Northeast Music Guide

So many questions..?     Terence Frisby has acted as a litigant-in-person himself. He has tried to defend himself in court. This experience, perhaps has led to the excellent play ‘Rough Justice’.  His play explores the dynamic of the closed shop that is the British Legal system. He has not, however, used his own cases for this play. Rather, he has taken a separate controversial issue and used that as a vehicle to allow the audience to question the due legal process.   James Highwood, played expertly by the experienced Tom Conti, stands on trial for the murder of his disabled son. He tries to defend himself whilst being cross-examined by the equally articulate Margaret Casely (Elizabeth Payne). Payne’s portrayal of the prosecution barrister is a perfect foil for Conti’s character. The umpire in the proceedings is of course the Judge (Benjamin Whitrow) who seems to provide the audience with a number of ironic laughs.   Highwood is not totally o...

RUSSELL HOWARD: WONDERBOX   TV star brings work-in-progress show to Barnard Castle Join Russell Howard, one of the UK’s funniest and most successful comedians, as he tries out material for his sold-out arena tour, Wonderbox . In his first ever appearance in Barnard Castle, the TV star will play the newly-refurbished Witham Hall on Saturday 9 November for Funny Way To Be Comedy Club . This is your chance to see the star and creator of the award-winning hit TV show, Russell Howard’s Good News , in an intimate setting; back on stage, on top of the world, doing what he does best. Following his show in Barnard Castle, Russell embarks on his first tour for three years and a show which looks set to be the hottest ticket of 2014. His 2011 sell-out UK tour included three sold out dates at London’s O2. Peter Dixon, of Funny Way To Be Comedy Club, said: "I am thrilled that in preparation for his first live tour in three years Russell Howard has ask...

SHREK IS ‘TAKING OGRE’ NEWCASTLE THEATRE ROYAL! Something huge is coming indeed! The larger than life production,  Shrek the Musical  will be heading to Newcastle Theatre Royal as part of the show’s first national UK tour! Join Shrek, Donkey, Princess Fiona and Lord Farquaad on this year’s biggest family musical adventure, Wednesday 11 – Sunday 29 March 2015! Coming direct from London, where it was seen live on stage by nearly a million people, the UK tour of the Drury Lane production of  Shrek the Musical  will be directed by Nigel Harman who starred as Lord Farquaad in the west end production, winning him the 2012 Laurence Olivier Award for Best Performance in a Supporting Role in a Musical. Shrek the Musical  is based on the story and characters from William Steig’s book  Shrek!,  but will be known to most of us as the Oscar winning DreamWorks Animations feature film that had us laughing with Donkey and quivering at the sight of Lord F...

FREE KIDS’ COMEDY Why should grown-ups have all the fun? Silky Jesterval, the comedy festival coming to Gateshead Quays next week, have announced free afternoon comedy for kids. The five-day long festival, which runs 3-7 October from Baltic Square, features some of the UK’s biggest stand-ups – including Ed Byrne, Marcus Brigstocke and Hebburn creator Jason Cook. But it’s not all about the grown-ups, with organisers today confirming four family shows from the likes of Frehd the Clown and Silky. Frehd the Clown will open the kids’ comedy at 12pm on Saturday 5 October before a family package show. And Silky, who has performed at the Newcastle Stand’s kids’ show before, will kick off Sunday’s stand-up at Jesterval.   “Kids’ comedy is even funnier than comedy for adults,” he said. “I find that everyone’s happy in a way that adults aren’t; they’ve all got their own interests and they tend to be more attentive to the comedy. “You can talk about broader to...

The Crick Crack Club return to Northern Stage  with the story of Arthur's legendary big sister.     The stage was set with a giant chess board, a set of draughts, a harp and a number of other props and instruments when Nick Hennessey started a gentle lullaby.  Xanthe Gresham then walks on stage wearing an extremely long blonde wig. The show has begun.   Over the next hour and a quarter we a given a real storytelling treat. The playful interaction between the two storytellers adds to the irreverent nature of a tale of old. We are all aware of the tales of King Arthur but we now find the spotlight turns to Morgana Le Fey. Xanthe muses on her status in the legend. Was she a goddess or simply a fairy who deserved a better billing?   The talented Nick weaves lush music around the story that Xanthe lays down with crystal clarity. A greater understanding develops of the lead character through a poignant narrative. Rewriting the rules becomes nec...

The Noise 4 – 12 October at Northern Stage    A body washes up and a massive iceberg appears in the harbour of a remote island near Antarctica where a strange, ever present sound makes the small community of islanders somehow ‘different’...    This intriguing scene could be taken from the latest Danish hit crime thriller. Like The Bridge and The Killing, or BBC’s Top of the Lake, The Noise is unsettling; a combination of gripping storytelling with an unfamiliar edge and a mysterious undertone which draws you in and keeps you guessing.   Written by an award-winning creative team – Claire Duffy, Jon Spooner and Chris Thorpe - this brand new Unlimited/Northern Stage co-production follows in the footsteps of successful shows like Mission to Mars, Tangle and The Ethics of Progress, using theatre to explore leading research into contemporary science. "Working with scientists has played a big part in making the stories we tell for a few years now. We'v...

An Alcohol-Fuelled Free-For-All The Live Theatre in Newcastle has provided gritty drama in the past. Not known for "safe" theatre it faces issues head on and presents them with realism. This play, written by Paddy Campbell, a product of the Live Theatre writing course in 2007, and a one-time worker in such an establishment, is no exception. The "Wet House" is a homeless hostel where alcoholics are allowed to drink, providing them with a "safe" place to exist and be sheltered and to keep them off the streets. Andy, fresh from failing at university, and ready to be a useful citizen, walks into this alternative reality where normal social rules no longer apply and it isn't only the residents who are dysfuctional and damaged. The writing is exceptional, in my view, and one liners are delivered by the cast, especially Chris Connel with the skill of a seasoned stand-up. However this play, despite having laugh out loud moments had me close to tears w...

    Our Day Out by Willy Russell Newcastle People's Theatre 17/9/2013     The Newcastle People’s Theatre open up their new season with a vibrant telling of the Willy Russell classic by their Youth Theatre.  Director Mark Buckley has moved the production away from Russell’s native North West and moved it closer to home for the cast, and indeed audience, and yet the narrative still works.  The working class kids from the school’s bottom group are not expected to pass any exams but their loyal teacher Mrs Kay, ably plaid by Anna Robinson, has not given up on them. She wants them to have a nice day out away from Newcastle. Thus she decides to organise a school trip. Moving the play to the East Coast results in the destination changing from North Wales to Whitby. The Head isn’t happy about the class going so he asks the stricter Mr Briggs (Lara Cowler) to go along too.   The play has also moved forward in time to 1983...

60’s MUSICAL ICON MARK WYNTER TO TAKE STAR ROLE IN THE UK’S FAVOURITE ROCK ‘N’ ROLL MUSICAL…   Following the sell-out success of Save the Last Dance for Me , Dreamboats and Petticoats the musical, features some of the greatest hit songs of the Rock ‘n’ Roll era! This whirl round the jukebox of one of the most dynamic musical decades stars musical legend Mark Wynter, performing on tour for the first time in 50 years! Grab a seat in the 60’s at Newcastle Theatre Royal, 7 – 12 October.   Since premiering in 2009 and having played to more than two million people across the UK, Dreamboats and Petticoats , inspired by Universal’s multi-million selling album series, features some of the greatest songs of the Rock ‘n’ Roll era - when each passing week brought another classic track. Set in 1961, emotions run high as young musicians Norman and Bobby compete to win a national song writing competition, and, more importantly, the attentions of the gorgeous Sue. But when Bob...

So What's Been Happening? Since this blog was launched there have been a lot of changes. The Jowheretogo Show is an established part of the NE1fm schedule and Jowheretogo PR has had its first clients through the books. This blog serves to publicise events in the Northeast and review those that have just happened. There have been theatre, music and comedy events on here and photos from the gigs we go to. The old listings format is long gone, with bigger features for events more favoured now. There's going to be features on Jowheretogo clients and people who get in touch to be featured on the Jowheretogo Show on NE1fm on Mondays 12noon until 1pm (subject to schedule changes, updates will be posted on here). For now though, a brief intro to the people who are using Jowheretogo PR. These are bands and an artist who are simply brilliant and need to be seen and heard by as many people as possible. Denature and their label Riise Music The first Jowheretogo mission.... ...

GENESIS REVISITED SOLD OUT HAMMERSMITH SHOW TO BE RELEASED ON CD & DVD TO COINCIDE WITH OCTOBER UK TOUR   See Steve Hackett at Newcastle City Hall     It takes a legend to bring a myth back to life. A unique treat for music fans worldwide, Steve Hackett’s critically acclaimed live production ‘Genesis Revisited’ has so far triumphed in Europe, Japan and North America alike and is still going strong; on May 10 th it celebrated its success at a sold out London’s Hammersmith Apollo with an ecstatic audience. Genesis Revisited – Live at Hammersmith - a unique performance with guests including Nik Kershaw, John Wetton, Jakko Jakszyk and Steve Rothery - will be released on October 21 st.   The 3CD+2DVD (with 5.1) box set, coincides with the return of Hackett’s Genesis Revisited Tour to the UK for a second round due to popular demand.   The pioneering guitarist comments:  "The 5.1 DVD with stereo CD out on 21st October includin...

Knickerbocker Glory!     51 Shades of Maggie is a colourful mix of comedy and adult relationships. It started life when writer Leesa Harker started put about 500 words online. The positive feedback for 50 Shades of Red, White and Blue (check out the Facebook page ) encouraged her to carry on with her story about how Maggie Muff started a relationship with a man she met at the dole office.   Since her start as a Belfast girl, Maggie’s story has now relocated to the East End of London. She is now frequenting the Red Lion with her big best mate Sally Ann, with whom she enjoys cigarettes, White Lightning cider and men. Things change when Maggie agrees to step in to do the Back to Work interview at the dole office for Sally Ann. Her interview is with “Mr Big” and after a chance meeting in B & Q everything quickly starts to move. This is when the differences between the book 50 Shades of Grey and this play become obvious. Maggie is no shy and retiring vi...