The touring production of Doctor Doolittle, which was due to be at Newcastle’s Theatre Royal from Tuesday until 23 February, has been cancelled by the producers because of lower than anticipated advance bookings. Those who bought tickets will be or already have been contacted by the theatre to arrange refunds.
Hull Truck’s reworking of Shakespeare’s King Lear set on the River Humber, Jack Lear, runs in Stage 1 at Northern Stage from Tuesday to Saturday. On Tuesday in Stage 2 (8:00), Rosie Fleeshman performs in her own show Narcissist in the Mirror, a dark comedy about life, ambition and millennial expectation. Also in Stage 3 on Wednesday at 6:00, Cap-a-Pie presents CLIMATE CHANGE CATASTROPHE!, a new show about climate change, made with children, for grown-ups. Finally on Friday and Saturday in Stage 2, The Letter Room presents No Miracles Here, a tale of resilience, strength and the need to just stay on your feet, The Letter Room presents a sweat-soaked marathon with a Northern Soul.
Ishy Din’s Approaching Empty continues at Live Theatre until 23 February.
Bacon Knees and Sausage Fingers continues at Alphabetti Theatre until 23 February (not Sunday or Monday). From Tuesday to Friday, following the main performance, Bonnie & The Bonnettes react to the production. Then on Saturday at 9:00, after the main show, The Suggestibles School of Improv, the longest-running training and performance ground for improvisers in the UK, presents 4 1 Night Only. This show will finish around 11:00.
At Sunderland Empire, War Horse continues until 23 February.
I, Malvolio, the story of Twelfth Night’s much disliked steward to the Lady Olivia told in his own words, comes to Arts Centre Washington on Friday.
On Friday, The Customs House in South Shields presents One Night in Cooksonville, a celebration of 25 years of pantomimes at the venue which is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year.
At Seaton Delaval Arts Centre on Saturday at 1:30, Kitchen Zoo presents The Tin Foil Astronaut, a show for 3- to 7-year-olds.
From Thursday to Saturday at Durham’s Gala Theatre, HangFire Theatre presents Ibsen’s A Doll’s House.
At Billingham Forum this week, Circus of Horrors presents Psycho Asylum on Wednesday and on Saturday Irish Dance show Spirit of the Dance arrives.
At 7:00 on Monday at ARC Stockton, the February ARCADE Scratch: New Writing includes new plays Raze by Tony Scandrett, Any Given Time by Gemma Murray, The Morning After by Finlay Worallo, A Story about Time Travel by Ryan Leder, Saluting Magpies by Wendy Errington and Thin Ice by Pearl Andrews-Horrigan.
At Middlesbrough Theatre on Thursday, Kick in the Head presents Fagin? by Simon Downing, in which we are invited to join Fagin as he reviews his situation during his final night in prison before being hanged.
A show about not baby-sitting your own kids, DadMan; The Bathtime Warrior, from Notnow Collective, comes to Harrogate Theatre Studio on Thursday. It’s partly quiz, partly story, intertwined with live music and original songs, partly total fantasy where DadMan dives in and out of the bathtub, running into Trust, Breasts, Flexi-Hours, Soft Play Areas and Sex (not necessarily in that order, or at the same time). Then on Saturday, Odd Encounter tells us "everything I know about love, I learned from Brief Encounter. Oh, Fred. But when it comes to matters of the heart, could it be time for us to move on? Isn't all that just a bit old fashioned now?"