Three shows aimed at children and family audiences are coming to the Customs House in South Shields in July and August
First, from 24 to 26 July at 11:00 and 2:00 is the return of panto comic Arbuthnot (David John Hopper) and his canine friend Puddles (Dale Jewitt) in Arbuthnot & Puddles’ Pirate Adventure. Setting off on a cruise, the pair find themselves on board a pirate ship captained by comedian Steffen Peddie as Captain Banana and crewed by Sunderland actress Lauren Waine as Pirate Flo, Horden actor Brodie Jobson as The Chef and YouTuber Charlie Martin, from Sunderland, as Polly the Parrot. They will be joined by members of the South Tyneside Dance Workshop.
The play has been co-written by Hopper (who also directs) and Jewitt and follows the success of other panto spin-offs in which Arbuthnot has appeared, most recently Puddle’s Adventure in February.
“Captain Banana won’t let people be who they really want to be or do what they want,” said Hopper. “As far as he’s concerned, pirates are pirates and they can only do pirate things, but our message is you can be whoever you want to be.”
Then at 2:00 on Saturday 4 August, Arbuthnot returns as part of the South Tyneside Comedy Festival. Also aimed at children is Arbuthnot’s Super Happy Silly Fun Game Show which, Hopper promises, will have new games and lots more prizes to be won.
Finally, from 28 to 31 August at 11:00 and 2:00, storyteller Tony Wilson, from South Shields, who tells stories from all around the world through folk music, presents Once upon a Storytime.
Wilson is a mysterious storyteller who opens up a magical curiosity shop and, as he tells his stories, actors perform them using items from the old curiosity shop. Some of the stories are from the North East, but there are also tales from places like India and Japan. The stories will be intertwined with song and dance.