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Newcastle Theatre Royal has today announced that Washington-born Pete Peverley will play the role of ‘Little Bobby the Cat’ in its spectacular 2015/16 pantomime Dick Whittington (24 November 2015 – 17 January 2016).

Peter made his panto debut last year in the Theatre Royal’s box office-busting Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, and had audiences in stitches playing ‘Little Bobby the Dwarf’ – an ode to his Bobby Thompson comedy routine.  The role followed the huge success of his one-man show about the North East’s favourite comedian at the Theatre in 2013.

Pete will join the purr-fect pantomime team of Danny Adams, Clive Webb and Chris Hayward who have delighted Newcastle audiences for over a decade and broken box office records every year, alongside recently announced award-winning soap star Charlie Hardwick, who will play ‘Spirit of the Tyne’.

Pete is one of the region’s most celebrated entertainers.  Trained at Newcastle College, he is a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company and performed for many years as part of the Northern Stage ensemble.  His TV credits are extensive and include Byker Grove, Emmerdale and Spender.

Danny Adams and Clive Webb make their eleventh consecutive pantomime appearance at the Theatre Royal in Dick Whittington. With their much-loved and hilarious slapstick, physical comedy and slosh routines, the award-winning father and son duo have become a veritable North East institution. Danny plays the title role of Dick Whittington, while Clive plays Councillor Fitzfenwick.

Making his ninth appearance in Newcastle alongside Danny and Clive, Chris Hayward also returns, complete with his glittering array of costumes and wigs, all of which he designs himself. Playing the role of Dame Rita Fitzfenwick, Chris will provide all of the glamour and sparkle Newcastle theatregoers have come to expect from the North East’s premiere pantomime.

Legendary panto villain and Whitley Bay-lad Steve Arnott is back again – this time playing the dastardly King Rat.  This will be his seventh season at the Theatre Royal and follows his triumphant turn as the evil Queen Lucretia in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs last year.

Dick Whittington is the only pantomime believed to be based on a true story, and one of the few of truly British origin. There actually was a Richard Whittington, and he did become (Lord) Mayor of London in the late 14^th and early 15^th centuries.  The legend says that Whittington was a poor boy who travelled to London to seek his fame and fortune, but arrived penniless, and without a friend in the world – until he was introduced to a rather amazing cat. Newcastle audiences can expect a distinctly local twist on the traditional tale!

Audiences can also expect breathtaking special effects, once again provided by The Twins FX (the award-winning company behind previous years’ looping reindeer sleigh, flying helicopter and magic carpet), hilarious comedy routines, spectacular sets and sensational music and dance.  Plus, returning again in 2015/16 due to popular demand – incredible 3D special effects!

Pete Peverley said: “I’m really excited to be playing Little Bobby the Cat – it’s a great honour and a real treat.  Theatre Royal pantomimes are like no other pantos on the planet – they are truly spectacular, and year on year keep blowing their box office targets as word travels further afield.  I loved playing Little Bobby the Dwarf last year and I have no doubt that this year’s show will be another unforgettable experience.”

Already 74,000 tickets have been sold for the panto, a full month before opening – a new record best for the region’s favourite Christmas show. Audiences are encouraged to book soon to avoid disappointment.

Dick Whittington is produced by Qdos Entertainment, the world’s largest pantomime producer, which will stage 24 productions throughout the UK this Christmas. With ticket prices to suit all pockets, audiences won’t have to head to London to seek their fortune in order to enjoy spectacular pantomime at Newcastle Theatre Royal this Christmas!

Dick Whittington appears at Newcastle Theatre Royal from Tuesday 24 November 2015 until Sunday 17 January 2016. Tickets are available from £12.50, (save 50p per ticket by booking online). Tickets can be purchased from the Theatre Royal Box Office on 08448 11 21 21 (all calls are charged at 7p a minute plus your phone company’s access charge, calls from mobiles may vary, please contact your operator for details) or select your own seat and book online at www.theatreroyal.co.uk

THE THEATRES TRUST RELEASES 38^TH ANNUAL REPORT
27 October 2015, London, UK

The Theatres Trust releases its 38th Annual Report: ‘Empowering communities to protect theatres’’ which highlights its achievements from April 2014 to March 2015.

As the National Advisory Body for Theatres we provide advice and support to secure a better and more sustainable future for the nation’s valued theatres. We champion all theatres and provide expert knowledge and an authoritative voice on the significance and value of theatres.

Mhora Samuel, Director of The Theatres Trust said “The Trust’s focus this year was our work with local communities and we worked with more theatres than ever, helped more projects with advice as well as financial resources, and developed our new workshop programme to inject new skills into organisations – helping communities and theatre owners to find innovative solutions to ensure no city, town or community is without access to a theatre.

Tim Eyles, appointed as Chair of The Theatres Trust in February 2015 said “The Trust has a vital role in protecting theatres for everyone, and I intend to continue the great work of my predecessor Rob Dickens CBE and ensure that the Trust’s role as an advisor, a champion and a resource for theatres grows. In the next three to five years you will hear the Trust’s voice more often and loudly, and we are already starting to plot a clear path.”

In 2014/15 the Trust published its annual Theatre Buildings at Risk Register 2014 at Brighton Theatre Royal, highlighting the challenges facing top theatre at risk Brighton Hippodrome. We awarded ten grants totalling £50,000 from our Small Grants Scheme supported by the Andrew Lloyd Webber Foundation and Judy Craymer MBE to theatres across the nation, helped develop guidance on plaster ceilings in theatres and celebrated initiatives that empowered communities to own and manage their theatres at Conference 14: Community Theatres.

In our unique role as a statutory consultee in the planning system we advised local authorities on 117 theatre-related planning applications and 57 theatre-related listed building consultations, and contributed to 292 local plan consultations securing stronger cultural policies to protect theatres.

Our successful Building Better Theatres Workshop programme provided specialist knowledge to 34 theatres from across the nations, and we provided bespoke one-to-one advice to a further 56 theatres on their capital project development, future viability, conservation, and maintenance.

We also helped 212 researchers access our valuable Archives and Collections to further their studies on the history, design and development of theatres.

The Theatres Trust is the National Advisory Public Body for Theatres. The Trust was established by The Theatres Trust Act 1976, ‘to promote the better protection of theatres’. It is a statutory consultee on theatre buildings in the planning system, provides expert advice on the sustainable development of theatre buildings and helps promote awareness and solutions for theatres at risk. It champions all theatres, historic, contemporary and new in theatre use, in other uses or disused. The Theatres Trust’s central London Theatreland-based Resource Centre provides access to a specialist theatre buildings Reference Library including books and architectural plans.

Download The Theatres Trust’s 38th Annual Report 14/15

The Theatres Trust
Protecting theatres for everyone
T 020 7836 8591
theatrestrust.org.uk
@theatrestrust

presents

at 7.30pm on Thursday 12^th November 2015

at the Grand Opera House York

Tickets £8.00

Doors open: 7pm  Show starts: 7.30pm

The multi award-winning antidote to panel games will be recording part of its 64^th series for the BBC at the Grand Opera House York.  Join chairman Jack Dee, and regulars Barry Cryer, Graeme Garden, Tim Brooke-Taylor and Colin Sell for an unmissable evening of inspired nonsense.

“Whether the teams are singing the words of one song to the tune of another, making up serial rhymes or entering the mythic maze of Mornington Crescent, they have now become the National Theatre of fun”

Gillian Reynolds, Daily Telegraph

The evening will be recorded for broadcast on BBC Radio 4 and will finish no later than 10.30pm

Barbarians

By Barrie Keeffe

Produced by Rachel Edwards for Tooting Arts Club
In association with Soho Theatre and Jagged Fence Theatre
With kind support from Soho Estates

Last chance to see Tooting Arts Club’s acclaimed production of Barrie Keeffe’s Barbarians at the Former Central Saint Martins School of Art in Soho

The show must close on 7 November 2015

There are only two weeks left for audiences to catch Tooting Arts Club’s acclaimed revival of Barbarians by Barrie Keeffe. Staged in the birthplace of UK punk, this hard-hitting production has been widely praised, not least for the performances of its three young actors. The final performance will be on Saturday 7 November 2015, at the former Central Saint Martin’s School of Art in Soho.

There are a limited number of tickets available at £10 for under-26s, students and the unemployed.

In 1977, Britain had just emerged from a worldwide recession. It was the Queen’s silver jubilee year but Paul, Jan and Louis had little to celebrate. With widespread youth unemployment and little opportunity on the horizon, there was anarchy in the air. Barbarians follows the fluctuating fortunes of its three male characters on a journey that is as humorous as it is brutal, to the soundtrack of The Clash, the Sex Pistols and The Jam. This venue provides the perfect setting, steeped in the punk culture of that time, to revive this acclaimed production which is as relevant now as it was then.

“I have mixed feelings about seeing it again in two new productions: proud that the play is on in London for the first time in twenty years but also a sadness that it’s a tale of a generation without hope or prospects who leave school only to join the dole queues” Barrie Keeffe.

The production is directed by Bill Buckhurst (Sweeney Todd) with design by Simon Kenny, sound design by Joshua Richardson and lighting design by Rob Youngson.

Cast: Thomas Coombes (The Father, ITV series Jekyll and Hyde), Jake Davies (Yen, X+Y) andJosh Williams (Lord of the Flies, Love and Information).

Tooting Arts Club’s most recent production was the acclaimed revival of Stephen Sondheim’sSweeney Todd in Harrington’s Pie and Mash Shop, Tooting, transferring to a found space on Shaftesbury Avenue.

Barrie Keeffe, who wrote the film The Long Good Friday, and whose other works for the stage include Sus, Not Fade Away, A Mad World My Masters, Only A Game, My Girl and King of England, was born and brought up in the East End of London. He was an actor with the National Youth Theatre of Great Britain and worked as a journalist before becoming a playwright.

Barbarians is directed by Bill Buckhurst, who also directed Sweeney Todd for Tooting Arts Club (Harrington’s Pie and Mash Shop and West End). He previously co-directed the international touring production of Shakespeare’s Globe’s Hamlet alongside Dominic Dromgoole. Also for Tooting Arts Club, Bill has directed Tinderbox in 2011, Barbarians in 2012 and A Midsummer Night’s Dream in 2014. His other directing credits include The Vegemite Tales in the West End and numerous touring productions for Shakespeare’s Globe.

Barbarians is produced by Rachel Edwards for Tooting Arts Club.

LISTINGS INFORMATION:

Barbarians
by Barrie Keeffe
Venue: Former Central St Martins School of Art, 111 Charing Cross Road, London WC2H ODU
Dates: Tuesday 29th September – 7th November 2015
Monday-Saturday, 7.30pm; Saturday and Thursday matinees 3pm
Press nights: Saturday 3rd October, Monday 5th, Tuesday 6th
Tickets: £10 (under-26s, students and unemployed), £26 and £32 (plus booking fees)

Book via Soho Theatre
Online www.sohotheatre.com
Phone 020 7478 0100
In person Soho Theatre, 21 Dean Street, London W1D 3NE

Cast
Paul: Thomas Coombes
Jan: Jake Davies
Louis: Josh Williams

Producer: Rachel Edwards (for Tooting Arts Club)
Co- Producer: Hilary Williams
Director:  Bill Buckhurst
Designer: Simon Kenny
Sound Designer: Joshua Richardson
Lighting Designer: Rob Youngson
Casting: Marc Frankum

Royal Court Theatre 21st October – 14th November. Reviewed by Claire Roderick

The Team’s Roosevelvis is billed as a hallucinatory road trip from the Badlands to Graceland – and what a trip it is!

This two-hander tells the story of Ann, a shy, gay worker in a meat-processing plant, sleepwalking through her life, and only becoming truly animated when talking to her hero – Elvis Presley. After a disastrous blind date involving a RV trip to Mount Rushmore, Elvis and his hero, Teddy Roosevelt intervene and, together with Ann, they embark on a journey to Graceland.

Libby King plays Ann as a truly lost soul, full of despair and loneliness. When she morphs into Elvis, with just a wig and a vocal twist, she is a revelation. Kristen Sieh is Brenda, Ann’s taxidermist date – hugely disappointed in the real Ann after meeting her online – and Roosevelt. Sieh is tiny, so her posturing and aggression as Roosevelt makes a funny character even better. But although there are lots of laughs to be had from the two American icons, the play celebrates rather than mocks them. Even though they are being played by women, they do not come across as a drag act, simply androgynous versions of their personas. The Team’s script is slick and confident. There is an underlying warmth and respect for these flawed men, and the relationship that builds between them on the road trip is simply wonderful. They have very different ideas about what Ann should do, and their reasoning is slowly and sympathetically unpicked as they reveal more and more of their history. Roosevelt’s coping method whenever he gets a little emotional is hysterical, and his pronunciation of Elvis’ name keeps you giggling throughout – and that ending!

The staging is so well thought out – while props are being moved around, the action continues on various screens, and the use of rowing machines is a stroke of genius. There are some dark and quiet moments, expertly portrayed by the actors on stage and on the screens. The screens are used to continue the story on location, showing action in shops, motels and scenery on the road. The sequence showing Ann at work starkly portrays her mundane life, although I must admit that the diner waitress film was a step too far for me – the sound and colour effects brought to mind dodgy art installations I have suffered through and made me twitch a little.

The play’s publicity states that this is a work about gender, appetite and the multitudes we contain – which worried me a little. But these themes are not sledgehammered into the play, they are allowed to breathe and take form gradually and subtly – allowing the audience to think for themselves and take what they want from the performance, which is exactly what a great play should do

The King’s Head Theatre and Charles Court Opera present:

Civic Theatre, Darlington – 26 October 2015

Darlington Operatic Society revisit the Rodgers and Hammerstein classic South Pcific for their winter show this year.

Julian Cound plays Emile. Bringing to the role a commanding presence, a sense of solitude and a burnished tone that almost stops the show in This Nearly Was Mine. While Kat Flynn plays Nellie, her portrayal of this inspiringly positive yet vulnerable woman is pitch perfect. Full of nervous energy and fine acting, vocally she is also top-dollar.

In contrast Zoe Kent gives a full-blooded performance as the polynesian pedlar, Bloody Mary, that brings out her character. Bali Hai is beautifully sung.  During Happy Talk, as she forces Liat, Zoe Birkbeck, to play up to the American Lieutenant, himself in a state of malarial delirium.  There is good work from Michael Hirst as a traumatised lieutenant Cable.  His sensitive portrayal reveals many sides to this multifaceted character while his smooth voice is tailor-made for Younger Than Springtime.

Star of the show though is Ben Connor and his wonderful portrayal of Luther Billis.  Clearly channelling the spirit of Paul Lynde, Connor offers terrific comic value particularly in his grass-skirted drag number, Honey Bun.

The production is outstanding and its ridiculous to call this Amateur Operatics when the show is of such a professional standard.  The performers and production staff are dedicated and accomplished and it shows all the way through the show

Full of melodic glories from the live band led by Michael Trotter, the show is beginning to show its age. In 1949 there was obviously a ground breaking liberalism to its premise: a racially blinkered nurse from Little Rock, having fallen in love with an exiled French planter in wartime. And the tension between the sexual imperialism of the American troops and the yearnings of the Pacific islanders in that Bloody Mary pimps out daughter Liat to the highest bidder.  But the story lines aside, there is no doubting the professionalism and talent that has gone into this production

In Darlington until 31 October this is a beautiful acted and tremendously sung show that all the family can enjoy.

Theatre N16, 19th October – 5th November.  Reviewed by Claire Roderick

Oh. My. Word.

BOAT is one of those rare plays that leaves you feeling slightly grubby for having enjoyed human misery so much.

PIGDOG’s production of Kiran Millwood Hargrave’s debut play is simply stunning.  A girl is adrift on a boat on an endless ocean. The girl has forgotten her name. Her twin is also on the boat, but she hasn’t moved or spoken for a long time. Girl is adamant that she is just sleeping. Turtle repeatedly comes to visit the girl on her boat and talks about relativity and freedom. Then Gull finds the boat, and begins to contradict Turtle’s ideas. So far, so “Life of Pi”, but then sinister slips and hints begin to trickle into the conversations and Girl’s memories. Amidst the mythology of “The Leaving” and the “litterlands” ripples of fear and horror of “them” begin to emerge.

Pia Laborde Noguez is phenomenal as Girl – she captures the innocence and precociousness of the character perfectly, and breaks your heart in the final scenes. As Twin, Cristina Catalina excels in the seemingly less sympathetic role as the stronger, protective sibling who gives in to despair. Matthew Coulton’s Turtle is full of joy and love for Girl, but Coulton lets his true motives reveal themselves subtly and almost sympathetically. Gabriele Lombardo as Gull is full of energy and this makes his shame and fear in his final scene even more heartfelt.

The set design at first appears sweet and naïve, but as the story unfolds, you realise why these objects have been used. The sound effects are created on stage by the cast and the audience and recorded and manipulated for use throughout by the Jellyfish of Sound (Jethro Cooke). Again, the reasons for this became horrifyingly clear. This is such an intricate production – lines that seemed irrelevant come back to haunt you; everything on stage has a purpose. It is like putting together a jigsaw with no picture to guide you. Suddenly, fantasy is stripped away and stark reality is laid bare – and it is awful. But oh so relevant. There is no happy ending, just a fade to dark. “Regret is dark, dark is regret.”

This is a production you must see. PIGDOG have created a little piece of magic  – beautiful, horrible, dark magic.

Catterick’s brand new state-of-the-art, seven-screen cinema, Empire Cinemas Catterick, hosted a VIP launch event on Thursday 22^nd October to the local community, at which Tom Hanks new film ‘Bridge of Spies’ was screened.

Last Thursday Empire Cinemas Catterick opened its doors to the community with multiple screenings of the hottest new films especially for locals. The new state-of-the-art, seven-screen cinema complex will bring a new era of entertainment to the residents of Catterick and the surrounding area, and is part of a £25m redevelopment. For further ticketing information visit www.EmpireCinemas.co.uk

 The cinema is now open to the public as of Friday 23^rd October

The state-of-the-art, seven-screen cinema complex will bring a new era of entertainment to residents of Catterick and the surrounding area. The new opening is part of a larger retail and leisure development (Princes Gate) being built by Kier Property at the heart of Catterick Garrison close to the A1.

The cinema is helmed by new General Manager Dave Thomas. Dave has 16 years of experience in the cinema industry working his way up through the ranks to become Empire’s first General Manager appointment at Catterick.

The cinema will be surrounded by several well-known high street brands such as Next, Boots and SportsDirect, as well as popular food and drink operators including Costa, Greene King and a new 60 bed hotel for Premier Inn including a Brewers Fayre. For those with a sweet tooth the cinema itself will include a Ben & Jerrys Scoop Shop plus an Empire IMPACT screen – the ultimate way to experience blockbuster movies.

Empire Cinemas’ cater for all; from Empire JNRS, which offers families the chance to see a family favourite every weekend for pocket money prices; to Empire Seniors, where the over 60’s can watch a selection of the best recent and classic films every Wednesday, including tea or coffee and a biscuit. Empire Cinemas also welcome parents with babies through their Empire Parent & Baby screenings, providing a relaxing environment for parents/guardians to enjoy the latest releases with the lights up and sound down, every Monday morning. Other offers include Sav£rday Tuesday, which offers customers a chance to see current films for a ‘credit crunch busting’ price, and Last Chance To See Thursdays, which screens selected films coming to the end of their run at Saverday prices.