NEWCASTLE THEATRE ROYAL
ANNOUNCES
SPRING / SUMMER ’17 SEASON
HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE:
Running Wild 9
– 13 May ‘17
The Railway Children 26 Jun – 1 Jul ‘17
Young Frankenstein 26 Aug – 9 Sep ‘17
Shirley Valentine 23 – 28 Oct ‘17
Beautiful 14
– 18 Nov ‘17
There’s something to suit every taste with
spellbinding dance, madcap comedy and scintillating drama amongst the
world-class productions announced by Newcastle Theatre Royal for the Spring /
Summer 2017 season.
Comedy musical Young Frankenstein (Sat 26 Aug – Sat
9 Sep ‘17) will get its UK premiere when Hollywood legend Mel Brooks brings his
classic movie to life on stage in an all singing, all dancing musical
collaboration with Broadway director and choreographer Susan Stroman. Based on the 1974 Oscar-nominated smash hit
movie, Young Frankenstein is
coming to Newcastle for a pre-West End season and will be co-produced
by Michael Harrison, the man behind the Theatre Royal’s record-breaking
pantomime and hugely popular musicals including The Bodyguard and Annie.
 |
| Photo: Birgit & Ralf Brinkhoff |
Harrison then returns with Beautiful – The Carole King Musical (Tue
14 – Sat 18 Nov ’17), the Olivier
award-winning West End show that tells the inspiring story of an ordinary girl with an
extraordinary talent. Discover the
remarkable rise to stardom of the chart-topping music legend who wrote the
soundtrack to a generation with classics including (You Make Me Feel) Like a Natural Woman, You’ve Got a Friend and Locomotion.
 |
| Photo: Johan Persson |
In Running Wild (Tue 9 – Sat 13 May ’17), going to Indonesia with her mum isn’t just
a holiday for Lilly, it’s a new start and the chance to ride an elephant called
Oona. But then the tsunami hit – and
Oona charges into the jungle, with her young rider desperately clinging on. Directed by Dale Rooks and Timothy Sheader
with puppetry design and direction by Finn Caldwell and Toby Olie (War Horse), this epic and spectacular
production tells an emotional and moving story of love, loss, loyalty and of
living for the moment.
Hot on the heels of The Great
British Bake Off, comedy genius Sue
Perkins Live! In Spectacles (Sun 12 Feb ’17) will be entertaining audiences with an evening
full of sparkling wit, tall tales and a user’s guide to Mary Berry.
And the fun continues with a stellar line up including Shaun Williamson (EastEnders, Extras); Sue Holderness (Only Fools & Horses, Green Green Grass);
Andrew Hall (Butterflies, Coronation
Street); Susie Amy (Footballers’
Wives) and James Homes (Miranda) guaranteeing
that audiences have plenty to laugh about in Ray Cooney’s Olivier Award-winning
comedy Out of Order (Mon 22 –
Sat 27 May ’17).
 |
| Babe, The Sheep-Pig |
Younger audiences will be delighted by the lovable Babe in a
heart-warming tale of friendship, adventure and bravery. Babe,
The Sheep-Pig (Mon 12 – Wed 14 Jun ’17) tells the story of the
little pig with big dreams in an enchanting family favourite as the classic
novel which inspired the Oscar-winning film comes alive with plenty of
laughter, thrills, stunning puppetry and original music.
E.Nesbit’s classic novel The Railway
Children (Mon 26 Jun – Sat 1 Jul ’17) is brought thrillingly
to life in a stunning new stage production.
This best-loved tale, made famous by the iconic 1970 movie starring
jenny Agutter and Bernard Cribbens, delivers a coming of age story and a fascinating
insight into Edwardian rural life.
Following a smash-hit West End season, the tea-guzzling tiger is back in
The Tiger Who Came To Tea (Thu
29 Jun – Sat 1 Jul 2017); packed with oodles of magic, sing-a-long songs and
clumsy chaos, this delightful family show is sure to put a smile on our young
audiences’ faces.
For perfectly feel-good entertainment, look no further than Thoroughly Modern Millie (Mon 10 – Sat 15 Jul ’17) starring Strictly
Come Dancing’s Joanne Clifton. Based
on the 1976 Academy Award-winning movie and the winner of six Tony Awards,
including Best Musical, this brilliantly funny and entertaining show for all
the family will take you back to the height of the Jazz age in New York City
when ‘moderns’, including a flapper named Millie Dillmount, were bobbing their
hair, raising their hemlines and rewriting the rules of love.
Follow the yellow brick road in a magical journey from Kansas all the way to the Emerald City with Newcastle Upon Tyne
Musical Theatre Company (NMTC) in a dazzling and
energetic performance of the beloved The
Wizard of Oz (Tue 25 – Sat 29 Jul ’17). And the high energy glamour continues in Crazy for You (Tue 12 – Sat 16 Sep
’17) with Tom Chambers (Top Hat and Strictly Come Dancing) and a wealth of
memorable tunes including I Got Rhythm,
They Can’t Take That Away From Me and Nice Work If You Can Get It.
Audiences will be on the edge of their seats as Ruth Rendell’s brilliant
plot unravels a lifetime of deceit, which, when revealed, brings a shocking
revelation in A Judgement in Stone (Mon 31 Jul – Sat 5 Aug ’17.
The heart-warming and life-changing comedy Shirley Valentine (Mon 23 – Sat 28
Oct ’17) will see Jodie Prenger star in the title
role as the Liverpool housewife who heads off to the sun and starts to see the world, herself
and the life she let behind very differently.
This, the first major revival of the national treasure, is a must-see
for anyone who adored the 1986 Oscar-nominated film by Willy Russell.
Dance fans will be captivated by Milonga
(Fri 16 – Sat 17 Jun ’17) which unites Argentinean tango dancers,
contemporary dancers and live musicians to create a show that captures the
unique style of celebrated choreographer Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui. Local sisters and Mercury-nominated mavericks
of British folk music The Unthanks (Sun
14 May ’17) showcase the extraordinary songs of Molly Drake in
a mesmerising performance of her charming and bittersweet works.
 |
| Funny Girl |
And there are plenty of great shows to suit all tastes already on sale
in the current season. Star of stage and
screen Sheridan Smith will be reprising her role as Fanny Brice when Funny
Girl (Tue 16 – Sat 20 May) comes to Newcastle hot on the heels of a
record breaking, sold out West End run. The new
production is set to delight fans of musical theatre - don’t miss your chance
to see it when Funny Girl comes to
the Theatre Royal for 1 week only.
A jam-packed line up of
top-class musicals includes the record breaking international sensation Dirty
Dancing (Mon 23 – Sat 28 Jan ‘17), the hugely enjoyable The
Commitments (Mon 6 – Sat 11 Feb ‘17), the ever-popular Blood
Brothers (Mon 13 – Sat 18 Mar ‘17), the feel-good
spectacular Mamma Mia! (Tue 28 Mar – Sat 15 Apr
‘17) and the critically acclaimed Sister Act (Mon 19 – Sat 24 June ‘17) starring Alexandra Burke and directed by Craig
Revel Horwood.
 |
| Danza Contemporana de Cuba |
Dance fans will be spoilt for choice:
unwrap a tasty winter
treat with Scottish Ballet’s magical Hansel
& Gretel (Wed 1 – Sat 4 Feb ‘17) and younger ballet fans will be
delighted with a special performance of Wee
Hansel & Gretel (Fri 3 Feb ’17). Afro Caribbean rhythms, jazzy
American modernism and inflections from European ballet come together in Danza Contemporana de Cuba (Tue 21 – Wed
22 Feb ’17), the magic of Ballroom and Latin dance is celebrated in Keep Dancing (Tue 18 – Sat 22 Apr ’17)
and the eagerly-awaited Matthew Bourne’s
The Red Shoes (Tue 2 – Sat 6 May ‘17)
is set to dazzle audiences in an intoxicating drama where life imitates art
with fateful consequences.
 |
| Cinderella - Photo: Carliol Photography |
There will be laughs a plenty when our show-stopping 16/17 Pantomime Cinderella
takes to the stage (Tue 22 Nov ’16 – Sun 15 Jan ’17) bringing fun and
adventure for all the family. Comedy
fans can enjoy the multi award-winning West End smash hit comedy The Play That Goes Wrong (Tue 17 – Sat 21 Jan ’17) and a night with Al
Murray (Sun 19 Feb ’17).
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| The Play That Goes Wrong |
Opera fans will be mesmerised with a host of fairytale performances
from Opera North including Hansel and Gretel (Wed 1 & Sat 4 Mar
’17), Cinderella (Tue 2 & Sat 4 Mar ’17) and The Snow Maiden (Fri
3 Mar ’17).
The story of rock ‘n’ roll legends Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis and Carl
Perkins coming together is brought to life in Million Dollar Quartet (Mon 6 – Sat 11
Mar ‘17) starring Jason Donovan.
Jane Austen’s most beloved
novel is reborn in Pride and Prejudice (Tue
14 – Sat 18 Feb ’17) and Hadaway Harry (Fri 24 – Sat 25 Feb ’17) tells the story of local sporting hero Harry
Clasper. Spine-tingling drama comes by way of Peter James’ Not Dead Enough (Mon 20 – Sat 25 Mar
’17) starring Shane Richie and Laura Whitmore and the chilling The Woman in Black (Mon 24 – Sat
29 Apr ’17) returns to Newcastle having continued to captivate audiences in a
record breaking run in London’s West End.
The innovative drama based on Mark Haddon’s award-winning novel, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the
Night-time (Tue 30 – Sat 10 June ’17) returns to Newcastle after a sell-out
run in 2015, and Jane Eyre (Mon 3 – Sat 8 July ’17) plays following a critically acclaimed season at
the National Theatre.
Tickets:
Tickets for all new shows in the Spring / Summer ‘17 season go on sale to
the general public at 9am on Fri 11 Nov 2016 and can be purchased online at www.theatreroyal.co.uk
or from the Theatre Royal Box Office on 08448 11 21 21 (Calls cost 7p per
minute plus your phone company’s access charge).
Friends of the Theatre Royal can book new season
shows on Mon 7 Nov, before the general public on Fri 11 Nov, and receive discounted
tickets as well as other benefits – visit www.theatreroyal.co.uk/support/become-a-friend
for more information.
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