REVIEW: Curtains The Musical at Sunderland Empire

Curtains The Musical

Sunderland Empire

Tuesday 21 - Saturday 25 January 2020

Tickets: https://prf.hn/l/7EODBN6 #Ad

Jason Manford stars in a comedy musical about a murder in the opening night of a musical in Boston, USA. Original songs and pacy direction combine with a good sense of humour to make a wonderful night at the theatre...even if one of the songs has a go at people who review theatre!

It is 1959. Robin Hood is a western musical with a problem: a drunk star Jessica Cranshaw (Nia Jermin) that keeps forgetting what she should be doing. The cast keep supporting her during the opening night but the show stinks. She collapses after taking her bow and is rushed to hospital.

The shows notices arrive and the reviews are not good at all. The producer sees the indisposed star as a chance to reboot the show with the lyricist in the lead. Then the news comes via the arriving detective Lieutenant Frank Cioffi (Jason Manford): the star was murdered by cyanide capsule and this is now a murder scene.

Curtains then focuses mainly on the rewriting and rehearsal for the reopening rather than much of the interrogation. This helped in part by the policeman 's love of musical theatre- after all he had been to see Robin Hood in preview.

As is often the case,  many of the characters are caricatures of stage types. The money grabbing producers Carmen and Sidney Bernstein (Rebecca Lock & understudy Thomas -Lee Kidd), the egocentric director Christopher Belling (Samuel Holmes), the ambitious understudy Bambi (Emma Caffrey) and the quarreling writers  Georgia Hendricks and Aaron Fox (Carley Stenson & Ore Oduba). You also have the more naive understudy - and love interest Niki Harris (Leah Barbara West). Having said that - these larger than life characters work well in the comedic sense.

The choreography is tight but the set design and changes are tighter. There are some great big musical numbers with lively dancing, as befits a 50s musical, but it is the quick set changes which flip the direction  of the action on the stage that is a feature of the show.

There is a live band that not only plays the score for the musical numbers but also provides some of the sounds of the rehearsals too. The accompany some great songs: What Kind of Man? And  It’s A Business stood out in particular and in Coffee Shop Nights, Jason Manford shows that he can hold his own when it comes to singing too. Jason is more than a name on the posters to sell tickets - he acts and sings well and doesn’t feel out of place on the stage.

No spoilers here of course plenty of incidents occur in the shows running time of just under 3 hours including interval.  The lack of tension in the script is made up for in punchy songs and comedy. The reveal was a surprise but I never work these things out.

This is  a nice funny musical show which I liked. In fact, I might just keep my eye out for the cast recording.

Review by Stephen Oliver

Photos: Richard Davenport

Creatives:

Music - John Kander

Lyrics - Fred Ebb

John Kander (additional lyrics)

Rupert Holmes (additional lyrics)

Book  - Rupert Holmes

Based upon - Curtains by Peter Stone

Director - Paul Foster

Choreographer - Alistair David

Musical director - Alex Beetschen

Suitable for ages 12+

Tickets:

Tickets can be obtained from the theatre box office and online from our affiliates ATG Tickets: https://prf.hn/l/7EODBN6 #Ad

Booking fees may apply to telephone and online bookings.

Preview: John Bishop: Warm Up at Newcastle Tyne Theatre and Opera House

Ad: Tickets are now available from our affiliate Eventim UK Tickets. This means we receive a small share of the sale. Clicking on these links helps us to cover the costs of producing the North East Theatre Guide free of charge to both our readers and theatres.

John Bishop is bringing new Warm Up comedy show to Newcastle’s Tyne Theatre and Opera House
Friday 13^th November 2020

Tickets: https://tinyurl.com/TyneJohnBishop #Ad

 
Comedy superstar John Bishop is coming to the Tyne Theatre & Opera House on Friday 13^th November 2020.

The award-winning comedian, celebrated for his observational humour, is back on tour preparing for a brand new upcoming show which will be his eighth stand up show.

As one the UK’s biggest names in comedy, his shows regularly sell out arenas and his hugely successful comedy, entertainment and documentary shows makes him a regular on television screens. Widely recognized from hosting the Royal Variety Performance as well as his own shows, including ‘John Bishop’s Only Joking’ (Sky1), ‘The John Bishop Show’ (BBC1) and ‘John Bishop’s Gorilla Adventure’ (ITV1).

The new upcoming show will follow on from his previous nationwide sell-out hit, Winging It.

Theatre Director Joanne Johnson said “It’s a huge success for us to welcome one of the most popular comedians in the country, John Bishop, to our stage. Bishop is absolute comedy genius so we’re certain the show will be hugely popular and we’re expecting it to sell extremely quickly.”

★★★★ ‘A gloriously gifted storyteller’ Daily Telegraph

★★★★ ‘Frankly hilarious’ Daily Telegraph

★★★★ ‘Bishop has funny bones’ The Times

‘Winging It is two hours of observational humour delivered so skilfully it looks effortless’ Evening Standard

★★★★ ‘His Supersonic show easily confirms that John Bishop has finally taken on the mantle of Britain’s top comic’ Daily Mirror

NB: Show content 16+

Tickets on general sale from 10am Monday 20^th January from the theatre box office and online from our affiliates Eventim UK: https://tinyurl.com/TyneJohnBishop   #Ad

REVIEW: Big Dick Whittington & His Pussy at Newcastle Boulevard

Adult Panto - Big Dick Whittington & His Pussy

Newcastle Boulevard

Friday 17th January - Sunday 26th January 2020

So what do the stars of panto do when the family friendly pantos close? They appear in adult pantos! A cast of local panto stars appear in Newcastle in a very funny show that is aimed at broadminded adults. So, is it time to leave the kids at home and head off to the panto? We think so.

South Shield’s Stephen Sullivan, fresh from panto in Bolton, kicked proceedings off as the evil King Rat. He helps to quickly set the tone for the show as the audience. Boulevard favourite Miss Rory then appears as Fairy Big Bells. Miss Rory in an adult show is very different to the character in the recent Sunderland Empire panto. Cutting quips about her fellow cast members and the audience are as much a part of the act as playing the Fairy.

Very quickly this show has the audience playing their part of the three-ringed circus. By the time of the arrival of Lewis Griffiths, as Dick, the audience are more than accept his invitation to insult him each time he appears – an act that he reciprocates. Dick is quickly joined by his travelling companion, Pussy, a role that is as much about Tom Whalley using his facial expressions as any script. Tom’s eyes actually convey as much information as you need – the Boulevard is such an intimate venue that you feel close enough to the action to spot those details.

On Dick’s travels he falls over his love interest, Alice Fitznicely, who works with her mother Dame Patsy at the local Adult Store. Opening with a vulgar song that leaves nothing to the imagination – Hazel Pude, accompanied by three dancers, continues to make the audience laugh in recognition. Naturally there is a scene in the sex shop however it is as much about the nature of what is in the parcels that derives the humour – no actual devices are on show apart from the backdrop, which is a screen that fills the rear of the stage. The funny thing is watching Dan Mawson as Dame Patsy often using lines and actions that are innocently trotted out in the Whitley Bay panto but they seem much ruder, and funnier, in this more adult context. We have watched Dan in panto over the years (we remember those Whickham shows!) and he has become a fabulous panto dame – working well at both family friendly and adult panto levels.

The use of the large screen and minimal props speeds up the action and the pace considerably.  Sometimes pantos drag as the introductions and exposition seem to take forever, resulting in the audience losing attention. This is not the case in this Tom Whalley written and directed show. Quickly the action moves on and Sullivan’s King Rat takes Alice hostage and cast chase after him about Dame Pasty’s ship “The Minge”.

Running just under the ideal two and a half hours (including interval) Big Dick Whittington & His Pussy is packed full of adult humour and we both found ourselves laughing throughout the show. With panto you cannot always tell if mistakes are intentional or genuine, the trick is having a tight professional cast that keep the action flowing. The interaction between cast members, and with the audience, bring back memories of Priscilla and are unique in their flavour to the Boulevard panto. From Miss Rory’s sneer at members of the audience through to Stephen Sullivan’s exclamation of how useful his years at drama school were, the audience is able to feel a part of the show.

The cast appear to be enjoying themselves and there were plenty of smiles on the faces of the audience at the end. Mission accomplished – this was a great evening’s entertainment as the talented cast smashed it. Just remember to leave the kids at home.

Review by Stephen Oliver

Cast & Creatives:

Fairy Big Bells - Miss Rory

Patsy Fitznicely - Dan Mawston

Alice Fitznicely - Hazel Pude

Dick - Lewis Griffiths

King Rat - Stephen Sullivan

Pussy - Tom Whalley

Dancers - Alice Charlton, Caz Sharp and Gary Walsh

Producer / Director - Liam Glendinning

Director / Author - Tom Whalley

Choreography and Graphic Design - Danni Dee

Tickets:

http://ticketing.boulevardnewcastle.co.uk/

News: County Durham Theatres’ Christmas wishes are granted with panto success

County Durham Theatres’ Christmas wishes are granted with panto success

Two County Durham theatres are celebrating the end of a magical pantomime season as the curtains fall on their most successful Christmas shows ever.

Durham City’s Gala Theatre attracted record audience numbers for both its pantomime and under fives Christmas show.

A total of 33,541 people enjoyed 76 performances of the genie-us family pantomime Aladdin, which also received rave reviews across the north east, making it the most popular pantomime the theatre has ever presented.

The venue’s Christmas show for younger children, One More Sleep, also charmed theatre-goers with more than 5,000 people turning out for 66 performances.

Robin Byers, Gala Theatre manager, said: “We’re thrilled with the success of our Christmas shows this year. Not only have they enjoyed excellent sales, but the feedback from the press and public has been hugely positive too. The fantastic turnout for the pantomime has made Aladdin our most successful Christmas show since Gala opened in 2002, which is testament to all the hard work the team put in creating our Christmas shows. We’re very proud of our in-house productions; we love sharing them with our audiences and we’re delighted to see people enjoying them.”

Tickets are on sale now for Gala’s 2020 pantomime Robin Hood, which sees the return of writers, directors and firm family favourites Neil Armstrong and Paul Hartley. The duo promise more fun and mayhem as they head for Sherburn Forest to tell the tale of heroic outlaw Robin Hood, his merry men (and women), and his battles with the evil Sheriff of Nottingham.

Robin Hood runs from Wednesday 25 November 2020 to Sunday 10 January 2021. Tickets are on sale now and tickets bought for performances between Wednesday 25 November and Friday 18 December can benefit from an early bird discount if purchased by Friday 31 January.

Tickets can be booked in person at the Gala box office, by calling 03000 266 600 or online at www.galadurham.co.uk.

Consett’s Empire Theatre also enjoyed a fairy-tale ending to its run of family pantomime Snow White, with record audience numbers beating all previous pantomimes at the venue.

Families flocked to watch the 37 performances, which were enjoyed by more than 13,700 people.

Work has already begun on this year’s pantomime, which has been announced as swashbuckling adventure, Treasure Island.

The ‘Yo-Ho-Ho’ panto, which runs from Saturday 28 November to Thursday 31 December 2020, will mark the 10th anniversary of The Empire Theatre’s partnership with producer and director Leah Bell. To celebrate, audiences can purchase discounted tickets for the opening performance for just £10.

Nicola Dailly, arts programme manager at The Empire Theatre and Cinema, said: “Our audiences love Leah’s shows, which are always packed full of adventure, magic, dazzling costumes and hilarious characters. We’re looking forward to working with her again.  Tickets for Treasure Island are already selling fast, so I’d encourage people to book early to avoid disappointment.”

Tickets can be booked in person at the Empire box office, by calling 03000 262 400 or online at www.empireconsett.co.uk.

Preview: Going South! at Newcastle Lit & Phil

A Tale Of Truly Heroic Failure 

CaroleW Productions and Back of the Attic present

Going South!

Newcastle Lit & Phil

Wednesday 15^th - Thursday 16^th January 2020

Against the back drop of Newcastle’s magnificent Lit & Phil Library welcome Apsley Cherry-Garrad, or “Cherry” survivor of Captain Scott’s ill-fated expedition to the South Pole on the 108^th anniversary of their great achievement!

In keeping with CaroleW Productions modus operandi of cherry picking, if you’ll excuse the pun, the perfect play for the perfect venue, this first partnership with the Lit & Phil is a tragic, comic yet moving story of dare-do and camaraderie. It is framed as presentation to the good people of Newcastle at its historic library founded initially as a conversation club in 1793, and host since its inception to a range of luminaries from the fields of science, the natural sciences, philosophy and history what better place to host the gallant hero of the play?  

Going South! is a one-man comedic storytelling show written and performed by Craig Methven of Back of the Attic Theatre, based on the true story of Scott’s ill-fated expedition. Going South! follows ‘Cherry’s’ attempts to make sense of the tragic loss of his friends, and the failure of the expedition, while also trying to keep it light, keep it funny and entertain the audience who have come to hear a Great British hero, as he stands in for the dead Captain on his ‘victory’ tour!

Going South! charts Cherry’s efforts to tell his story, and that of his fellow explorers, and in doing so asks questions about our ability to be true, open and honest with each other, and how this is impacted by the way we construct images of heroism and bravery. It explores, questions and celebrates the ways we use comedy as a shield, asking what our desire to keep laughing and to keep people laughing does, and how this creates barriers to emotional expression and personal honesty. It features original songs, comedy and juggling routines, and one accidental burlesque number, as Cherry stumbles towards exposing himself and opening up to an audience, to other people for the first time.

In keeping with CaroleW’s other modus operandi it will of course provide audiences with, “a good night out”!

Tickets:

Venue: Lit & Phil, Westgate Road, Newcastle upon Tyne.

Time: 7.30pm

Tickets £10/£8

Venue website http://www.litandphil.org.uk/whats-on/

Ticket Link https://www.ticketsignite.com/event/2248/going-south-

The Jacques - New single & Newcastle gig

The Jacques -  ‘I Never Want To Be Your Boyfriend’

New Single Out Now:  Listen Here 

Newcastle Live Date:

Monday 2^nd March 2020 – The Cluny, Newcastle 

Tickets: https://ticketmaster-uk.tm7559.net/kEmJM #Ad

London four-piece THE JACQUES have shared their new single, ‘I Never Want To Be Your Boyfriend’, as well as announcing an extensive UK headline tour in March.

Opening to a driving bassline juxtaposed with swelling guitar lines, saccharine synths and nonchalant vocals, the track is a reverb-drenched slice of dream-pop which builds through verses laden with evocative lyricism into infectious choruses which convey their intent from beneath a shroud of laid-back irreverence. The track was produced by Dan Swift (Snow Patrol/Ash), and recorded at both RAK and Rockfield Studios. 

Lead singer Finn explains, “‘I Never Want To Be Your Boyfriend’ is definitely our poppiest song to date... for that reason it’s really fun to play live for me. I wanted the lyrics in the verse to be some of my most surreal - the idea was to have them sound like idioms or commonplace sayings, when in reality you contemplate them and they don’t hold typical meanings at all. Then the choruses go back into full-on pop song register. I think that’s why I chose to repeat the lyrics in the verse - it’s a bit of a parody of the classic English saying.”

The band have also announced an extensive tour for March, including shows in Newcastle, Birmingham, Brighton and Bristol. The tour will follow shows in London and Paris next month, where they’ll play Supersonic in Paris on December 4^th and Dublin Castle in London on December 10^th. 

Having established a devoted following in both the UK and Europe since their formation five years ago, particularly in France where they are true indie-heroes, the band have taken their time evolving and crafting new material. 

‘I Never Want To Be Your Boyfriend’ follows the band’s previous singles ‘Alka-Seltzer’ – which premiered on BBC 6Music with Chris Hawkins and is currently on the Radio X playlist – and ‘Kiss The Pharaoh’, released earlier this year. The tracks are a thrilling taste of what’s to come as they re-emerge from the shadows, back into the white-heat of the public eye.

Monday 2^nd March 2020 – The Cluny, Newcastle 

Tickets: https://ticketmaster-uk.tm7559.net/kEmJM #Ad

Preview: Curtains The Musical at Sunderland Empire

Curtains The Musical
Sunderland Empire

Tuesday 21 - Saturday 25 January 2020

Tickets: https://prf.hn/l/7EODBN6 #Ad

Originally Produced on Broadway by Roger Berlin, Roger Horchow, Daryl Roth, Jane Bergere, Ted Hartley and Center Theatre Group. American Premiere Produced at The Ahmanson Theatre by Center Theatre Group, LA’s Theatre Company.

Starring Jason Manford (comedy and theatre legend), Ore Oduba (Strictly Come Dancing winner) and Carley Stenson (Hollyoaks and West End performer), it’s a whodunit like no other with catchy songs, unforgettable characters and plot twists galore! Sound familiar?

From the Tony Award-winning creators of Cabaret and Chicago, this production tells the story of Jessica Cranshaw, star of the new Broadway-bound musical Robbin Hood, who has been murdered on stage on opening night! The entire cast and crew are suspects. Time to call in the local detective, Frank Cioffi, who just happens to be a huge musical theatre fan. With a nose for crime and an ear for music, Frank has his work cut out trying to find the killer whilst giving the show a lifeline.

Detective Frank Cioffi will be played by stand-up comedian, writer, actor, radio and television presenter Jason Manford. Jason has many theatre credits to his name including playing ‘Caractacus Potts’ in the UK Tour of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and ‘Leo Bloom’ in the UK Tour of The Producers. His London theatrical credits include playing ‘Pirelli’ in Sweeney Todd at The Adelphi Theatre and ‘Nathan Detroit’ in Guys and Dolls at the Royal Albert Hall. 

In 2017 Jason released his debut album A Different Stage which reached Top 10 in the UK Charts. He has toured internationally as a stand-up comedian, and is a popular face on UK television having appeared on programmes including Live At The Apollo (BBC One), Michael McIntyre’s Comedy Roadshow (BBC One), QI (BBC Two), Big Fat Quiz of the Year (Channel 4) and 8 Out of 10 Cats (Channel 4). Jason was nominated for Best Actor at the Royal Television Society Awards for his role as ‘Marty’ in the BBC One drama Ordinary Lies.

The producing team is made up of Dan Looney, Adam Paulden and Jason Haigh-Ellery for DLAP entertainment.

Music is by John Kander, lyrics by Fred Ebb (Cabaret and Chicago), book by Rupert Holmes, original book and concept by Peter Stone with additional lyrics by John Kander and Rupert Holmes.

The production will be directed by Paul Foster (Kiss Me Kate and Annie Get Your Gun for Sheffield Crucible), choreographer is Alistair David (Ghost West End and UK tour and Seven Brides for Seven Brothers and The Sound of Music both for Regent’s Park Open Air), Musical Supervisor & Arrangements are by Sarah Travis (Curve Associate Artist, Sweeney Todd, Sister Act), Set Design by David Woodhead, Costume Design by Gabriella Slade, Lighting Design by Tim Mitchell, Sound Design is by Tom Marshall and Casting Director is Jim Arnold CDG.

Suitable for ages 12+

Photos: Richard Davenport

Tickets:

Tickets can be obtained from the theatre box office and online from our affiliates ATG Tickets: https://prf.hn/l/7EODBN6 #Ad

Booking fees may apply to telephone and online bookings.