pantomime Society have clearly had fun putting together their first full musical and hopefully they’ll push on to do others in the future.

Review by Stephen Oliver.

Photos: Paul Cummings

Tickets:

Boogie Nights hits the stage at the Seaton Delaval Arts Centre from Wednesday 25^th to Saturday 28^th July. Tickets are priced at £11.00 full price and £10.00 for concessions available from the Box Office on 0191 237 5460 or www.seatondelavalartscentre.com.