What's on in the North East

Published: 14 April 2019
Reporter: Peter Lathan

Northern Ballet: The Kingdom of Back (Northern Stage) Credit: Emma Kauldhar
Chicken Licken: A TaleJam (Queen's Hall, Hexham and Gala, Durham)
Just Like That - The Tommy Cooper Show (The Exchange, North Shields)
Juliet and Romeo (LIddiard Theatre, Darlington—Jabberwocky Market) Credit: Jane Hobson

The Full Monty comes to Newcastle’s Theatre Royal from Monday to Saturday.

Northern Ballet comes to Stage 1 at Northern Stage for the first time from Tuesday to Thursday, bringing a triple bill of contemporary pieces: Kenneth Tindall’s The Shape of Sound, The Kingdom of Back by Morgann Runacre-Temple and Mamela… by Mlindi Kulashe. On Thursday at 12:30 and 2:30, also in Stage 1, the company presents a ballet for children, Puss in Boots. On Tuesday at 8:00 in Stage 3, Tangram Theatre presents Bicycles and Fish, Katie Arnstein’s debut show about the day she stopped being a girl and became a woman.

On Wednesday and Thursday, Live Theatre presents a rehearsed reading of Locker Room Talk. In 2017, Gary McNair interviewed hundreds of men across the UK and asked them to talk about women. He has distilled these conversations into a verbatim play in which the men’s words are given to an all-female cast.

On Saturday and Sunday (various times) at the Tyne Theatre and Opera House, Enchanted Entertainment present Peter Pan, an Easter Panto, starring Bobby Davro, Dani Harmer and Lloyd Warbey.

At Alphabetti from Tuesday to Friday, Forget About The Dog Theatre Company presents 100 Ways to Tie a Shoelace and at 9:00 on Friday, The Suggestibles School of Improv presents 4 1 Night Only.

Hands On NE presents a revival of David Farn's The Desert Queen, the story of Gertrude Bell, with a new cast at The Pie Pavilion in South Shields on Wednesday and Thursday before embarking on a 15-venue tour.

The Life of Reilly, a play looking at the dynamics of an ordinary family following an autism diagnosis for young Reilly, comes to the Phoenix Theatre in Blyth on Friday.

Chicken Licken: a TaleJam, telling an old fable in a new way with fun, fake news and feathers, comes to the Queen's Hall in Hexham on Saturday at 2:00.

On Sunday 21 and Monday 22 April (various times), Anton Benson Productions Ltd Presents the Easter pantomime Beauty and the Beast, starring Kerry Katona and Basil Brush, at the Playhouse Whitley Bay.

At The Exchange in North Shields at 7:00 on Saturday Hambledon Productions present Just Like That—The Tommy Cooper Show.

Chicken Licken: a TaleJam continues at the Gala Theatre in Durham at 2:00 and 4:00 on Monday. Then on Friday and Saturday, Jonty Stephens and Ian Ashpitel present An Evening of Eric & Ern.

On Monday at 2:30 and 6:00, The Wizard of Oz comes to Billingham Forum.

From Thursday to Saturday at 11:30 and 2:30, Kitchen Zoo presents The Tin Foil Astronaut (for age 3–7) at ARC Stockton.

At Middlesbrough Theatre on Saturday, European Arts presents The Trials of Oscar Wilde, a dramatisation of the libel and criminal trials of Oscar Wilde, written by his grandson Merlin Holland.

On Thursday and Friday at Darlington Hippodrome, Story Pocket Theatre presents David Baddiel's ANiMALCOLM.

On Saturday (2:00 and 8:00) in the Liddiard Theatre at Polam School in Darlington, Lost Dog Dance presents Juliet and Romeo. Now the world's most famous couple are 40ish, at least one of them is in the grip of a mid-life crisis and they feel constantly mocked by their teenage selves and haunted by the pressures of being the poster couple for romantic love. They have decided to confront their current struggles by putting on a performance about themselves. Their therapist told them it was a terrible idea… (A Jabberwocky Market presentation.)

Character comedy show 1001 Moments with Troy Hawke comes to the Georgian Theatre Royal in Richmond on Thursday.

Two children’s shows are at Harrogate Theatre this week: There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly is on Tuesday at 2:30 and Dear Zoo is on Wednesday and Thursday (various times). Then on Saturday in The Studio (7:45), Forget About The Dog Theatre Company presents 100 Ways to Tie a Shoelace.

There’s another children’s show in Harrogate on Thursday when Milkshake Live! comes to The Royal Hall at 12:00 and 3:30.

*Some links, including Amazon, Stageplays.com, ATG Tickets, LOVEtheatre, BTG Tickets, Ticketmaster, The Ticket Factory, LW Theatres and QuayTickets, are affiliate links for which BTG may earn a small fee at no extra cost to the purchaser.

Are you sure?