Treasure Island
April 29, 2008
Treasure Island
Venue: Theatre Royal
Date Reviewed: 29th April, 2008
Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic tale of Treasure Island is vividly brought to life by the Birmingham Stage Company. Having returned to the original book they give us a brand new production awash with buried treasure, pirates and a pop up skeleton.
We first meet Jim Hawkins (John Cockerill) as he finds the Treasure Island map and tries to hand it over to Squire Trelawny(Leo Atkin). But the Squire is so impressed with his honesty, he employs Jim as a cabin boy when they set sail to the island. But Captain Smollen (Nigel Harris) is not at all happy with the crew especially Long John Silver and when Jim over hears a plan by Silver for a mutiny Smollen has his worst fears realised .
But when they dock at the Tresure Island Jim meets Ben Gunn who has been on the Island over three years, abandoned by the previous pirate crew looking for the treasure. At first Gunn appears to be deranged but all is not what it seems. Read more
In the Round with Carr
April 27, 2008
Award-winning North-East playwright Alison Carr brings a double-bill of her one-act plays exclusively to The Round.
Alison has previously won The People’s Play Award and was nominated for The Journal Culture Newcomer of the Year Award. Most recently she was selected from over 2,000 applicants to be part of the 2008 company for ‘The 24 Hours Plays’ at London’s prestigious Old Vic Theatre. This project was for young theatre practitioners identified as the future of British Theatre.
PATRICIA QUINN SAVED MY LIFE makes it Tyneside debut, having gone down a storm when first produced by the exciting 5065Lift at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2004.
A Dolls House
April 27, 2008
A Dolls House
Venue: Northern Stage
Date Reviewed: 24th April, 2008
When you are told the interval is around one hour and forty five minutes in to the play after Act 2, with only a brief three minute break between the first two Acts your heart sinks. But after a few minutes of A Dolls House you are longing for the interval to never come as this is a Rolls Royce production that delivers on all fronts.
Liberties have been taken with the Henrik Ibsen play, in an adaption by Frank McGuiness, which is now set in the 1950s. But Director Erica Whyman makes the story flow as if it was always meant to be set after the war and her cast deliver a flawless production.
There is no doubting the evening belongs to Tilly Gaunt (who also starred in Ruby Moon at Northern Stage , again directed by Whyman). Her performance as Nora, the dainty delicate wife, who is only off stage for a brief time, is in a word spellbinding.
Revenge Tour arrives in Newcastle
April 27, 2008
WWE’s WrestleMania® Revenge Tours of Europe finished as the most successful in WWE history, selling out 15 of 20 events.
More than 175,000 fans were in attendance at events in the United Kingdom, Spain, Austria, France, Switzerland, and Portugal to see their favourite Superstars from the RAW®, SmackDown® and ECW® brands. For fans that missed the excitement and for those who want more
following an incredible sell out show in April, WWE returns to wreak havoc on the Metro Radio Arena on Wednesday 12th November 2008 with the Survivor Series Tour feat.
Pub Quiz
April 23, 2008
Pub Quiz
Venue: Northern Stage
Date Reviewed: 23rd April, 2008
New Writing North presents the new play Pub Quiz by Carina Rodney, which is currently on a sellout tour.
The title sums up the play very clearly, it is set over one evening at a pub quiz, where the jack pot has reached almost seven hundred pounds. Several of the actors are already on stage inside the “Magpie” pub as the audience take their seats.
Quickly we are introduced to a collection of characters that include Peter (Micky Cochrane), the plumber and his “bit on the side” Kathleen (Vicky Elliott), who are on opposing teams. Their respective friends and loner Lewis (James Cunningham), who always sits by himself. When stranger Asram (Joseph Garton) arrives, telling everyone he is there to win, he soon finds he has no friends in the pub.
There are three main strands of plot carrying the play along, the relationship between Kathleen and Peter, Peters third team member not showing up which results in loner Lewis joining his team and Geoff (Joe Caffrey), the publican who arranges the quiz every week, who has a marriage that appears to be in free fall. Read more
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