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NEWCASTLE THEATRE ROYAL
ANNOUNCES
AUTUMN ‘15 /
SPRING ‘16 SEASON
HIGHLIGHTS
INCLUDE:
Kiss Me, Kate 6 – 7 Nov ‘15
Matthew Bourne’s
Sleeping Beauty 5 - 16 Apr ‘16
The James Plays 30 April – 1 May ‘16
Chitty Chitty
Bang Bang 1 - 12 Jun ‘16
Mary Poppins 8 Sept – 29 Oct ‘16
Bringing the West End to the doorstep of North East audiences, Newcastle
Theatre Royal is delighted to announce a new season packed full of productions
for all the family. From musicals to dance spectaculars with everything from
comedy to opera in between there is something to suit every taste.
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| Photo: Dewynters Katrina Tepper |
Fans of musical theatre
will delight in the fabulous, multi award-winning
production of Mary Poppins (8 Sept – 29 Oct
‘16). This Cameron Mackintosh production stars Zizi Strallen
and Matt Lee as Mary and Bert. Newcastle Theatre Royal audiences will remember
Zizi from her recent visit playing Lana in the Matthew Bourne's The Car Man and she recently starred in Cats in the West End. Matt is an
award-winning musical theatre star, who played the role of Bert in Australia and has
recently been a judge on Australia's So You Think You Can Dance.
The magical story of the
world’s favourite Nanny arriving on Cherry Tree Lane has been triumphantly
and spectacularly brought to the stage with dazzling choreography, incredible
effects and unforgettable songs. The stage version of Mary Poppins is brilliantly adapted from the wonderful stories by
PL Travers and the beloved Walt Disney film.
Another musical film classic,
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1 - 12
Jun ‘16) will have audiences of all ages
flying high with its mixture of madness, intrigue and exuberance. Having broken
all Box Office records in the West End, this fun-filled production promises
laughs, magic galore and favourite songs including Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Hushabye Mountain and Truly Scrumptious.
Guaranteed to have you
dancing the night away, the award-winning musical comedy Hairspray (19 - 30 Jan
‘16) is back on tour, bigger and bouncier than ever! Starring Tony Maudsley
(ITV1’s Benidorm) as Edna Turnblad,
Claire Sweeney (Educating Rita, Chicago)
as Velma Von Tussle, Peter
Duncan (BBC1’s Tumble)
as Wilbur Turnblad, and Brenda Edwards (Chicago,
We Will Rock You, X Factor) as Motormouth Maybelle, this irresistible feel-good
show will be sure to have you smiling for days!
 |
| Guys and Dolls |
If it’s great songs,
fabulous dance routines and some New York gangster-glamour you’re after then Guys
and Dolls (22 Mar – 2 Apr ‘16)
will be right up your street.
Direct from the West End,
this highly-acclaimed production features some of Broadway’s greatest show-stopping
tunes, including Luck be a Lady, Sit Down
You’re Rockin’ the Boat and My Time
of Day. Directed by New York’s
Gordon Greenberg, with dazzling choreography by world-renowned Cuban ballet
star, Carlos Acosta.
And for more star
choreographers, look no further than this season’s fantastic selection of dance
shows. Matthew Bourne returns to Newcastle with New Adventures’ adaptation of Sleeping
Beauty (5 – 16 Apr ‘16). The traditional tale of good versus evil and
rebirth is turned upside-down, creating a supernatural love story that even the
passage of time itself cannot hinder. Featuring spectacular designs by Olivier
Award-winners Lez Brotherston (set and costumes) and Paule Constable
(lighting). With specially recorded surround sound, designed by Paul Groothuis.
Newcastle audiences can enjoy a triple bill from Britain’s national dance company, Rambert (2 – 4 Feb ‘16). Love,
desire and betrayal are the ingredients of The 3 Dancers, the shocking true
story which inspired a masterpiece by Picasso. Choreographed by Didy Veldman,
with orchestral music by leading Australian composer Elena Kats-Chernin.
The
Strange Charm of Mother Nature, created by Rambert’s Artistic Director
Mark Baldwin, is inspired by the science of the cosmos. To music including
Stravinsky and JS Bach, dancers fizz with the energy of the miniscule building
blocks that created life, the universe and everything. The programme is
completed by Frames, an inventive and visually arresting piece by British dance’s
hottest property, Alexander Whitley. Twelve performers skilfully manipulate 70
interlocking metal bars, forming shapes, structures and spaces which, quite
literally, frame their dancing in a different light.
 |
| Stomp |
More metal bars, together with paint
cans, bin lids and brooms will be featured in Stomp (15 – 20 Feb ‘16), alongside eight energetic performers
who fuse dance, percussion and comedy to create a feel-good rhythmic spectacular,
in this inventive and infectiously entertaining show. The multi award-winning
global phenomenon is now entering its 23rd year and has entertained over 15
million people worldwide. Featuring new routines, new music and new choreography,
Stomp
is fresher, faster and funnier than ever – don’t miss it!
Fans of drama have plenty to tempt
them in the new season starting with An Inspector Calls (9 – 13 Feb ‘16)
by the National Theatre. Directed by Oscar-nominated Stephen Daldry, the multi
award-winning production of J.B. Priestley’s classic thriller has thrilled
audiences in the West End, on Broadway and throughout the world with its
epic and wildly imaginative staging, raw emotion, evocative score, lashing rain
and chilling suspense.
Following the thrillingly
successful production of Dead Simple
earlier this year, the work of No. 1 best-selling author Peter
James returns to the Theatre Royal with his first critically acclaimed stage
hit The
Perfect Murder (22 – 27 Feb ‘16). Follow a young Detective Roy Grace
as he investigates his very first homicide case, where nothing is quite as it
seems. Have you ever wondered how to commit the perfect murder? This highly
entertaining dark comedy thriller might be your answer!
 |
| Lord of the Flies |
Also returning to the
Theatre Royal stage, after their success with recent smash-hit, To Kill a Mockingbird, award-winning Regent’s
Park Theatre company present Lord of the Flies (8 – 12 Mar ‘16). William
Golding’s 20th century classic explodes onto the stage in a grippingly sinister
story of a struggle for survival, superstition and immorality.
Classic comedy
masterpiece Single Spies (15 -19 Mar ‘16) is the award-winning play from Alan Bennett,
which returns to the stage in this eagerly awaited national tour.
Directed by Olivier
nominated Rachel Kavanaugh, this amusing and compelling play explores our
fascination with Russian spies and royalty. It chronicles the lives of two
members of the notorious ‘Cambridge Five’ spy ring in the 1950s – Guy Burgess
and Anthony Blunt. With forgery, fraud and hilarious blunders, Single
Spies gives us a glimpse into a life full of espionage, secret
identities and even an interrogation by the Queen.
 |
| The James Plays |
And described by The Telegraph as ‘better
than Shakespeare’ The James Plays (30 Apr – 1 May ‘16)
arrive at Newcastle Theatre Royal as part of a high-profile UK and international tour. Exhilarating and vividly
imagined, The James Plays bring to life three generations of Stewart kings who ruled Scotland from 1406 -1488. Causing a storm of attention and
thrilling audiences at both the Edinburgh International Festival and the
National Theatre in London, this run is set to captivate audiences on tour. Sit
in one of a limited number of on-stage seats, to form a ‘people’s parliament’ overlooking
the court of the Kings!
Acclaimed company Opera
North (3 – 5 Nov ‘15) provide a wealth of opportunities for opera
aficionados and novices alike with the vivacious comedy of Rossini’s The
Barber of Seville and the heart-wrenching tale of love and sacrifice in
Janáček’s Jenůfa. The company also bring to life one of Broadway’s
greatest treasures, Kiss Me, Kate (6 – 7 Nov ‘15), a super stylish
show-within-a-show, set around a fictitious production of a musical version of The Taming of the Shrew. Set in the
1940s with Cole Porter’s richest score, dazzling choreography, stunning sets and
gorgeous costumes, and performed by a full orchestra and chorus. Opera
North return later with the remainder of their season (2 - 5 Mar ‘16) featuring
Mozart’s Così Fan Tutte, Donizetti’s L’elisir D’amore and Giordano’s
Andrea
Chénier.
From opera to operetta as Gilbert
& Sullivan favourite The Mikado (15 – 18 Jun ‘16) arrives
to transport audiences to a land of fun and flirtation. This delicious mix of
cheeky English Music Hall
and exquisite Japanese tradition is packed with anti-Establishment silliness and
full of larger than life characters including self-serving politicians that are
all too recognisable today. This playful show features some of G&S’s most
popular tunes, including Three little
maids, Tit-willow and I’ve got a
little list.
Now if it’s Panto you’re after, you better get in
quick, with over 55,000 tickets already sold for our 15/16 Pantomime Dick Whittington (24 Nov ‘15 -
17 Jan ‘16). Danny, Clive, Chris and the gang are joined this year by Emmerdale
actress Charlie Hardwick who plays Spirit of The Tyne in another spectacular
production jam-packed with fun, adventure and comedy!
And don’t forget there are plenty of great shows to
suit all tastes in our current season with family-favourite musicals The Sound of
Music (1 - 12 Sept ‘15),
Jesus Christ Superstar (14 - 19 Sept ‘15) and The Glenn Miller Story (21 – 26 Sept ‘15). Three huge hits join us
straight from the West End - King Charles
III (28 Sept – 3 Oct ‘15), Jacqueline Wilson’s Hetty
Feather (8 – 11 Oct ‘15) and Handbagged
(26 – 31 Oct ‘15), while a new
adaptation of the hit film The Shawshank
Redemption (19 – 24 Oct ‘15) will be a hit with fans of this tale of
freedom and hope.
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| Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo |
A visit from Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo (6
– 7 Oct ‘15) and Vincent and Flavia’s The
Last Tango (13 – 17 Oct ‘15) are sure to be a hit with dance fans, who can
also treat themselves to an early taste of Christmas with Northern Ballet’s The Nutcracker (10 – 14 Nov ‘15) and
their special ballet for children The
Elves and The Shoemaker (13 Nov ‘15). Comedy-lovers can catch a one-night
special with Dave Gorman (1 Nov ‘15)
or be entertained with a night dining in our Upper Circle foyer with Basil,
Sybil and Manuel as Faulty Towers, the
Dining Experience returns (16 – 21 Nov ‘15).
Newcastle Theatre Royal’s Autumn 2015, Summer 2016
and Autumn 2016 seasons are kindly sponsored by Mill Volvo.
Tickets:
Tickets for all new shows in the
Autumn ‘15 / Spring ‘16 season are already on public sale. Tickets can be purchased from the Theatre
Royal Box Office on 08448 11 21 21 (Calls cost 7p per minute plus your phone
company’s access charge) or pay 50p less per ticket when you book online at www.theatreroyal.co.uk
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