The Snow Queen - Review - Northern Stage

The Snow Queen

Northern Stage

Thursday 5th December 

Sometimes you go to see a show and afterwards think to yourself, 'well that was something a bit special'. Northern Stage's production of The Snow Queen definitely falls into that category for me. Adapted by Laura Lindow and directed by Mark Calvert, this version of Hans Christian Andersen's fable certainly captures both the strange and beautiful elements of it perfectly.

There have been lots of different versions and interpretations of this classic story throughout the years, more recently being the inspiration for Walt Disney's Frozen.This adaptation tells of the townsfolk of Stifle, and as the name suggests they have barricaded themselves in behind a wall from the threat of the outside. They lead a restrictive way of life with very strict rules that must be followed in order to keep themselves protected from what peril lies beyond. 

The tale is of, and told by, Gerda (played by Lauren Waine) and the friendship she forms with a boy called Kai (Gregor Mackay); a newcomer to the school she attends. As their friendship grows and flourishes Kai starts to question all the rules and restrictions - why are they not allowed to speak openly of their hopes and wishes and what exactly is beyond the barricade?

One fateful night he speaks aloud of these things, climbs to where he shouldn't and he, along with other children of the town, goes missing. It is then that we enter the icy world of The Snow Queen. It is now up to Gerda, through her friendship and with strength and courage (and a snowglobe) to enter The Snow Queen's world and discover the fate of Kai and the others who are missing. Can she rescue them or will The Snow Queen get her wish of a perpetual winter?

What I loved about this show was that it felt magical throughout. It is a very lavish production, a

stunning set with the props the lighting the sounds all adding to the excitement. The stage is like a boardwalk with audience on opposite sides and it is used throughout to great effect. There is great energy from all the cast. Lots of lively singing and dancing making the tale being told a delight visually and musically.

Many members of the cast took turns in playing different instruments too. This I particularly enjoyed, the musical score played live upstairs on the stage. Described as rustic and folky, the music really fitted the vibe of the production. The puppetry was used really effectively and made the stage become even more alive, especially when the reindeer appears.

The costumes were great, very colourful and quirky. Special mention must go to The Snow Queen. As she became more powerful her costumes became more and more stunning and spectacular.

There is a mild danger element to the story, but lots of interesting characters and lots of fun, merriment and humour included in the show too (its suitable for the whole family, great for ages 5+) Particular mention must go to the schoolteacher and strict disciplinarian Elsie Orr (Paula Penman) who for me provided the biggest laughs and played her part brilliantly.

To find out if Gerda fulfills her dream of playing a musical solo, and if she succeeds in her quest to stop The Snow Queen's plan and save Kai and the missing children, to discover if the people of Stifle will have a happy Christmas….The Snow Queen is on until 4th January 2020. I thoroughly recommend a visit to see it. *Picture Credit: Pamela Raith Photography

Belinda Bekki-Winter

Preview - Robin Hood - Royalty Theatre

ROYALTY THEATRE TO STAGE ROBIN HOOD PANTOMIME

Sunderland’s Royalty Theatre will see Christmas in with their annual pantomime, which this year is Robin Hood.

Written by the Royalty’s James Errington, who also stars as the legendary lincoln-green outlaw, the show follows the adventures of Robin Hood and his band of merry men, as he tries to foil evil-doers and win the heart of Maid Marian.

Director Helen Bowie says, “I absolutely love panto and am thrilled to be directing Robin Hood at the Royalty Theatre.  It isn't a panto you see every year and you've definitely not seen a version like ours. The cast and crew have worked so hard and I hope as many people can see the fruits of their hard work.”

Alex Goodchild, James Errington and Andy Barella.

Credit: Royalty Theatre

Joining James in the cast are panto regulars Andy Barella as Munchy Bob and Alex Goodchild as Friar Tuck.  Erin Moyse stars as Maid Marian.

The show runs from 12 to 22 December with evening shows on Tuesdays to Saturdays, and matinées on Saturdays and Sundays, some of which are close to selling out.

Tickets are £8/£6.50 in advance, £9/£7.50 on the night and canb booked via www.ticketsource.co.uk/royaltytheatre or on 0333 666 3366.

Plays remaining this season are Robin Hood (12-22 December), Two (22-25 January), Shadowlands (17-22 February), God of Carnage (23 to 28 March), Wait Until Dark (18-23 May) and Dirty Dusting (22 to 27 June).

Group bookings for parties of 10 or more can be arranged via rtboxoffice@gmail.com.

Christmas Crackers - Live Theatre - Review

Christmas Crackers

Live Theatre
14th December 2018

Clementines (Easy Peelers) by Tamsin Daisy Rees
Grounded by Henry Lawrence
Home for Christmas by Olivia Hannah
Marbles by Jamie Morren

Directed by Joe Douglas and Graeme Thompson

Cast members - Katie Powell, Dale Jewitt, Sarah Balfour, Daniel Watson, Micky Cochrane

Christmas Crackers is a set of four seasonal short plays by writers from the Live Theatre fold who had previously taken part in "10 minutes to...". Christmas Crackers is the next stage in their development as playwrights.

Christmas is all about family and each of the plays explores the an aspect of a family Christmas.

Clementines  follows three siblings as they struggle to cope with a Christmas without parents. They squabble with each other, deflecting attention from their own problems by highlighting someone else's.

In Grounded an injured pigeon becomes the vessel to explore the relationship between a boy and his father, revealing how a breakdown in communication leads to misunderstood expectations on both sides.

Home for Christmas tackles homelessness, compassion, charity, and trust - or mistrust - among friends.

The final tale Marbles is the most poignant of the four and has a very different feel, revealing the disparity between memories of the past and the reality of the present.


The writers have each chosen an aspect of Christmas and observed it beautifully. The plays are funny, poignant and emotional. Relationships are acutely observed and effectively portrayed in a very short time - the plays are each just 30minutes long. Each one is a like a snapshot that captures the subject but reveals so much more going on in the background. The five actors move assuredly from one play to the next, transforming from themselves from one set of characters to another in a series of convincing performances.

Christmas Crackers are four tales of an imperfect Christmas. Grounded in reality, they give the essence of the Christmas message without the saccharine sweetness of the TV commercials.

They play until 22nd December at Live Theatre.

Denise Sparrowhawk

Preview - Jack and the Beanstalk - Royalty Theatre

ROYALTY THEATRE RETURN TO PANTO WITH JACK AND THE BEANSTALK

The Royalty Theatre’s annual pantomime is back, and this year it's Jack and the Beanstalk.

The much-loved kids’ classic has been given the panto treatment by local writer David Farn, and features Royalty Theatre newcomer Erin Moyse. Jack's magic beans cause merry mayhem and a fearsome encounter with the giant who lives atop a beanstalk.

Artistic Director Nikki Slack says “This year’s panto will entertain the whole family, with jokes and songs for all generations. It’s a must-see in the run up to the festive holidays.”

Also appearing is Royalty panto favourite Andy Barella as Simon, and writer David Farn steps into the high heels as Dame Flossie.

Tickets are already being snapped up, with many shows – including the four afternoon performances – already reduced to a small number of remaining tickets.

The pantomime will be performed from Thursday 13^th to Sunday 22^nd December, with evening shows taking place Tuesdays to Saturdays, and afternoon shows Saturdays and Sundays. 

Get your tickets in advance to avoid disappointment. Book via www.ticketsource.co.uk/royaltytheatre or on 0333 666 3366. Group bookings for parties of 10 or more can be arranged via rtboxoffice@gmail.com.

Northern Stage - Autumn Season Launch

Season Launch

Northern Stage
Autumn 2018

Northern Stage launched their autumn season with comedian and poet Kate Fox. Kate gave us a taste of what was to come in a series of interviews, video clips and snippets of performances. Her chirpy, upbeat commentary and infectious enthusiasm kept the evening moving along at a cracking pace - as well it needed to, there was a lot to pack in!

Before we get to the Autumn there is a great programme of events over the summer with Northern Stage's involvement with the Great Exhibition of the North. There are plans for Self Build Utopias - a series of exhibitions, installations and performances re-imagining the future. Lorne Campbell and Annie Rigby talked about the inspiration behind the projects and the hope to produce an interactive and engaging series of activities to recreate landscapes and reconnect communities. Watch out for the many different activities around the Great Exhibition of the North from June 22nd till 9th September.


But what can we expect at Northern Stage in the Autumn? 

As always there is a stunning array of diverse and original theatre.
If you missed last season's production of  Laura Lindow's adaptation of H G Wells' War of the Worlds then you have another chance to see it in September.

After the Last Ship and Launch Day, remembering the shipyards, this coming season sees  The Last Seam pays tribute to the mining heritage of the north with a play based on stories and voices of the miners during the last deep seem colliery closure. There's limited availability so be sue to book your seat for this one! (27th Sept).

October brings the stage premier of Alice Seebold's bestselling selling novel The Lovely Bones (9th-20th). This much loved, uplifting tale of love, loss and redemption has been adapted by Bryony Lavery.
While on Stage 2 there is drama in The Mountaintop - an intimate look into the life of Martin Luther King on the eve of his assassination (9th - 13th).





In November we have two powerful, but different pieces of  from classic literature - Dylan Thomas's lyrical observations of life in the small, imaginary Welsh village of Llareggub in Under milk Wood (2nd -17th), while the English Touring Theatre bring us Richard Twyman's vital production of Shakespeare's Othello (13th-17th).
Both these productions give a fresh and innovative look at a classic piece of literature.


The Christmas show this year is also a classic from English literature - Dicken's A Christmas Carol. Adapted by Neil Bartlett and directed by mark Calvert it promises to another imaginative and original Christmas production. (Dec 1st - Jan 5th)

And of course we have dance:  Tangomotion is a virtuoso display of traditional and contemporary interpretations of this passionate dance, while Ballet Lorent's After Dark is a cabaret style celebration of the 25 years of the company. Then there is more Dickens with Fagin's Twist - Avante Guarde Dance Company's hip-hop style re-imagining of five of Dicken's familiar characters (13th-20th Dec).

This really just scratches the surface of what is on at Northern Stage - there is quite literally something for all ages and interests, whether you love dance, drama, poetry or puppetry there is a show for you next season. If  you want to be more involved than a spectator then check out their youth theatre - Open Stages (ages 5-15) and Young Company (ages 16-21) - they gave a breath-taking, assured performance of part of their own work at the launch.
If you're at the other end of the spectrum you might like to join in with Read Through - a script reading group for the over 60s.

Check the website www.northernstage.co.uk to see the full programme of productions and activities and book your place.

Denise Sparrowhawk

Aladdin – People’s Theatre Newcastle - Review

Aladdin - People’s Theatre, Newcastle - 13th December 2017

Now having gone to see Jack and the Beanstalk last year at the same theatre and not being overly impressed,  I was hoping for a better experience with Aladdin.

I will always think of Robin William’s portrayal of Genie in the Disney version and ‘A Whole New World’ but this is panto and I admit I’m a pantophobe but I decided to come and see if this was any good.

Let’s start with the positives; Leon Gill (the guy’s an absolute legend) played Genie, He doesn’t have too much to do in the show but he is great and his singing is excellent. The other great singer that I went “wow” to is the princess, played by Madeline Carter. I have never seen her perform before but I do think that musical theatre is what she should go into.

The Princess is aptly named for this panto written by a Geordie - Philip Meeks - and performed in a Heaton theatre, and who could that be? Why Cheryl, of course!

Wishee Washee is played by Joe Robson - I think he’s found a role that suits him well - alongside the beautiful Widow Twanky, played by Steve Robertson. I think these two are great comedians and their comedic talent balances out their singing!

PC Tickle and PC Slap were played Nathan Hussain and Emma Cockburn. I would have liked to hear and see more of them as I couldn’t really see what the point of them is, and so I wasn’t really invested in their characters. 

Empress Ezmeanie played Sara Jo Harrison. She plays an evil person well (she must have needed lots of acting lessons as I’ve heard she’s actually really nice). Her on stage husband Emperor Jor-di who really only came to life in the 2nd half of the show has a great voice, and when Steve and Stephen sing a duet it is the latter who carries the song.

The real baddy in the story is Abanazar. Paul Gaitskell is absolutely fantastic. He plays to the crowd and his comedy timing is just on point. He is great even though sometimes the techie guys let him down, (more on that soon).

In the scene where they sing a song and someone disappears each time, the Mummy was played briefly by James Lane.

Have I missed anyone out?? Oh Yes I have!

The lead was played by Laurence Hussain and unfortunately I’m not 100% sure that he is one, in most of his songs he is overshadowed by more accomplished singers.

There is a large ensemble made up of many different people from the Chorus, Tap Dancers, Dancers from Newcastle High School and lots of little people who all did well.

The Lighting was amazing especially the final scene of the first act which you need to go and see for yourself. Designed by Scott Sweeting and crewed by Martin Collins, Dave Harvey and Amy Hardman.

The Choreography was fantastic and praise needs to go to Julie Bowman, Jill Taylor and Ruth Gibson and Joe Butcher for this.

But - here goes nothing!! As someone who is hard of hearing and a sound engineer, I have to say at times it sounded terrible. As last year, the music is played through a computer and it would be so much better live!

Directed by Emma Jane Richards and Assisted by Craig Fairbairn. 

The production is okay. Some things are amazing but there are some parts of it that let it down so much unfortunately, hopefully they will get better.

On until 17th of December 2017.  

Reuben Hiles

Preview - Dick Whittington - Royalty Theatre

ROYALTY THEATRE’S 2017 PANTOMIME IS  DICK WHITTINGTON 

The Royalty Theatre will see out 2017 with their annual family pantomime, and this year it is  Dick Whittington.

The much-loved family classic follows the story of Dick Whittington and his cat, who travel to London in the hope of seeking Dick’s fortune.  Along the way he meets the beautiful Alice, but also the evil King Rat – whose villainous plans soon cause trouble for Him. 

Helen Bowie writes and directs the pantomime, following her overwhelming success last year with  Aladdin.  She says, “I love everything about panto and, after the success of last year, the Royalty have very kindly asked me back, which is another dream come true. We are having a riot in rehearsals and I hope that the audience enjoy watching it as much as we enjoy performing it!” 

Award-winning panto actor Andrew Barella is once again in the comedy role as Idle Jack, and he’s joined this year by David Armstrong as Dame Sarah, Olivia Bowern as Dick, Lauren Hawkes as Alice and James Errington as Dick’s cat. 

The pantomime runs from 7^th to 17^th December, with evening performances Tuesdays to Saturdays at 7.15pm, and afternoon shows on Saturdays and Sundays at 2.15pm.

Tickets can be purchased in advance from the theatre website www.royaltytheatre.co.uk

Robinson Crusoe - Review - Gala Theatre

Robinson Crusoe

Gala Theatre
25th Nov 2017

We launch straight in to the action with the flamboyant Capt Blackheart casting his crew off the plank into the sea! Rolling waves and crashing music give way to the siren's song and the appearance of Aquamarina, Queen of the Sea, fabulous in her watery fountain. She sets the task for Capt Blackheart - to find the Pearl of Wisdom on the Island of Flames he must first recruit a young lad Robinson Crusoe. Only he has the secret to finding the island and the pearl. And so it begins...

This panto is packed full of terrible puns, and awful jokes; poop-decks and parrots are an abundant source, obviously! But it is lifted up a notch by the preponderance of positively perilous tongue twisting alliteration scattered throughout. None of the characters escape this and they deserve a medal for getting through them without tripping up or

corpsing! The song and dance routines upbeat and the choreography by Amanda Woods has a refreshing originality.

The cast do a tremendous job throughout - Neil Armstrong as Horatio "Hooray" Blackheart is a mean but rather understated baddie - he secretly longs for us to join in the "Hoorays" rather than the boos? Lauren Waine's Percy/Polly Perkins has more than a touch of Blackadder in her thigh-slapping delivery. Paul Hartley is completely over the top as Billy Bob, the (ahem) younger brother to Robinson, as he his gurns and flounces his way through the play. Jamie Brown is an engaging hero with just the right amount of innocent naivety. Glamour comes in the form of Jayne Mackenzie as Aquamarina and Paul Dunn as Dame Connie. It's a toss up as to who has the best frock, but Jayne wins hands down on the singing! The youngsters in the cast are all great - stepping up to their moment in the spotlight and delivering with confidence and a good deal of stage presence.
And finally there is John Murdoch as Pecky the Parrot - who saves the day! My one disappointment is that he doesn't get to go through the Cave of Diminishing Returns but I suppose that would have spoiled the ending - I can't explain that any further without spoiling it myself, so you'll have to buy a ticket to see what I mean!

The set is quite fabulous and there are lots of special effects with lighting and props, dry ice and water (watch out if you sit in the front stalls). The scene changes are quick and slick. Costumes are colourful and fun from Blackheart's dandy captain's coat to Dame Connie's ludicrous outfits (my favourite is the shipwrecked barrel and seagull).

This version of Robinson Crusoe bears little (none at all, actually) resemblance to the story by Defoe - there's a desert island and some marooned people and a passing reference to Man Friday but that's about it. Not that that matters at all because this is pantoland and anything goes! The plot is a quest for the Pearl of Wisdom - the baddy (Captain Blackheart) wants it and it will be a bad thing if he succeeds so the goody (Robinson Crusoe) is sent in (unknowingly) to the save the day and redress the balance of good and evil. And isn't that what panto is all about?

Despite having  all the right ingredients the cast had a hard job keeping the audience on board last night, though I don't know what more they could have done. It's an early start to a long run for Robinson Crusoe and I'm sure as the season progresses the audience participation will only get better.

Robinson Crusoe is fun, flamboyant and makes a interesting change from the usual fairy-tale panto fayre.

Denise Sparrowhawk

Season's Greetings -review- People's Theatre

Season's Greetings By Alan Ayckbourn

People's Theatre

Presented by special arrangement with Samuel French Ltd

Season's Greetings dates from 1980 and combines the highly comical powers of farce with the bleak view of families, marriages and ‘Christmas togetherness’

As I walked into the theatre I instantly notice the set, which was most impressive and looked very much like how you would expect a middle class family house to look like at Christmas in the early eighties. The attention to detail is quite special. The only thing missing was the television, which was mimed. This stood out to me as everything else was present, except the children who were always off screen. Some productions have included the children and while I didn't think that was particularly necessary, some sound effects would have helped create the illusion that  they were there in the background somewhere.   

"I'll tell you what I've bought them all for Christmas - a gun" 

This gem of dialogue is delivered in the very first scene in which we encounter Harvey and Bernard at Christmas Eve. Harvey, a paranoid,  cantankerous, grumpy and violence obsessed man is Neville and Phillis’s uncle, and is played excellently by Tony Neale. We see him amused by the violent and cathartic Christmas film he's engrossed in throughout the first few scenes. 

Bernard however (played by Phil Hodes) is not amused by this and isn't a fan of sex and

violence. He is a failed doctor who is obsessed with putting on a puppet show that everyone hates.

Belinda, the lady of the house (played by Anna Dobson) is married to long suffering husband Neville (played by Sam Hinton), who seems to have an OCD like obsession with fiddling and fixing things. Flirtatious Belinda, isn't exactly the typical happily married wife and the couple bicker throughout, in fact they all do.

Our second couple is Pattie (played by Kate Reilly) and Eddie (played by Reg White) Pattie is heavily pregnant and Eddie is extremely lazy and seems to want to do the bare minimum (reminds me of one of my relatives!)  I think everyone can relate to this family predicament on some level, which is a good part of the appeal. 

Rachel (played by Ellie Pullen) is Belinda's sister and has invited her potential partner Clive (played by Ben Ostell) over. He is a writer, with a solitary novel under his belt, which no one seems to have read or heard of. This queues lots of writing jokes and stereotypes about writers, one of which is a hilarious drunken misunderstanding about train drivers, which should be dated in modern times, but easily got the biggest laugh of the night. The misunderstanding is from Phyllis (played by Alison Carr) Bernard's wife, who he quit his role as a doctor to look after. She seems, amongst other problems, to have a dependency on alcohol, but then who doesn't at Christmas time, and with a family like

this.    

The play takes place over four days Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, Boxing Day and the 27th December. For some reason they still haven't opened their presents by midnight on Christmas Day, rule of funny I guess, as this leads to a funny scene before the break, involving the unwrapped presents. 

Regarded as one of Alan's best works, all the acting is of a good standard and you believe in all of the characters and their intricacies. It's very middle class and I'm sure we can all recognise a fair few of these characters from our own Christmas gatherings. There are funny slapstick moments throughout and the soundtrack that plays before scenes is that perfect blend of misery and joy at Christmas. I found it amusing, which is not always a given for a farce, especially one written with the humour of 1980s theatre taken into consideration. If you hate Christmas you will get as much, if not more,out of this, than all those fans of yuletide. Merry Christmas everyone, only thirty nine sleeps till Christmas day!

Frank Cromartie Murphy                                              *photo credit Jim Mohan

Seasons Greetings - People's Theatre- Review

Season's Greetings

People's Theatre 
14th Nov 2017

Written by Alan Ayckbourn
Directed by Hugh Keegan


The first thing that strikes you as you take your seat for the People's Theatre's current production is the set. It is a mini reproduction of a beautiful, well-to-do home; living room with leather armchair, dining room with impressive dining suite and drinks cabinet, a hall with Christmas Tree and presents at the foot of stairs leading to a landing. Two low walls delineate the boundaries between the downstairs rooms, and two doors can be seen leading - we will discover - outside to the front of the house, and to the kitchen and the back of the house. At the top of the stairs a door leads to the out-of-sight bedrooms. As we will soon discover much of the important drama happens offstage in the rooms that cannot be seen by the audience.

A family and friends have gathered in this beautiful house to celebrate Christmas together. They all know each other well and it is clear that this is a ritual Christmas gathering. The hostess Belinda, (Anna Dobson) decorates the tree while her sister-in-law, Phyllis (Alison Carr) is in the kitchen preparing the Christmas Eve supper. Uncle Harvey (Tony Neale) watches a film on TV, drawing each member of the household in to share the action at different points: "Oh this is a good bit this, watch! There he goes! Ha ha ha!" This becomes a refrain through scene one.
It looks at first like a perfect Christmas scene, but the cracks gradually begin to show. Other than Harvey the men are no-where to be seen. Pregnant Patty (Kate Reilly) is upstairs trying to settle the overexcited children and calls for her husband, Eddie (Reg White) to come up to their son, who won't settle till he sees his father. Belinda's husband Neville (Sam Hinton) appears and is reprimanded for not serving drinks that were asked for over an hour earlier, and he and Belinda spat while Eddie finds excuses not to go upstairs. Bernard (PhilHodes) appears, flustered from the kitchen where Phyllis, a little the worse for drink has had a mishap. And so it goes...as the festive season progresses the jealousies and resentments are revealed. The only one who seems happy is Harvey as he gleefully pokes and prods at the weak spots like a boy prodding a sleeping bear with a stick.

Into this dysfunctional group comes Clive, (Ben Ostell) the new blood. The "sort of" new boyfriend

of youngest sister Rachel (Ellie Pullen). He is good looking and interesting - a writer, a divorcee -

and he has an impact on the women, and the balance, of the house. There is an immediate attraction between him and Belinda - which will lead to the hilarious climax of Act 1. There is a sense that this Christmas story has played along the same lines for several years and that this year Clive will prove to be a catalyst that changes the direction of the usual holiday bickering. Throughout the play Ayckbourn drops little hints and clues to the plot - if you are paying attention you will be able to see how the action will unfold and you just know it is not going to end well! The idea of the family Christmas from hell has become something of a stereotype, but Ayckbourn's observation of character is incisive, and he gives the situation enough of a twist to avoid the stereotype. He shows us the fragility and the strength of family relationships and he does it with immense humour - from the dancing reindeer and erratic alarm clock, to Bernard's painfully funny and farcical puppet show.

The cast performances are excellent - the timing and delivery under the direction of Hugh Keegan, are spot on. The puppet show is a tour de force as Patty confuses the pig puppets and causes chaos with her bump in the confined space, and Harvey gives a running commentary of sarcasm on Bernard's excruciatingly tedious show.

This is a great seasonal show - a perfect antidote to the tinsel and twee-ness of Christmas adverts and perfect preparation for the cut and thrust of the season of Christmas shopping!

Season's Greetings plays until 18th November.

Denise Sparrowhawk                                                                      *photo credit: Jim Mohan

Preview - Billingham Players at the Theatre Upstairs - Autumn 2017 Season

Preview Autumn 2017

Exit Routes
Christmas Past, Christmas Present
Billingham Players at The theatre Upstairs. 

The Billingham Players start their new season with Exit Routes written by Liz Turner, directed by Denise Phillips.  A group of five factory women share their thoughts, dreams and problems, swapping jokes and insults as they try to cope with the daily grind. They are always looking for that lottery win, and are always disappointed. They begin to look elsewhere for a means of escape, and when their colleague Corinne returns from holiday, it seems it's no co-incidence that Tessa's husband has been away at exactly the same time. And then the Christmas club money disappears along with Corinne...
Exit Routes runs from Mon 9th to Sat 14th Oct. 

This is followed in December by the Christmas Show - Christmas Past, Christmas Present, a seasonal spectacular. This musical show is directed by Sue Brackenbury, with musical direction by Steve McNichol. It runs from Weds 6th to Sat 9th December.

Billingham Players are an amateur theatre group which began life as ‘The Synthonia Players’, associated with ICI and performed at the Synthonia Club on Belasis Avenue. In 1974 they took the decision to run their own theatre and moved to the Theatre Upstairs, a former dance hall above the co-op stores, changing their name to The Billingham Players. Their members come from all walks of life, ranging in age from teenagers to (shall we say) the more mature thespian. They stage a number of productions each year and have a very varied programme.

Details of their shows are available online at www.billinghamplayers.co.uk
Tickets to the shows cost £11 (£9) and are available from:
Perfect Fit, Station Rd, Billingham,
Rediscover Stockton, High Street, Stockton
Or book by phone on 01642 586180 or 551981