Review - Goodnight Mister Tom - People's Theatre

Goodnight Mister Tom 

People's Theatre

1st April 2025

Adapted by David Wood

Directed by Ellie Pullen

This week's production at the People's theatre is an adaptation of Michelle Magorian's book, Goodnight Mister Tom. 

Set in World War II, it tells the story of evacuee William Beech and his host, the gruff widower Tom Oakley. The two two each have their problems, both are isolated and uncommunicative. William is a victim of abuse, while Tom has withdrawn from life after the death of his wife and son some 40 years ago. Thrown together by the war, they both must adapt to their new circumstances and gradually a relationship develops between them and they both begin to heal. 

This is a delightful story of rehabilitation and resilience. There is the natural sense of community within the country village, juxtaposed against London where the community spirit has been imposed by the war. People look out for each other in London but they don't interfere, whereas in Little Weirwold the whole village actively support each other - whether the support is welcome or not! And it is this community spirit which wins through for both Tom and William - gently forcing them to come back to life. 

There are a lot of characters and a many scene changes within the story and the cast step up well playing multiple parts, and there are some lovely performances from the supporting actors, notably for me Zac Salah as the exhuberant Zac, who befriends William instantly, and Reg White as George Fletcher, whose friendship with William is not quite so instant but becomes just as strong. The scene changes are dealt with creatively, and with minimal actual changes to the set; the addition or removal of props to transform Tom's home into Williams bleak London basement, gravestones or a shop counter to show different views of the village, plus the creative use of light and sound to create air raids, train stations, and countryside. 

There is a lot to pack in but the production team and director successfully set the scene and develop the story and characters within the confines of the time and space available, recreating the essence of the original story; heartwarming and poignant. 

*images by Paul Hood

Denise Sparrowhawk

Preview - Goodnight Mister Tom - People's Theatre

People’s Theatre in Heaton present Michelle Magorian’s much-loved classic GOODNIGHT MISTER TOM.

As World War Two looms, young William Beech is evacuated to the English countryside to stay with elderly recluse Tom Oakley. This unlikely pairing gradually form a friendship, finding that neither are how they first seem.

Since its publication in 1981, Michelle Magorian's hugely successful first novel GOODNIGHT MISTER TOM has sold millions of copies and been translated into multiple languages, as well as being adapted for television starring the late John Thaw.

This stage adaptation by David Wood premiered at the Chichester Festival Theatre in 2011, and went on to win the 2013 Olivier Award for Best Entertainment and Family.

Wood has a hugely successful track record in adapting children’s novels for the stage, his credits including Babe The Sheep Pig, The BFG and The Witches. 

In this production at the People’s Theatre, young local actors Dexter White and Nathaniel Campbell are role-sharing the demanding leading role of eight-year-old evacuee William. William is timid and anxious when he first arrives in the village of Little Weirwold, but his friendship with gruff-but-kind Tom (Keith Wigham) helps him to feel safer, and come out of his shell. Life seems perfect until William’s mother devastatingly summons him back to London.

A testament to the enduring power of kindness, compassion and love, Magorian’s GOODNIGHT MISTER TOM has resonated with readers for over 40 years, and this is an opportunity to see this much-loved tale and its characters brought to life on stage.

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

Review - Pygmalion - People's Theatre

Pygmalion 

People's Theatre 
18th March 2025

George Bernard Shaw's Pygmalion has been showing at The People's Theatre this week and by all accounts has been wowing the audiences every night. We attended on the opening night and I admit to a slight trepidation. Although I know of Pygmalion, my only experience of it is as the musical adaptation, My Fair Lady. Would I be able to watch the play without wanting to burst into song at key moments? Or would the musical be so far removed from the original play that it be barely recognizable? 

I need not have worried - the musical version has stuck pretty closely to the original, and the People's team have, as usual, staged a first class production! Jake Wilson Craw plays Professor Higgins, in all his insufferable, self-importance and flamboyance. Jim Boylan balances him out with as the polite, gentlemanly Captain Pickering. Both of course get carried away with their own enthusiasms for speech and language, which manifest as the childish glee with which they undertake their experiment to transform Eliza. And then we have Eliza! Daisy Burden performs the vocal equivalent of a hundred metre dash with every sentence she utters - the words tumble out of her mouth at such a rate as she strangles ( Professor Higgins would say) the Queen's English selling her flowers and inveigling small change from the passers by. As Higgins berates her, and discusses her mangling of the language with Captain Pickering, we can see Eliza watching and listening and Daisy Burden manages to convey through her facial expression and posture that she is listening and taking in - if not all - then a goodly amount of what they are saying. Eliza Doolittle may be uneducated, but she is not stupid. She is streetwise, and being her father's daughter, she knows how to use a situation to her advantage. 

She transforms under the bullying guidance of the professor into a refined, well spoken lady. The men, of course, take all the credit and Eliza is given none. This leads to the climactic final scenes when she confronts Higgins, she having perfectly understood the social dilemma she is now in, while the professor, for all his education can not. The play raises issues of a woman's place in society, and the problems inherent in rising above her station, as well as the major issue of an unmarried woman accepting the help and support of a man. As a street seller it was assumed she was selling more than flowers; as a pupil of the professor, living in his house, it was assumed she must giving "favours" in return. Eliza comes to realise that the only way for her to survive is to be married. 

Eliza learns much more from Professor Higgins' experiment than how to talk and behave like a lady, and she learns much more from it than the Professor. The ending of Pygmalion is much stronger than that of it's musical twin and is the better for it - Eliza is triumphant, as she has always been, but now she knows it, while the professor still has not grasped his own lesson! 

The play itself poses some challenges for the crew. It is set in various locations from London streets, to various rooms within the homes of Professor Higgins and his mother. It begins in Covent Garden, which is simply portrayed with a sign and boards plastered with posters, behind two objects suggesting market barrows. When the scene changes, the boards at the back are swiftly and smoothly turned to create a living room, the covers on the barrows are twitched away to reveal a chaise-long and a settee. Similarly, the boards turn to reveal a bathroom. Members of the cast bring on or remove props for each scene adding in the various touches to transform the scene. 

This has been beautifully produced and was a joy to watch.  

Information on the rest of the season - the next production will be Goodnight Mister Tom - is available at www.peoplestheatre.co.uk

*images by Paul Hood

Denise Sparrowhawk

Review - Hangmen - People's Theatre

Hangmen  

People's Theatre

4th March 2025

Hangmen, by Martin McDonagh tells the sad tale of Harry Wade - the second best hangman in the country, Whose pride and ego get the better of him. Recently retired after the abolition of capital punishment, Harry is making his way as a pub landlord, surrounded by a motley collection of pub regulars who swarm round him like flies on a corpse, attracted by the stench of  his morbid former profession. A young reporter sees his opportunity for a scoop if he can just get Wade to give his views on the abolition of hanging...Wade makes a show of being principled and refusing to be drawn, until the mention of his rival, Pierrepoint. His hubris is such that he cannot bear the thought that Pierrepoint might beat him to the chase once again and the young reporter gets his story.  

Into this maelstrom of male posturing comes a stranger from London - Mr Mooney. He seems affable, yet his presence is disturbing and sends ripples of uncertainty through the pub. Mooney is trouble - we know it, but we don't quite know how, or why.

As the play progresses, Wade becomes more boastful, Mooney more menacing. There is talk of a miscarriage of justice, a teenager goes missing, a former colleague seeks revenge and things do not go to plan. Not the stuff of comedy, you might think, yet this is a very funny play. This black, if you'll pardon the pun, gallows humour, is distinctly British and we are very good at it. McDonagh's play presents an array of eccentric characters, in an absurd situation and with them he raises questions about the cruelty, the unfairness, and ultimately, the absurdity of life: questions that we might find difficult to deal with without the humour.

Director Matthew Hope's direction, has produced an astonishingly funny play. The casting is excellent. Ian Willis excels as the posturing "cock of the north" Wade, strutting and crowing for his audience, while Alison Carr as his wife Alice, punctures his hubris with beautifully acerbic commentary on his character and achievements, or lack of them. Craig Fairbairn, as Mooney, imbues the character with menace through a shrug, a glance and a sudden chill in the tone of his voice. 

You can almost smell the stale beer oozing from the set, and a selection of sixties songs makes for a very apposite sound track.  

Hangmen plays until Saturday 8th March.  Disturbing, and darkly funny, it is the People's at its best!

*image by Paul Hood

Denise Sparrowhawk

Review - The New Adventures of Peter Pan - Little Theatre

The New Adventures of Peter Pan  

Little Theatre 

11th Dec, 2024

A Lee Brannigan Production 

Written by Philip Meeks 

Jumping back on the reviewing horse, here I was, for some festive family fun in Gateshead. A colourful and vibrant display of song and dance was in store for me from the first minute of the performance.

One wonders why Peter Pan remains popular, dare I say, never more popular than it is now? When you think about it this makes a lot of sense: it's 2024 who needs - or even wants - to leave Neverland and grow up?

I wish I couldn't relate , however as a single man, 45, unlucky in both work and romance l do strongly relate!

In fact it always felt like this play was made for me, written by me, and starring me! I blame the schizo bipolar diagnosis, or my endless thirst for drama!

Anyway I'm sidetracking from the actual play, which was all sorts of awesome, from the tight snappy and clever script down to the various costumes (so garish it took 2 hours to recover my eyesight!).

The cast were awesome, some real strong performances, especially from the Megan Laing as Martha the Mermaid and Bella Bluebell Captain (Bella) Hook, who is now female (of course), but still yearning for revenge and destruction, (something anyone who has been on hold ringing the universal credit hotline would appreciate).

The transitions were seamless, (most of) the jokes landed well. The only criticism I could say would be that the plot seemed somewhat convoluted, (but aren't all Panto plots, though? - Ed) with very little in the way of finishing off the plot nicely, lol!

Running until the end of December, it's a great show to catch, and I thoroughly recommend it! 

There are limited tickets for the remaining shows available so book up quick at  at https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/lbp

Frank C Murphy 

Review - Alice in Wonderland - People's Theatre

Alice In Wonderland

People's Theatre 

7th December, 2024

Panto season is here again (oh yes it is!) and doesn't it come around quick?  Perhaps that's why the White Rabbit is so late in Wonderland....? 

I like a traditional Panto - I love the comfortable familiarity of it all, of knowing the bad jokes will be coming, and the sing-la-long, and the ghosties scene. I know that's not necessarily the trendy outlook just now - there's a move towards giving Panto a modern twist, doing away with some of those old fashioned elements...I'm not necessarily against modernising things, but, I do like a good old traditional show. 

Thankfully Alice in Wonderland at the People's Theatre hits a happy balance - it's not quite the usual Prince Charming saves the Princess and the live happily ever after tale...but it does have all the other expected elements of a panto. There is a baddie to boo at, and a hero (heroine) who has to become self aware enough to win the day (sorry, bit of a spoiler? Nah! Someone always wins the day in Pantoland!) There's a fairy, or in this case furry, godmother who keeps everything on course, a man dressed up as a woman, and an abundance of bad puns, terrible jokes and silly outfits. It's everything you could want and a little bit more. 

The plot - sans Prince Charming -  follows Alice, a perfectly ordinary school girl, bored with lessons and wanting life to be more interesting, who falls asleep and dreams a strange dream... She follows a white rabbit (wearing a waistcoat and a pocket watch) down a rabbit hole and meets an array of strange characters, all interesting, some nice, some not so nice, but all a little bit mad! "We're all mad here, Alice!"   

Of course the not so nice character - the Knave of Hearts - is trying to take over the Kingdom and will stop at nothing to achieve this, and Alice is the only person who can foil his dastardly plan. 
But Alice doesn't believe she can help - she is only a girl, after all. But with some help (eventually) from her new friends - the White Rabbit, The Mad Hatter, the Cheshire Cat, the Caterpillar - to name just a few - Alice is able to realise her potential and save the day! 

Was that another spoiler? Don't tell me you didn't realise from the title that Alice would be the one to save Wonderland? Who did you think would save everyone? Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum? Be serious - Ben Watkins and Callum Mawston are hilarious but the Tweedles are not kingdom savers!

It's  a bit of a challenge for the costume department but they come up trumps with brilliant costumes for the more exotic characters - the Mock Turtle, looking very like a ninja mutant, and the Caterpillar formed from a stack of what looks like inner tubes and sandshoes (does anyone still call them that? Plimsolls, deck shoes....) then there are the playing cards and the dancing sea creatures. Alongside these are the very dapper White Rabbit, March Hare and Mad Hatter... all beautifully tailored!

Alice in wonderland is a weird and wonderful tale - besides the bizarre creatures there are many strange and magical events - Alice not only falls down a hole, she also has to shrink and grow to fit through doors - this is all achieved with some clever lighting and choreography. Erin Hattrick doesn't ever actually change in size but Nobby the Door does, and he gets a laugh from the audience for it! 

This is such a well put together show - the music is great - from real musicians visible on stage, including a fabulously understated performance of Killer Queen from the Queen of Hearts (Kirstie Corfield), and an astounding tongue-twisting performance from the Mad Hatter - I missed all the hats in that scene because I was mesmerised by Luke Newey's performance! The jokes come thick and fast from the moment the White Rabbit appears to the very last scene and draw laughs and groans in equal measure. 

There are outstanding performances from Alison Carr as the White Rabbit, Luke Newey as the Mad Hatter and Ian Willis as The Duchess, though it feels unfair not to simply list every cast member as every one gives such a great performance. 

This is not your usual pantomime tale, and it is definitely a more than usual performance - it's funny, and joyous and clever and has such a positive message about the importance of creativity and imagination and knowing your true self...and it has a girl as the hero! What more could you want? 

It plays until 15th December - but is pretty much sold out so if you have tickets you are in for a treat, and if not, I can only urge you to try for cancellation tickets this year and be sure to book early for next year's People's Panto to avoid such disappointment!

*images by Paul Hood

Denise Sparrowhawk

Review - It's a Wonderful Life - People's Theatre

It's a Wonderful Life   

People's Theatre

19th Nov 2024

If I could only watch one Christmas film for the rest of my life, It's a Wonderful Life would be my choice. It is the highlight of my Christmas viewing every year, so it was with some delight and a little trepidation that I took my seat at the People's Theatre for a stage adaptation.  There is always an element of risk when our treasures are entrusted to someone else...Was I about to see George Bailey in all his glory on stage, or was I about to be disappointed by something that did not quite live up to expectation? 

Of course I needn't have worried, our treasures are always in safe hands at the People's Theatre. They took the story of George Bailey and Bedford Falls and lovingly recreated on stage. 

The attention to detail in everything from the set to the costumes, the use of lighting and music, is what sets the People's Theatre productions apart, and this was no exception. From the charming, understated set to the beautifully choreographed scene changes this production was a delight to watch, and perfectly captured the essence of the original film. 

Sam Hinton is utterly believable as George Bailey, supported by Sara Jo Harrison as the calm and practical Mary, while Tony Sehgal is charming  as the quirky Clarence - the guardian angel desperate to earn his wings. 

It would have been easy to simply produce an impression of the original film with impersonations of the iconic characters, but this is not what the People's team do - their production has all the quality and charm of the original, but each cast member makes the characters their own, from George and Clarence right through to Violet and Bert and Ernie. 

There were some first night nerves on show, and an errant prop or two but none of that detracted from the performance, and in fact, as usual, they were dealt with calmly and professionally. And I am sure the nerves will settle as the run progresses. 

It's a Wonderful Life is a wonderful start to the festive season - a heartwarming and beautiful tale, beautifully presented. If this doesn't put you in the Christmas spirit then I fear nothing will - it should be required viewing for everyone!

It plays until Saturday 23rd November and I recommend booking your ticket in advance at www.peoplestheatre.co.uk because you really don't want to miss it!

*photography by Paul Hood

Denise Sparrowhawk

Review - The Rise and Fall of Little Voice - Royalty Theatre

The Rise and Fall of Little Voice 

Royalty Theatre 

29th October, 2024

Written by Jim Cartwright

Directed by Andrew Barella and Aidan Evans

Juggling work and life is proving to be something of a challenge lately, and has meant that I've not been able to see as much theatre as I would have liked this season, however I'm glad I made time this week to get to the Royalty at Sunderland to see their current production. 

The Rise and Fall of Little Voice is described in the programme as a "wonderfully quirky and dark comedy". I like a bit of quirky. And I like a bit of dark comedy. Little Voice is definitely quirky and it is certainly dark. It's one of those strange plays that defies being put in a category - if it was a book, the publisher would struggle to find a nice niche label to shelve it under.  It's a story about people, and relationships, about love and selfishness, and the difference between dreams and ambition. It could so easily have been written as a kitchen sink drama - bleak and unforgiving, but it's saving grace is the humour - dark though it may be. There are two strands to the humour - a crueller, laughing at the characters kind, and a gentler more understanding, recognition kind. 

Mari and Ray are not nice people; they are self-centred, self-involved, ambitious only for their own success, interested only in what they can gain from a situation. And, we laugh at the manifestation of their shallowness, and feel at the end, they get what they deserve. 

Little Voice and Billy are two lost souls in this world, trying to navigate a way through, and at the mercy of the wolves. We recognise their humanity and we smile at their awkwardness and innocence. They have each created an escape from the difficulties of their lives. Billy perhaps more successfully than Little Voice, but in achieving his dream, he is able to help LV find hers. Their developing relationship brings us a sweeter humour. 

Billy, played by Matthew Pegden, is a such a lovable character, and Pegden plays him beautifully, from his first awkward words to his final assertive support for LV.  While Chantelle Taggart captures the two sides of Little Voice perfectly - the shy, reclusive girl, who barely speaks, and the girl who can transform into her favourite singers. It's a tall order to not only sing well, but to also sound like some of the greatest female singers of all time. Chantelle achieves all of this with ease. 

As well as challenging the actors, this play is also a challenge for the set designers - they have created a set on two levels (three if you include Billy's telegraph pole!) to incorporate the kitchen and living room as well as LV's bedroom sanctuary. Light and sound are crucial and the music played and lights dimmed on cue! 

There's a lot to contend with in this play and the team at the Royalty have met the challenges head on. 

It runs until Sat 2nd November, tickets can be purchased in advance at  www.royaltytheatre.co.uk or on the door. 

Denise Sparrowhawk 

Review - Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde - People's Theatre

Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde 

People's Theatre

22nd October, 2024

Written by David Edgar

Directed by Andy Aiken and Helen Doyle

This month's offering from The People's Theatre is a bit of ghoulish Victorian melodrama - an adaptation by David Edgar of R L Stevenson's Strange Tale of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. And a strange tale it is indeed. 

Dr Edward Henry Jekyll is a scientist with a growing reputation. He is invited to speak at learned symposiums, and holds earnest discussions over dinner with his equally learned friends. He is a benevolent uncle, showering gifts on his niece and nephew and playing boisterous games with them. He is clearly adored by them, and loved by their mother, his sister. He is pious, and abstemious, declining to drink alcohol on a Sunday. We surely could not meet a more wholesome man? And yet, there are hints...his beloved sister sports an eye-patch, and the father he looked up to, left all his possessions to the daughter, not the son. 

So perhaps this playfulness and piety hide something darker? After all, our introduction to the play came as a conversation between one of Jekyll's esteemed friends and his nephew, who has witnessed a perturbing, violent incident outside the house of Dr Jekyll. 

And indeed it does. Jekyll is ambitious, and driven, but he is also secretive and furtive about his work, and in particular about his father's notebooks. And as we discover, there is much more to Dr Jekyll than meets the eye. Ryan Smith brings to life Jekyll's dual characters - two extremes of a personality; the upright, civilised doctor, and the grotesque, violent alter ego, Mr Hyde. Truth be told, I didn't much like either of them. 

Under the direction of Andy Aiken and Helen Doyle, Smith somehow conveys a sense of something unwholesome in Jekyll while presenting a man of respectability and virtue. And of course Mr Hyde is the embodiment of that unwholesomeness - guttural, angry, quick to take - and give - offence. He is the antithesis of the image Jekyll shows to society. Smith's transformation from the one to the other is astonishing to see, and possibly exhausting to sustain through the play! 

Smith is ably supported by a cast whose civility and politeness towards each other is exemplary, and is in stark contrast to the brutish, carnal behaviour of Hyde. Naturally there will be no good end to this tale - the heinous crimes of Mr Hyde will be the downfall of Dr Jekyll, despite his belated attempts to bring the beast under control. It seems that the baseness of his nature is stronger than his morality. It is perhaps telling that the character who understands, and sees Jekyll best is the maid, Annie (Jenny Davison), herself a dual character, at once naive and wise, daughter of an abusive father, she recognizes something within Jekyll but is unable to articulate it convincingly. She is judged and shunned by her supposed betters and yet she, in the end brings him, tragically, to his senses. 

We should perhaps all take note and strive to keep our baser emotions under control, but not so much so as to cause an imbalance in our natures. And don't drink any suspicious looking potions this Halloween!

Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde will be confronting each other at the People's Theatre until Saturday 26th October. Tickets are available here www.peoplestheatre.co.uk .

*Image by Paul Hood

Denise Sparrowhawk

Preview - Witness for the Prosecution - Royalty Theatre

Centenary Season Opener at The Royalty 

Witness For the Prosecution by Agatha Christie 

The Royalty Theatre in Sunderland is celebrating one hundred years this year and the team have chosen as their season opener a classic Agatha Christie mystery. 

Leonard Vole stands accused of murdering a rich widow. The stakes are high with shocking witness testimony, impassioned outbursts from the dock and a young man’s fight to escape the hangman’s noose. Generally regarded as one of Christie’s most accomplished plays, this suspenseful thriller keeps audiences guessing until the very end.

“Once more the Christie conjuring trick has come off. Once more we have been led down the garden path. Apart from being a clever puzzle, this is an extremely actable play.” - THE DAILY TELEGRAPH

“The play has all the usual advantages of Counsel in conflict, agonised outbreaks in the dock, and back-answers from the witness-box. To these are added an ingenious appendix; the jury’s verdict is only the beginning of a story that has as many twists as a pigtail.” - THE OBSERVER

Directed by Lee Wilkins and with a cast that includes such Royalty regulars as Tom Kelly, Jamie Lowes, John Appleton and Beth McAneny, it promises to be a cracking start to their Centenary Season. 

Witness for the Prosecution runs from Tuesday 24th to Saturday 28th of September. 

Tickets cost from £8.50 to £10 and can be purchased online from Ticketsource or from the box office on the night. (Please note a small fee applies to online bookings.) Curtain up is at 7.30pm and doors open at 6.30pm giving you plenty of time to grab a drink in the bar before you go in!