Review - Orca - People's Theatre

Orca

People's Theatre

24th November, 2025

Written by Matt Grinter 

Directed by Sara Jo Harrison 

Music by Craig Fairbairn and Rhiannon Wilson 

Cast: Holly Stamp

Minnie Dobson

Mark Burden

Ashton Matthews

Sean Burnside

Rhiannon Wilson

"The Devil smiled and marvelled this,

How loud, how vile silence is."

Orca is set in an unnamed village, on an unnamed island. It is a small island, a tight knit community with longstanding traditions. It These superstitions and traditions hold the community together, but they also hide a dark secret which could destroy the community. Maggie has spoken out to try to reveal the truth behind the traditions and has been ostracized by the village, making life difficult for her family.

Powerfully written, Orca raises questions about the power of men and the powerlessness of women. It explores the abuse of power by those in authority, creating fear to further their own agenda, hiding misdeeds behind a veil of respectability. But it also examines the herd mentality, which sees people band together against a threat and be blinded to the true nature of that threat. 

Women's voices are more than not heard, they are silenced and those who should be protecting the children are complicit in the silence.

The studio is perfect for this production. As the audience enters we are met with a rustic scene, wooden floors, two huge wooden pillars, fishing nets draped against the wall, and the cast members already in situ -  we have to pass them to get to our seats. With the audience seated on 3 sides around a set that almost touches the front rows, it is immersive and a little claustrophobic; there is nowhere for the audience to hide as this dark story unfolds.  

The cast are all superb.  From the naively excited Fan played by Holly Stamp, to the older, and sadly wiser, Maggie and Gretchen. Minnie Dobson and Ashton Matthews capture the anger and trauma of the girls with complete conviction. While Mark Burden as Joshua seethes with explosive anger - Joshua is more like his elder daughter than he might care to admit. Sean Burnside meanwhile is menacingly restrained as The Father. 

Underscoring all of this is the soundscape of the sea and the mother's song -  a folk song especially composed for this production - Rhiannon Wilson's plaintive voice resonates around the set. With the sound of waves crashing against the shore and the words of the song hinting at the secrets below the surface, it is potently atmospheric. 

Orca deals with some extremely difficult themes. It asks questions that we may not be comfortable with. After the burst of applause, the audience left the auditorium quietly, which I think is a telling reaction for the play and the performances. 

A thought provoking 90 minutes, Orca plays until 29th November.  Go and see it. 

Tickets are available at www.peoplestheatre.co.uk .

*Images by Paul Hood

Denise Sparrowhawk

Review - Bleak Expectations - People's Theatre

Bleak Expectations 

People's Theatre 

18th - 22nd November

It has to be said that this week has been one of mixed fortunes. Lots of demands at work and home, added to that the worst weather in quite some time - meaning roads were blocked with slow moving traffic queues, or worse stationary traffic queues due to snow and ice, so late to work, then late home again  ...and then my internet decided to play up, maybe that was the weather too? Who knows! But it has felt as if the gods and fate were against me which is how poor Philip Bin must have been feeling in the early years of his life ...as told by his older self, Sir Philip Bin, at The People's Theatre this week, and which I was meant to have reviewed before now but see the above for reasons to be so tardy. 

Bleak Expectations is a Dickensian drama with a twist - it takes all the great ideas from Dicken's novels and blends them together into a hilarious parody. Known for dropping misfortune on his unsuspecting characters - from poor Oliver Twist, through Nicholas Nickelby to Philip Pirrip - Dickens tales are remorseless. In Bleak Expectations his characters and stories are mined and processed and reformed into an even more exaggerated but infinitely more amusing tale. Philip Bin is a boy whose happy life is turned upside down by the sudden - and somewhat suspicious - death of his father. Pip and his siblings are taken under the wing of his father's business partner, the odious and ironically named Gently Benevolent. 

The play is filled with jokes, puns, double entendres and ridiculously named, outlandish characters. It is  cleverly written, a tale of Victorian melodrama viewed through a 21srt century lens. Ridiculous and hilarious, it pokes fun at the Victorian double standards and dubious morals. Perfectly cast from Roger Liddle as the aging Sir Pilip Bin, and Thomas Kelly ( using his Sunday name) to Helen Parker as the joyfully mad Agnes Bin, it's impossible to single out any one performance. Everything on stage and off, cast, crew, props, sound and light, costumes, combine to create an almost perfect performance. 

Even the audience contributed on the night I was there with a women somewhere in the auditorium laughing loudly at every innuendo with the best, most raucous laugh (I was beginning to think she was planted). 

It has been a bright spot in my week - before the snow hit and life started looking bleak! If you've had a similar week to mine I'd urge you to make the effort to go see the final performance. If you're quick you might just make it for curtain up at 7.30pm. 

Excellent preparation for the upcoming panto season! Harrumble for great theatre just around the corner!

Denise Sparrowhawk

Review - Skylight - Little Theatre

Skylight 

Little Theatre

10th November, 2025

Written by David Hare

Directed by Tim Clark

Cast: 

Tom Sergeant - Mark Buckley

Kyra Hollis - Suzanne Jennings

Edward Sergeant - Lewis Connor Ryan

This week I have been back to The Little Theatre in Gateshead, home to the Progressive Players. I've not been to this lovely theatre for a while and David Hare's Skylight was a worthy play to temp me back. 

The play takes place in the run-down flat of teacher Kyra Hollis. It's cold and damp and is not in the best area. Into this flat come two unexpected visitors; first Edward Sergeant, and then his father, Tom. We learn from Edward that Kyra was once an important part of their family, that his mother has died, and that his father Tom is not coping. Edward and Tom have argued and eighteen year old Edward has left home. He comes to Kyra hoping that she might help.  Later that evening Tom arrives. We learn that he and Kyra had been having an affair, and Alice, Tom's wife and Kyra's friend discovered this, forcing Kyra's departure from their lives. The play is an exploration of their relationship as they rediscover themselves and find that, though they still love each other, they want different things from life. 

This production by the Progressive Players is superb, from the authenticity of set, to the performances of the three actors. Three strong performances from the cast keep the audience engaged throughout. Under the careful direction of Tim Clarke the tension rises and falls, as the characters overcome their initial awkwardness and wariness, reliving memories - of good times and bad - slowly unfolding their history to the audience. It is emotional - anger, frustration, joy and relief, punctuated with moments of humour. 

The play explores themes of love, loyalty, betrayal and trust, questioning the norms of family life, but also of society, where the rich and influential can be completely cut off from the reality of life for those less fortunate. Although it was written in 1995 the themes resonate today. 

It runs until Saturday 15th November. Tickets are available online, or from the box office on the night. I recommend buying in advance to avoid disappointment! 

Denise Sparrowhawk

Review - Home, I'm Darling - People's Theatre

Home, I'm Darling 

People's Theatre

30th Sept, 2025

Written by Laura Wade

Directed by Eileen Davidson

Laura Wade's play follows the lives of Judy and Johnny who have taken the rather bizarre decision to live a 1950s lifestyle, not just in the decoration of their home and their fashion choices, but every aspect - Judy aspires to be a genuine 1950s wife, maintaining a pristine home and waiting on her husband, pandering to his every need. Johnny meanwhile gets to go out to work every day and earn a living to keep them in this  - as it turns out - extravagant lifestyle. 

As the play progresses we start to see that what began as a 6 month experiment has become something of an obsession and what should have been an ideal lifestyle is infact rather unhealthy and claustrophobic. It is billed as a dark comedy, but I must confess I found the whole premise to be a little sinister and uncomfortable - watching a modern women willingly give up on the hard won rights to not be tied to the kitchen, fawning over a man and putting his comfort before her own was a step too far for me, and my sympathies were entirely with Judy's mum, Sylvia. 

Jo McEvedy's portrayal of righteous exasperation and fury is a joy to see and she is the character I mostliked in this play, alongside Fran, whose forthright honesty also appealed. It was difficult to find any empathy for the two main characters, despite accomplished performances by Kay Edmundson and Sam Burrell. 

The real stars of the show for me were the set, which is magnificent, the costumes, which are fabulous, and the music which punctuates each scene and adds a lightness to the production. These absolutely make the show. 

Home I'm Darling, as it's title might suggest, turns things on their heads and looks at marriage values and equality from a strange angle. Maybe it works for some - it is an award winning script - but it didn't quite work for me - and judging from a couple of overheard comments as I was leaving, it left one or two others a little bemused too. Thought provoking, certainly, but not laughter inducing this time. 

Playing until 4th October, it's a bold choice for the first mainstage production of the new season and the team at the People's have never shied away from bold choices.  

Denise Sparrowhawk

 

Preview - Home, I'm Darling - People's Theatre

Step back into the 1950s at the People’s Theatre in Heaton!

HOME, I’M DARLING by Laura Wade

Date:  Tuesday 30 September – Saturday 4 October 2025

Time: 7.30pm

Tickets: £16/£13.50

Venue: People’s Theatre, Stephenson Road, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE6 5QF

Box Office: 0191 265 5020  

Website: www.peoplestheatre.co.uk

The upcoming HOME, I’M DARLING is an Olivier-Award winning comedy about marriage, nostalgia, and the pursuit of the “perfect” home life.

 Judy has given her life a retro-rebrand and embraced a full-time role as the ideal 1950s housewife. Her life is a whirl of vintage dresses, cocktails, and perfectly polished surfaces.

 But as cracks begin to appear, Judy finds herself increasingly at odds with the realities of modern life and the expectations of her marriage. Is the past really as idyllic as she imagines, and what does “happiness” truly look like?

Images by Paul Hood

Directed by Eileen Davidson, this production promises a blend of sharp humour, heartfelt drama, and stylish retro design that will transport audiences into Judy’s picture-perfect dream world.

HOME, I’M DARLING is the first Main Stage play of the People’s Theatre’s new season and part of their ongoing commitment to bringing award-winning contemporary theatre to local audiences, produced with passion and creativity by their talented membership.

Tickets are available from the People’s Theatre Box Office on 0191 265 5020 and online at www.peoplestheatre.co.uk

 

Review - The Son - People's Theatre

The Son

People's Theatre

8th Sept, 2025

Written by Florian Zeller

(translated by Christopher Hampton)

Directed by Brian Green, Karen Elliot

The Son is the third in a trilogy of plays by French writer Florian Zeller.  I have not seen either of the other plays, and though I feel there would be some value in having seen all three; it may give some insight into the characters to have seen the other two plays but it is not essential - the The Son stands up on its own account. 

Nikolas, struggling with the disintegration of his family after his parents divorce, has been absent from school for months, he is withdrawn, moody, and uncommunicative. His mother, Anne, is at the end of her tether and seeks help from his estranged father, Pierre. Nikolas moves to live with Pierre and Sofia and their new baby. Sofia is wary of Nikolas, but both she and Pierre believe he is nothing more than a moody teenager. At first things seem to be going well, but it soon becomes clear that Nikolas' problems go much deeper. His mood swings increase and he clashes with his father and Sofia with catastrophic results.

Staged in the studio with a minimal set, this creates a very immediate experience for the audience - at times almost claustrophobic, we don't just witness the trauma that envelops this family, we live it, breathe it in. We are no more able to escape it than the characters themselves.  

The set mirrors the emotional state of the characters. Pierre and Sofia's home is bright, colourful, warm - everything that Nikolas' life is not. When Anne, comes to speak to Pierre about their son, the conversation takes place to the left of the stage where there are just two plain, grey chairs. Similarly when Nikolas goes to his mother after the argument with his father, these chairs represent Anne's home, and later the waiting room of the hospital is represented by these chairs. The contrast between this and Pierre and Sofia's home is stark. Their home represents everything that Nikolas feels he has lost - his home, his, family, and his sanity. 

The subject matter is painful, uncomfortable, unsettling, and yet compulsive. Jack Stuart's performance as Nikolas is painfully convincing, a brooding presence on the the stage throughout, with his glowering countenance and anxious ticks and twitches, as he struggles to communicate. Craig Fairbairn gives an equally telling performance as the father struggling to understand his son, desperate to help and crushed by his own inability to do so, haunted by the memory of his own father's neglect. Brooke Milburn as Anne, and Annie Cairns as Sofia give admirable supporting performances but I did feel that their characters lacked the depth given to the father and son.  

The is a difficult play to watch but the directors and cast have delivered a compelling, heartbreaking production.  

The Son plays until 13th September. 

                                    *Images: Paul Hood

Denise Sparrowhawk

Review - Waiting for God - People's Theatre

Waiting For God 
People's Theatre
15th July 2025

As ever the People's Theatre have ended the season on a high, though to be fair, it you'd be hard pressed to find any lows!  Their final show of the season is an adaptation of the sit-com Waiting for God. Set in a retirement home, it follows the adventures of Diana (Karen Elliot) and Tom (Jim Boylan) - a couple thrown together by the vagaries of age and singledom, who are not yet ready to be "old". Tom is a widower, having lost his wife 15 years earlier, Diana an ex photo-journalist struggling to come to terms with an aging body that doesn't allow her to do everything she once did. Both have built up defences to keep people at arm's length; Tom goes off on imaginary journeys, Diana has cultivated a persona with more prickles than a cactus. They discover that they are unlikely kindred spirits, and they join forces to outsmart and out manouvre the managenmnet. They threaten sit ins in protest at the terrible food, they take off  on an illicit trip to Bournemouth in Diana's niece's porche, and they shock the staff of the centre by (God forbid) getting drunk and sleeping together! 

Michael Atkins adaptation captures all the elements of the original series, concentrating into just few
choice scenes. The writing is clever, witty and uncompromising. Full of  one liners, quips and puns,  it highlights the challenges of aging - physical, emotional and mental; the failing body parts, the social expectation or lack of - "old people" don't do these things. The frustrations of being treated like a child, and the fear when things do start to go wrong - falls, funny turns, problems with your piping (I'll never hear Aretha Franklin now without laughing)! All these issues are there but ultimately this is a positive, life affirming play. 

All of this is dealt with with such humour - sometimes quite dark, sometimes ridiculously physical, but always with integrity. The characters bounce off each other - the incompetence of the younger ones a foil for the sagacity of Diana and Tom. The four main characters give outstanding performances throughout, but keep an eye on the ensemble too as they sashay in to change scenes, moving tables and chairs (so many times, and with such efficiency!) in time to the excellent sound track, and watch for the flirting going on in the back ground at the hospital! These little details, easily missed if your're not paying attention, only add to the humour and to the overall sense of fun that runs through the play. 

Brilliantly done. 

Waiting for God runs until Saturday 19th and is an absolute joy from beginning to end. It is a worthy Finale!

*images by Paul Hood

Denise Sparrowhawk

Preview - Waiting for God - People's Theatre

Much-loved sitcom WAITING FOR GOD comes to life on stage in a hilarious and heartwarming new production at the People's Theatre!

 

“Don’t you ever call me a senior citizen”

 

The timeless wit and irreverent charm of WAITING FOR GOD, the BAFTA-nominated BBC sitcom, is set to delight audiences once again - this time on stage!

 

The outrageous antics of the Bayview Retirement Village residents are brought to life in this side-splitting and unexpectedly poignant production.

 

Opening on Tuesday 15th July at the People’s Theatre in Heaton, this all-new script by the sitcom’s creator Michael Aitkens captures his original sharp dialogue and lovable characters, while introducing fresh theatrical flair for longtime fans and newcomers alike.

 

At Bayview, feisty battle-axe Diana Trent (Karen Elliott) finds herself constantly at odds with the Home’s conniving manager. But when new resident Tom Ballard (Jim Boylan) arrives, Diana gains a sparring partner and ally, and the pair team up to deliver some hilarious comeuppance!

 

Directed by Sam Hinton, the production sees Diana and Tom get up to all sorts of hijinks, including a high-speed trip to Bournemouth in a stolen Porsche!

 

Head to the People’s for a night of laugh-out-loud comedy, biting satire, and a touching celebration of aging boldly and living life unapologetically.

 

Tickets are available from the People’s Theatre Box Office on 0191 265 5020 (option 2) and online at www.peoplestheatre.co.uk

Review - Steel Magnolias - People's Theatre

Steel Magnolias 

People's Theatre

10th June 2025 

Written by Robert Harling

Directed by Mark Burden

Cast:

Truvy Jones - Emma Jane Robson

Annelle Dupuy-Desoto - Ashton Matthews

Shelby Eatenton-Latcherie - Minnie Dobson

M'Lynn Eatenton - Anna Dobson

Clairee Belcher - Moira Valentine

Ouiser Boudreaux - Alison Carr

This week The People's Theatre are taking us back to the 1980s with the stage production of Steel Magnolias and the experience begins from the moment you take your seat in the auditorium. The stage is set to perfection as Truvy's salon, complete with sit under hairdryers, various bottles and sprays, stacks of towels, a coffee table strewn with beauty magazines for the ladies to peruse while they wait, and of course a ribbon curtain to separate the salon from the staff only storage area.

The opening scene sees Truvy (Emma Jane Robson) trying out a potential new stylist. The new girl, Annelle (Ashton Matthews) is nervous and worried that her styling might be too "poouffy" because of her nerves. Truvy reassures her that is is fine, she has done a good job and offers her the job...but when Annelle goes into the back room, Truvy quickly readjusts her hair. When Annelle girl comes back out Truvy carries on chattering to her as if nothing is amiss. Truvy reveals that today is a big day because not only do they have the regulars to do, they also have the daughter of one, Shelby, who is not a regular but is getting married that afternoon and so is a special case!  One by one the regulars start to arrive - their arrivals punctuated by the sound of shots from outside - this we learn is Shelby's father scaring birds from the trees so that the wedding guests will not be inconvenienced. Wedding nerves are a little frayed the gunshots are not helping. Annelle is introduced to them all and thye welcome her with friendly questions - but Annelle is polite but evasive questioned about her background. They are intrigued by her and suspect a story, but their curiosity is warm and concerned and when her truth is revealed they welcome her into their circle of friendship, and she fits right in with their quirky personalities. 

Each of the women in this circle have burdens to deal with - mostly husbands with varying degrees of useful/uselessness. Clairee (Moira Valentine), recently widowed is learning to cope with her husband, and without the status she enjoyed as the wife of the mayor, Truvy throws herself into her work in the salon as her way to cope with an idle husband and two challenging sons, while M'lynn (Anna Dobson) and Ouiser (Alison Carr) find ways to disagree over M'Lynn's husband and a boundary dispute between their properties. Shelby (Minnie Dobson) has to deal with being type 1 diabetic and everything that that brings - including an over protective mother! Despite their differences they are firm friends and they laugh and complain and squabble and make up again on a daily basis. Their friendship is stronger than their differences and has survived many fallings out. 

The characters are all larger than life but there is a truth and reality to them. They are well observed, rounded characters, full of wit and sass. This is undoubtedly due to the fact that Steel Magnolias was inspired by Robert Harling's sister, and the character of Shelby was based on her. He has clearly drawn on his experience of to create these southern women - fragile, yet with a core of steel. The cast and director do full justice to his writing. The women are gloriously practical, and funny - their humour cutting through any and all situations, making even the unbearable bearable. 

The play skips along, taking us from laughter to tears and back again. The casting is spot on; I can't imagine anyone else for each of the roles, and each one gives a stand out performance, but do watch out for M'Lynn's speech in the final scene as Anna Dobson's performance is heart-wrenching  - you will need tissues! 

I don't usually give stars, but this one is absolutely a five star production. 

Steel Magnolias runs till Saturday.

Tickets are available online at www.peoplestheatre.co.uk 

*photo credit Jess Williams

Denise Sparrowhawk

Previews for June 2025

June 9th Progressive Players present Pressure by David Haig at the Little Theatre, Gateshead.

The rarely told story of why D-Day happened on 6 June 1944, this tense dramatisation of  real events is set in Southwick House, the Headquarters of the Allied Expeditionary Force. Pressure follows the 72 hours up to the launch of forces for D-Day and the critical decisions meteorologists had to make that could win or lose World War II.

Progressive Players are taking the pressure off with a special offer of 25% of all tickets for opening night, on Monday the 9th of June. 

So really you have no excuse! Book here https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/gateshead-little-theatre/e-jkagxl 

The Royalty Theatre in Sunderland are going back to the 1980s with The Wedding Singer.  Rock star wannabe Robbie Hart is New Jersey’s most in-demand wedding singer: “Love is what I do”. However, when his own wedding plans go down the pan and he is left standing at the altar, Robbie's heartbreak suddenly makes him the worst wedding singer you can find. He ruins every wedding he plays at until he connects with Julia, a pretty young waitress who dreams of her own perfect wedding. There’s just one problem: she’s already engaged.

Playing from 24th-28th June, tickets are

available from www.royaltytheatre.co.uk