Review - The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time - People's Theatre

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time

People's Theatre

9th June, 2026

This play by Simon Stephens, based on the novel by Mark Haddon is something of a revelation. I have tried several times to read the book and have not got past the first few pages. I always felt something of a failure for not being able to appreciate a book that everyone else seemed to be raving about. So it was with mixed feelings I took my seat in the auditorium. 

The scene that greeted us was intriguing...maths equations adorned large blackboards on either side of the stage and glowed from a screen at the back. Another source of concern for me - maths was never my strong suit (I have a glorious "unclassified O-Level, for those of you old enough to know what O-levels are/were). And a dead dog lay front and centre, impaled with a garden fork (obviously not an actual dead dog, just a prop - no dogs - or later rats - were harmed in the making of this production!) - the dead dog of the title. This being the People's Theatre,  I was pretty certain, despite my misgivings about the book and maths, that though whatever was coming might be challenging, it would also certainly be interesting and entertaining. 

 

 I don't want to give away any spoilers for anyone who, like me, has not read the book, and doesn't know who killed Wellington (the dead dog) so I am going to concentrate on the characters and actors rather than the plot. Firstly Zachary Douglas creates a character in Christopher who is completely credible and endearing. - a young man  negotiating his way through a world that doesn't really understand him, using numbers, and facts, and truth, as his touchstones.  His forthright observations on people are brutally honest and this creates unexpected humour in the play.

Alison Carr brings the practical and empathetic teacher Siobhan to life, providing the stable, matter of fact grounding for Christopher, her presence becomes one of his touchstones, she providing the support and constancy he needs, especially when things begin to unravel for him. She is the voice of reason. 

Sean Burnside plays Christopher's father, Ed. A man who loves his son, but is struggling to cope with his special needs while also dealing with his own demons and the anger and frustration and guilt that they bring. He swerves from calm, loving patience to volatile anger, and back again, almost losing everything when he loses Christopher's trust. 

Alongside Burnside's father figure we have Christopher's mother, Judy - played by Sarah Jo Harrison. Another volatile character she appears first as a memory from Christopher's childhood, happy and full of life, but with a strange sadness. Through letters we learn of her feelings of inadequacy as a mother as she compares her relationship with Christopher to that with his father. There is clearly a bond between father and son that she felt excluded from, which makes the loss of trust that Christopher experiences all the more poignant. But we see that there was also a bond with his mother that he was unable to express at the time.

And finally there is the ensemble who weave in and out of the story, creating the subsidiary characters, the neighbours, the policemen, the public. They stand to attention in the background, or drift into the flow of the story as needed, shedding light and sometimes doubt on the proceedings. 

This is a play about complex emotions, difficult situations, about individual needs and family ties. It's about trust, and truth and betrayal. But it is also about love, and healing and individuality. 

It s beautifully and cleverly staged - incorporating light and music - with movement and sound that is sometime soft and almost balletic, and other times harsh and jarring, mirroring the emotions and events that take place. 

Intense, inspiring and emotional, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time is cleverly staged, and beautifully performed. Well worth seeing. 

*images by Paul Hood

Denise Sparrowhawk 

Preview - The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time - People's Theatre

Showing this week at the People’s Theatre in Heaton: THE CURIOUS INCIDENT OF THE DOG IN THE NIGHT-TIME, the acclaimed stage adaptation of Mark Haddon’s bestselling novel.

“I am going to find out who killed Wellington and make it a project. Even though Father told me not to.”

At seven minutes after midnight, fifteen-year-old Christopher Boone discovers his neighbour’s dog dead in the street. Determined to uncover the truth, Christopher embarks on a detective mission that takes him far beyond the end of his road for the very first time. What begins as a mystery becomes an extraordinary journey that will change his life forever.

Funny, moving, and visually captivating, THE CURIOUS INCIDENT OF THE DOG IN THE NIGHT-TIME invites audiences to experience the world through Christopher’s eyes in a powerful exploration of family, trust, courage, and what it means to be different.

Following worldwide acclaim and multiple award-wins (including seven Olivier Awards for the National Theatre’s 2012 premiere), this gripping adaptation brings Christopher’s unforgettable adventure from Swindon to London vividly 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 to follow (assuming I can get through the Take That traffic on the A19!) 

Review - The Unfriend - People's Theatre

The Unfriend

People's Theatre

28th April, 2026

Written by Steven Moffat

Directed by Ian Willis

Cast:

Peter Lindel - Daniel Magee

Debbie Lindel - Helen Parker

Elsa J Krakowski - Ann Zunder

Alex Lindel - Jamie Cordes

Rosie Lindel - Sarah Jane Fisher

The Neighbour - Mark Buckley

PC Junkin - Steve Parry

Presenter - Simon Patrick Dowling

Peter and Debbie Lindel meet Elsa on a cruise holiday. Too polite to say no, give her their email to stay in touch after the holiday - Elsa has conveniently mislaid the cards she had especially printed to give out should she happen to meet people she wants to stay in touch with. This, perhaps, should have been the first alarm bell for Peter and Debbie. Once home she inundates them with emails until they eventually run out of polite excuses and offer to let her come visit them while she is in London.  As her arrival date draws near, Debbie decides to google their soon to be house guest and what she finds puts her in a spin. Elsa is a suspected murderer - but insufficient evidence means she has never been brought to trial. As Peter and Debbie try to summon up the gumption to email Elsa and tell her they have to cancel the trip, a surprise video call comes through. Elsa is here, outside their front door, two days early. She arrives with news that her friend from the cruise - now living in London - has died, unexpectedly. 

Faced with the unexpected early arrival of their guest, and their newly acquired knowledge of her past, Peter and Debbie must find a way past their very English politeness and ask her to leave. The main problem with this is that everyone, and especially their two teenage children, really like Elsa.

The Unfriend is a hilariously funny play about a pretty dark situation. Can you like someone who has committed murder? Would you trust them? Would you eat a sandwich made by them? 

How would you broach the subject of their past?  It is also a clash of cultures - polite English manners versus American brashness, with both the English couple and the American woman avoiding the issue while trying to deal with it. 

The cast are all brilliant at their different roles - Daniel Magee, as Peter, adept at avoiding confrontation at all costs, and Helen Parker as his highly strung wife, desperately trying to keep it together and eventually spectacularly failing! While Jamie Cordes and Sarah Jane Fisher are the epitomy of teenage surliness. Ann Zunder sails along as Elsa - the lovable, wise-cracking, suspected murderess. 

My favourite, however was the long-suffering Neighbour - Mark Buckley's almost deadpan performance is fabulous. A man destined never to understand the depth of indifference felt by his neighbours towards his most important issues!

Set almost entirely within the living room and kitchen of an English home, this situation comedy is full of the kind of humour that the Brits do so well, and at which the team at the People's excel. 

You have two more chances to catch it -  book a ticket and get there! 

Denise Sparrowhawk

Preview - The Unfriend - People's Theatre

Hilarious hit comedy THE UNFRIEND at the People’s Theatre in Heaton next week.

When good manners might just be the death of you ...!

This comedy by acclaimed writer Steven Moffat (Doctor Who, Sherlock) is full of laughs, fast-paced dialogue, and outrageous misunderstandings!

When Peter and Debbie meet the eccentric Elsa during a cruise, they never imagine she’ll take up their casual invitation to visit them. But months later, Elsa arrives on their doorstep, turning their orderly lives upside down.

As her unsettling stories (as well as an alarming Google search!) begin to raise suspicions, one question becomes impossible to ignore … what if Elsa is a murderer?

Caught between growing panic and their desperate need to remain polite, Peter and Debbie find themselves trapped in a spiralling farce. After all, how do you uninvite someone without being rude?

Packed with laugh-out-loud comedy and ever escalating chaos, THE UNFRIEND proves good manners can be absolutely murderous!

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

Review - The Thrill of Love - People's Theatre

The Thrill of Love

People's Theatre

13th April, 2026

Written by Amanda Whittington

Directed by Tony Childs

Cast

Ruth Ellis - Emma Robson

Inspector Gale - Steve Hewitt

Sylvia - Moira Valentine

Vickie - Hattie Easton

Doris - Emily Jeffrey

The Thrill of Love tells a story of ambition, passion and murder. The story of Ruth Ellis, the last woman to be hanged in Britain. The mystery here is not who committed murder, Ruth Ellis confessed and there were witnesses who saw her fire the gun at David Blakely. The mystery is more complex; what drove her to commit such a crime? Who, if anyone, helped her? But also why did her trial and execution happen with such speed and against such a surge of public protest? 

Amanda Whittington's play reveals the very human woman behind the murderer. She peels back the curtain to show us two sides of Ruth's world. The world of the gentleman's club, a world of entitlement and glamour with a mean and sordid underbelly. 

Against a sparse set, and a Billie Halliday sound track, the five members of the cast bring this tale to life, and death. We watch as the Ruth's life disintegrates, as the dream she has chased turns to nightmare. The brittle gaiety of Ruth and Vicky hides a desperate ambition - to be someone, to be rich, to be loved. Against Emma Robson's passionate performance we have Moira Valentine's understated portrayal of the practical but jaded Sylvia - keeping an eye out for the girls but always watching her own back, and Emily Jeffrey's Dora - full of compassion and good sense - fights to keep Ruth safe.

The women's performances are impassioned and emotional and heartbreaking glimpses into a life we can barely imagine, while Steve Hewitt give a quietly compelling performance as Inspector Gale, as he tries to unpick the crime to find the elusive truth and some redemption for Ruth. 

It's a tough story but it has moments of humour - a dark humour that I think is peculiarly British that serves to highlight the tragedy. 

There is no tidy ending to this story - Ruth Ellis committed a murder and was hanged for it and the ripples spread far beyond her death. 

The Thrill of Love plays until Saturday in the studio.

Denise Sparrowhawk

Preview - The Thrill of Love - People's Theatre

Love, betrayal, and murder...

Coming next at the People’s Theatre in Heaton: Amanda Whittington’s THE THRILL OF LOVE which brings to life the gripping and tragic story of Ruth Ellis, the last woman to be hanged in Britain.

Set against the seedy glamour of 1950s London, this compelling drama delves beneath the sensational headlines to reveal the complex woman at its heart.

Blending known facts with imagined scenarios, Whittington’s acclaimed play offers a fresh perspective on a story that captivated the country and explores the events that led Ellis to commit murder.

Part noir thriller, part intimate character study, THE THRILL OF LOVE paints a vivid portrait of a world of smoky nightclubs, dangerous liaisons, and fragile dreams. At its core lies a deeply human story of love, betrayal, and the devastating consequences of both. 

Director Tony Childs comments: “This is a great piece of drama.  People might know the name Ruth Ellis, without perhaps knowing much about Ruth herself.  The play focuses on her character, rather than her guilt.  We see her nature, and the way she disintegrates.”

 THE THRILL OF LOVE is a haunting and poignant exploration of passion and power, shining a light on the personal tragedy behind one of Britain’s most infamous cases.

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

Preview - A Very Expensive Poison - People's Theatre

 

“The second you start telling a story, you start telling a lie”

 

London, 2006. A former Russian spy drinks a cup of tea in a luxury Mayfair hotel. Hours later, he becomes the victim of one of the most shocking assassinations in modern British history, poisoned with radioactive polonium in an act that stunned the world.

 

A VERY EXPENSIVE POISON at the People’s Theatre in Heaton this week plunges audiences into the shadowy world of international espionage, where power, propaganda, and political intrigue collide.

 

Adapted by acclaimed Succession writer and co-executive producer Lucy Prebble from journalist Luke Harding’s gripping book, the production transforms the real-life assassination of Alexander Litvinenko into a wildly theatrical spectacle.

 

Blending vaudeville, political thriller, and dark satire, the play presents a surreal and electrifying retelling of this extraordinary true story.  

 

Distortion and distraction abound as characters navigate misinformation, international tension, and covert operations.

 

The result is a bold and exciting theatrical experience that examines how truth becomes blurred in a world dominated by power struggles and propaganda.

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

Review - Home, I'm Darling - Progressive Players

Home, I'm Darling 

Little Theatre

9th March, 2026

Written by Laura Wade

Presented by the Progressive Players

Directed by Danny Stones   

"Home, I'm Darling", as the title suggests is a play that purports to turn things on their head. it centres around married couple Judy and Johnny who, for reasons best known to themselves, have embarked on a lifestyle project to live completely in the 50s style. Begun as a six month experiment, they have embraced not just the style of the 50s in their house decor and clothes, but have also taken on the ethos of the 50s in their daily lives. JUdy stays at home and bakes, makes marmalade, cleans the home while Johnny goes out to work to earn money and provide for them. They make do and mend - their old fridge is a temperamental 1950s original, their 1950s TV has been cleverly adapted inside to play DVDs (they only watch 1950s movies on it - Doris Day and Rock Hutson). 

Three years on and the "experiment" has become permanent. Everything they do is anchored in the past - no shopping in the modern new shopping centre, no mobile phones, no modern gadgets. Except for the laptop, of course - needed for Judy to source and buy all those lovely vintage items on ebay! 

It should be idyllic. This after all is Judy's dream. But everything is not quite as perfect as it seems. Johnny is spotted eating pizza (God forbid!) in the hated new shopping centre, with a young woman, and Judy is quietly selling clothes on ebay and hiding letters under the kitchen sink... Her mother - a women's libber who marched for women's rights and actually lived through the 50s - is horrified by her daughter's choices and feels that Johnny must be behind it all, which couldn't be further from the truth. Judy's best friend Fran finds herself constantly compared to, and falling short of this domestic goddess. 

When the modern world encroaches on her vintage lifestyle Judy's reaction is defensive and her smile seems a little brittle.  Johnny meanwhile is struggling to justify this lifestyle choice at work and feels it has cost him a promotion. It all starts to get a bit tense. 

I have to confess I struggle with this play - the concept of a modern woman willingly giving up a good job and her independence to stay at home and pander to her husband's every whim does not sit well with me. I don'tt find Judy, (Ashley Harvey) to be a convincing character - and perhaps that is intentional by the writer? I felt her backstory was so much more interesting than her perfect housewife persona. 

I had a grudging sympathy for Johnny (Lewis Connor Ryan) as he doesn't ever seem entirely comfortable with his lot and is almost manipulated into accepting it. Yet another reversal within the play - the relationships between the male and female characters are not quite what you might expect. 

What is impressive about this production is the set and the costumes. An almost perfectly reproduced 1950 home - with kitchen cabinet and huge fridge, kitsch wallpaper and vibrant colours, and Judy's dresses are to die for. The scene changes are done with humour - there's not much to change between scenes, cups and glasses are tidied away around the cast by a rather surly crew who I felt were as bemused by the whole show as I was! 

And the sound track switches cleverly from 50s crooners in act one to modern pop in act two - symbolic of the shift within the play, as the facade of the idyll begins to slide.

Home I'm Darling runs until Saturday at the Little Theatre. Billed as a dark comedy, it has moments of humour, but on the whole I found it somewhat unsettling,  and perhaps not in the way the writer intended. 

Denise Sparrowhawk

Review - Picasso at the Lapin Agile - People's Theatre

Picasso at the Lapin Agile 

People's Theatre

3rd March, 2026

A play with an intriguing title, staged in the People's Theatre studio, was always going to be something a little bit different. When you then add the writer - Steve Martin - it becomes a little bit more different.

The stage is set as a bar - with the audience on two sides. The front rows are cafe tables - and throughout the play characters come over to address members of the audience - at times acknowledging that they are, in fact,  in a play. 

Set in the Lapin Agile bar in Paris at the beginning of the 20th Century, the play centres around the meeting (as imagined by the writer) of two geniuses (genii?) Einstein and Picasso. Both at the beginning of their careers, both experts in their very different fields: Picasso the artist and Einstein the scientist. They see the world in different ways. They clash. 

As they argue and theorize about the world and the universe, other characters add their own views - sometimes relevant, sometimes not! Freddie (Ian Willis) the owner of the bar is intent on getting his customers to pay their bar bills - few do. Gaston (Jim Boylan), a regular customer bemoans the aging process and the limitations it brings to life. Suzanne (Helen Doyle) a young American besotted with and seduced by Picasso, is entranced by his charm and fame, and foolish enough to think that she is the only one. Sagot (Matthew Shepherd), Picasso's agent, drops the monetary value of art into the conversation at every opportunity. His interest is purely financial - the beauty of the art is measured by how much he can make from it. While these characters make their observations and spout their views, Germaine, (Rhiannon Wilson) the waitress cuts through them all - speaking the truth and undercutting their egocentricity - no-one escapes her attention, especially not Picasso. 

As the characters come and go, Picasso and Einstein continue to argue over the nature of beauty and the universe - who captures it best - the artist or the scientist? It would seem they may come to blows - and yet in the end, with the help of a visitor they come to see the beauty of the stars together. 

As you'd perhaps expect from Steve Martin, the humour is quirky. There are some hilarious one liners,  and some very strange juxtapositions (not least the premise that Einstein and Picasso might meet in a bar). At times it is difficult to follow - the characters philosophize and theorize one moment and tell bad jokes the next. The dialogue is fast paced and takes some concentration to keep up! 

On the surface, you could take it as an alternative comedy sketch (am I the only one to remember "alternative comedy"?) but under the surface there is so much more going on. Martin's intellect shines out asking big questions about the world and humanity and where we sit in the universe, and yet he does it with laughter and hope. 

This is a comedy that will have you laughing, but also wondering what on earth it is all about! 

*images by Paul Hood

Denise Sparrowhawk

Preview - Picasso at the Lapin Agile - People's Theatre

 Two geniuses walk into a bar … 

Next week at the People’s Theatre in Heaton: PICASSO AT THE LAPIN AGILE by Steve Martin

What happens when the future of art and the future of science order drinks at the same Parisian bar?!

PICASSO AT THE LAPIN AGILE imagines a delightfully impossible evening in 1904 Paris, where a young Pablo Picasso (Peter Dawson) and unknown patent clerk Albert Einstein (Jamie Cordes) cross paths at the legendary Lapin Agile.

Picasso is still sketching toward Cubism, Einstein is still scribbling toward relativity, but both can feel the universe tilting in their direction.

When the two collide, sparks fly and egos flare. The result is a smart, whimsical comedy that bursts with verbal fencing, philosophical mischief, and Steve Martin’s signature blend of razor wit and gleeful absurdity.

In his first play for the stage, Steve Martin (Saturday Night Live, Only Murders in the Building) crafts an evening that is as thoughtful as it is hilarious. Smart, silly, and surprising, this is an entertaining exploration of art, science, creativity, ego, and destiny.

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