Lecky, the 10-year-old hero of Alex Ferguson’s radio comedies My Uncle Freddie, is coming to South Shields Customs House in July.
Jarrow-born Ferguson set his sometimes surreal stories—in one Lecky and Freddie rescue the Prince of Wales from the Tyne!—in Jarrow in the '30s and now South Tyneside’s theatre (just along the river from Jarrow) has commissioned Ferguson, who was recently made a Fellow of the Customs House Academy, to write a stage version which will play from 17 to 21 July.
Directed by Gareth Hunter, the cast will include Chris Connel, one of the region’s most experienced actors (The Pitmen Painters at Live Theatre, National Theatre and off-Broadway; Wet House, also Live Theatre) as Uncle Freddie and young actor Andrew Finnigan as Lecky.
Finnigan began his acting career as part of the Customs House Youth Theatre, and then went on to train with Project A at the Theatre Royal, Newcastle. He appeared in the national tour of Broken Biscuits, a Paines Plough and Live Theatre co-production, and Drip, a one-man musical comedy written for Hull City of Culture. Drip will go to the Edinburgh Fringe in August and then sets off on a national tour, ending in London.
Also in the cast are Georgia Nicholson (The Lambton Worm and The Dolly Mixtures at the Customs House) as Mam, Paul Dunn (I Left My Heart in Roker Park, The Dark Side of the Half Moon and The Big Time at the Customs House, three years in panto at the Gala Theatre in Durham) as Dad and Jill Dellow (Romeo and Juliet for the Customs House, Chalet Lines for the Bush Theatre / Live Theatre, Day of the Flymo for Live Theatre and numerous productions for Cloud Nine Theatre) as Aunt Bella.