Lyn Gardner speaks and Gwyneth Paltrow skis at Live Theatre
Plus why Solve-Along-A-Murder She Wrote is the best night out in town
Hello, and welcome to my Substack! A ton of stuff this week, so I am getting this out of the way early as I also have a lot of client stuff on – ah, the joys of freelancer life…
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[Image description: cross-stitch on bat print fabric: In this house we love goths and hate Tories]
My week in theatre
Last week was super busy with theatre stuff – not all of it actual plays, but all of it reminding me why I love the North East theatre scene.
I was lucky enough to catch the extra date that was added for gobscure’s gorgeous performance / installation yu have already survived at Live on Tuesday – and while it has now finished at Live, it is on at Slung Low in Leeds on Saturday, so do try to catch it if you are around.
Also at Live, on Wednesday, I attended an informal discussion by renowned theatre writer Lyn Gardner. I was fortunate enough to meet Lyn beforehand and chat all things theatre, and she was every bit as informed, engaging and intellectually curious (and generous) as her reputation suggests. Her chat with Live AD Jack McNamara was attended by a wide group of local theatre makers, who raised a lot of really interesting points (particular props to the young arts graduates whose positive energy buoyed the room!). It felt both useful and invigorating to have all those people in a room having honest conversations, even if sometimes that was just airing frustrations at the current arts landscape.
This of course follows on from the equally helpful chat a while back with Stewart Pringle (in both his capacity as playwright – though if I recall correctly The Bounds hadn’t been announced then – and dramaturg at the National Theatre). I’d love to see Live host more of these events – especially as The Undercroft is such a perfect space for these kind of unintimidating, informal industry chats.
(I also got to meet the new Alphabetti AD, Ed Cole – which shows what a great networking chance these events are – and am excited to see what he will do in the role after Pritchard’s final season, the Joyful Punk I mentioned in a previous newsletter. And he has a dog, who I am excited to meet, though of course no one can replace lovely Rex in my heart.)
Friday saw me attending a very different show, the fantastically enjoyable Solve-along a Murder She Wrote. I attended my first one of these last year as a total sceptic, but the amazing atmosphere and the infectious enthusiasm of the impossible-not-to-like host Tim Benzie completely won me over, so I went back with not just last year’s crowd but a bunch of newbies, who were similarly converted. Benzie switches up the episodes on the tours to keep things fresh, so I think this is one show I will keep coming back to.
Benzie is taking both this and his new show, It’s A Mystery! to EdFringe, so you can catch them there if you missed this. I actually met him in the pub afterwards (he was lovely and very nice to the hordes of audience members who came up to talk to him) and so started my campaign to get him to bring that show to Newcastle too…
This week, I have two very different plays in the diary. First up, it’s the North East press night for Underdog: The Other Other Brontë. This garnered the full gamut of reviews when it opened in London, but as I just was reminded by The Bounds – which I totally loved but which got some very mixed press – sometimes the best shows are the ones that divide opinions, because at least you know they’re not likely to be dull! So, I am pretty excited by this one. There is also a host of great sounding wraparound events being hosted by the theatre, from music gigs to book events, so it’s definitely worth checking out what’s on.
I’m a little more trepidatious about Maggie & Me at the Traverse in Edinburgh, Damian Barr’s play about growing up gay in Thatcher’s Britain. While the subject very much appeals to me, the nearly three hour – THREE HOUR!! – run time has both me and my bladder a bit scared (there is an interval, though, or I’d be giving up my ticket right now…).
Theatre to book now
Theatre Royal
July sees The Little Mermaid inspired show Unfortunate come to the Theatre Royal. I saw a version of this at Northern Stage a while back and while it’s not perfect – I felt like a tighter edit would have served it better – it’s a great night out. A camp, raucous musical which tells the story from the perspective of Ursula the sea-witch, it’s not for the faint hearted (and definitely not for kids!) but very worth your time.
One musical I haven’t seen but would like to is Heathers, which comes to the theatre in September, and which promises a fun evening. I also have heard great things about Come From Away, the musical about passengers who were rerouted after the September 11 attacks, and the small community that welcomed them.
Live Theatre
It’s not coming till November, but Live has scored a coup by getting Gwyneth Goes Skiing, an irreverent take on highly publicised dispute between Paltrow and a fellow skier. The show has already garnered fantastic reviews, so book now if you don’t want to miss out – it’s only in Newcastle for a short run.
Coming this month for one night only, touring show The Donkey, The Whippet and the Giant Leek celebrates the music of North East composer Eric Boswell. I admit I am unfamiliar with his work, so I guess this would offer a great opportunity to find out more…
Alphabetti
There’s a ton of events on at Alphabetti over the next month, including film nights, game nights, music and comedy gigs, as well as screenings of Euro matches. Highlights include Victor Esses’ The Death and Life of All of Us, about secrets, shame and embracing who you are, and improv night Rat Race.
ARC Stockton
Over at ARC, it’s worth checking out their Refugee Week Celebration event, which is this year themed as Our Home. The venue is hosting a free day-long event on Saturday 22 June, which promises performances, food and stalls among other treats.
Durham Fringe
I’ll do a deeper dive into the Durham Fringe programme nearer the time, but even at a quick glance the festival offers a huge range of comedy, music and drama. One show I can recommend, having seen a filmed version of it at Alphabetti in the early days of post-lockdown reopening, is Retake, Remake. The Lawnmowers learning-disabled led Theatre Ensemble’s show looks at the Hollywood practice of casting non-learning-disabled actors as learning disabled characters – often for awards bait. Using song, film clips and recorded voices, this tackles the serious question of under-representation but is often very funny, and always deeply irreverent.
Also, I bloody LOVE that the fairly comprehensive content warnings on the Fringe website let you know whether a show involves audience interaction or not. For those of us who have learned to spend shows tensed up with our ‘DO NOT CALL ON ME!’ faces firmly in place throughout when we have realised too late a production involves audience participation, this is a great way to make informed choices.
The TARDIS at the Tyneside
I still haven’t watched any of the Ncuti Gatwa Doctor Who episodes – I know, I know – but if you are more organised that me, you might want to check out the finale screening (and Doctor Who quiz) at the Tyneside Cinema this month.
Also, if you are a bit skint, The Tyneside now does Fiver Monday screenings, where you can go see a film for, yes, a fiver.
[Image description: cross-stitch of two skeletons and the words ‘you never know when the good you do may come back around]
CREDIT: Skeletons adapted from an Innocent Bones tarot card pattern. Check out their website for the gorgeous tarot collection - I’ve done all of them and they are stunning! They also now have a zodiac collection, which is also beautiful.
What I have been watching
OK, so I still haven’t watched Doctor Who, or any of the other 100 shows on my planner, but I did at least get round to watching two ‘buzzy’ shows this week: Fallout and Dead Boy Detectives. I ended up being surprised that I preferred the latter.
Fallout boasts an incredible cast (including my personal faves Walton Goggins, Mykelti Williamson - a Justified reunion! - Kyle MacLachlan and Sarita Choudhry, to name but a few), great production values and high concept world-building. But it also has that The Boys-style comic book violence approach to gore – hey, look, it’s funny that guy got his head blown off! – that I don’t love, and after a couple of episodes I found myself starting to tire of it. I might go back to it – I’m willing to believe I just wasn’t in the right mood – but I’m also content to file it under ‘a great show, just not for me.’
Dead Boy Detectives I was actually less interested in. I enjoyed Sandman but didn’t adore it the way some others did, and this is set in that universe, albeit with only minor crossovers. It definitely took me a couple of episodes to warm to it. But this story of dead besties who solve supernatural mysteries has a pleasingly queer vibe, characters it’s easy to warm to, and a ‘crime of the week’ format paired with a solid story arc that doesn’t outstay its welcome. (I even did the above inspired stitch!)
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Remember: everything included is my personal preference / opinion, and while I strive to be accurate, I always advising checking with the relevant venue.