Northeast Music Guide

CBeebies presenter Alex Winters will be in town next week when he hosts the first relaxed performance of the Theatre Royal’s pantomime,  Jack and the Beanstalk. Many of us in the North East join a queu e at Newcastle Theatre Royal each year to experience the magic of one of the biggest and best pantomimes in the country, but this year that magic will be spread even further as the Theatre Royal puts on their first ‘Relaxed Performance’. Relaxed Performances are specifically designed to welcome people with an Autistic Spectrum Condition, learning disability or sensory and communication disorder into theatres to give those who otherwise might feel excluded the chance to experience live theatre. This is a specialist provision created to provide an opportunity for people who would otherwise find it difficult to go and see a show  – for example people who make involuntary noise, or are likely to need to talk a lot, or move around. During a regular performance this can...

JACK CLIMBS TO TOP OF SALES RECORDS Figures released today reveal that  Jack and the Beanstalk , the Theatre Royal’s 2013/14 pantomime, has broken all previous records to become the most successful pantomime in the Theatre’s 176 year history.  What’s more, over 36,000 tickets have already been sold for next year’s show  Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs , which will mark Clive Webb and Danny Adams’ tenth anniversary at the theatre. Jack and the Beanstalk  went on sale in November 2012 to meet high demand, and got off to an auspicious start when it opened on 26   November 2013 with sales in excess of £1million. Now, over 90,000 tickets have been sold with three weeks of the run still to go until the final performance on Saturday 18 January. Last year’s show  Aladdin  was the Theatre’s most popular show EVER, and  Jack and the Beanstalk  has now beat it by some margin. The Theatre Royal pantomime starts earlier than any other in t...

    Panto Just Keeps Getting Bigger!   The Theatre Royal is renowned for its lavish pantomimes and this year is no exception. Extravagant costumes and amazing special effects combine to give a wow factor but it is the sheer hard work of the cast and crew that ensured everyone, old and young, was entertained. Returning for their ninth season, Danny Adams (playing Jack Trott) and Clive Webb (playing Farmer Trott) are joined by Chris Hayward who asserts control as the Dame. A combination of slapstick and panto friendly jokes weave through the story. They made each performance feel unique and special. Tonight they were nearly upstaged by a 5 year old called Daisy who assisted them with a musical routine. The acid test is whether or not the younger members of the audience enjoyed it. Our 10 year old loved it and said it was the best pantomime he had ever been to. The children helped with the attack on the giant and with the many interactive parts ...