Curated Culture 29.10.24
Curated Culture 29.10.24
Our weekly selective signpost to some of what's currently on offer from venues and attractions across North East England
Hello and thanks as ever for opening up to our weekly serving of recommendations from the North East’s stages and cultural attractions.
This is the newsletter which throws up a double handful (and often one or two more besides) of suggestions for things to see and do over the next fortnight or so.
It also serves as a recap for everything we’ve highlighted in previous Curated Culture mailouts, which are STILL SHOWING while also being useful for those who like to fill up their diaries in advance, thanks to our binocular-wearing NOW BOOKING section.
We continue to enjoy receiving your suggestions for stuff you’d like to see included, so do keep dropping them into our inbox.
For this week’s newsletter prizedraw, which gives Cultured. North East subscribers an exclusive chance to win tickets to something great, we’ve got a pair of tickets to see Fixing at Alphabetti Theatre in Newcastle on November 9th at 7.30pm. More information and details of how to enter can be found at the end.
Thanks as always for your supportive messages and social media shout outs.
See you soon
Sam and Dave*
*Like Chas and Dave but with less hair and better accents
PS: If you haven’t liked/followed/high fived us on our socials, you can rectify that on Facebook, Instagram and X/Twitter
PPS: Due to Sam being off chasing rollercoasters in Holland for half term, this week’s Culture Digest will be a day later (and possibly more adrenaline-fuelled) than normal… perfect Saturday night/Sunday morning reading.
OPERA: The Magic Flute
Where: Newcastle Theatre Royal
When: November 8-9
Bookings and info: theatreroyal.co.uk
Billed as ‘the ideal introduction to opera’, James Brining’s production, set to Mozart’s memorable music looks set to be a popular draw for Opera North’s latest Tyneside residency.
The production will return to the venue on March 6 and 7, next year. You can read David Whetstone’s preview here.
Opera North are also performing A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Nov 6) and Ruddigore (Nov 7) during their Theatre Royal stay.
THEATRE: War Horse
Where: Sunderland Empire
When: November 5 to 16
Bookings and info: atgtickets.com
Based on Michael Morpurgo’s beloved novel, this theatrical adaptation continues to enthral audiences - taking them from the fields of rural Devon to the trenches of First World War France.
A powerful blend of music, song, emotion and innovative storytelling - the life-sized and life-like horses never fail to amaze - it’s something which needs to be seen.
COMEDY: Rhod Gilbert and the Giant Grapefruit
Where: Stockton Globe
When: November 8
Bookings and info: stocktonglobe.co.uk
Welsh comic, Rhod Gilbert brings his latest - and quite possibly most personal - show yet to Stockton next month.
It’s Rhod’s first tour since completely his cancer treatment, so expect lots of laughs from the darkness as well and ‘remarkable zest’.
Rhod will be back in the region in 2025 for dates at Newcastle City Hall (June 5) and Middlesbrough Town Hall (Oct 11).
THEATRE: Only The Beginning
Where: The Customs House, South Shields and then touring in South Tyneside
When: November 1-3 (touring Nov 6-10)
Bookings and info: customshouse.co.uk
A ‘love letter to women’s football’ will be kicking off at The Customs House this weekend for a three-night run before touring to community venues next week.
Presented by The Customs House with ThickSkin, the story is set against a crucial game for the England Lionesses - with a struggling grassroots North East team on the edge of their bench, waiting to hear their fate.
THEATRE: The Watch House
Where: Various North East venues
When: Continuing November 13-16
Bookings and info: papatango.co.uk
A stage adaptation of Carnegie Medal-winning North East writer Robert Westall’s ghost story, The Watch House is continuing a national tour after kicking off in Alnwick last week.
Olivier Award winning company Papatango, which co-produced the world premiere run with Whitley Bay’s Laurels Theatre (where it enjoyed a long run last Christmas), return to the region for dates at the Queen’s Hall, Hexham (Nov 13-14); The Crypt, Middlesbrough Town Hall (Nov 15); and a special staged reading at Cullercoats Watch House (Nov 16).
The original cast Donald McBride, Catherine Dryden and Aoife Kennan (Anne) are all on board.
MUSIC: Hue and Cry
Where: Sage Two, The Glasshouse
When: November 1
Bookings and info: theglasshouseicm.org
Eighties duo Hue and Cry are back in the North East following a gig at Queen’s Hall in Hexham in the spring.
With two million record sales under their belts, Scottish brothers Patrick and Gregory Kane have remained a favourite with the fans who fell for them in 1987 with the release of debut album, Seduced and Abandoned - featuring their first top 10 single, Labour of Love.
Since then, they have racked up a string of album releases and cemented themselves as a hit live act... meanwhile during the Covid pandemic, their Live from Lockdown broadcasts brought their charms to thousands of music lovers from all over the world.
FESTIVAL: WeyAye Deaf Festival!
Where: Gosforth Civic Theatre
When: November 1-2
Bookings and info: weyayedeaf.org.uk
The region’s first deaf-led community festival takes place at Gosforth Civic Theatre this weekend. Open to members of both Deaf and hearing communities, it will showcase the talents of a diverse group of Deaf individuals who will lead a series of workshops and performances, and offer an exhibition of Deaf artists’ work. The line-up includes work from celebrated Northumberland artist Sarah O’Dowd, comedy from David Sands and John Smith, cookery from ‘Punk Chef’ Scott Garthwaite, who trained under the Michelin starred Kenny Atkinson, film motion, improvisation, animal care, mindfulness and mental health.
EXHIBITION: Mali Morris - Returning
Where: Hatton Gallery, Newcastle
When: Until January 11, 2025
Bookings and info: hattongallery.org.uk
More than 60 years after she came to Newcastle as an undergraduate, Mali Morris’ name is front and centre for her largest exhibition to date at Newcastle’s Hatton Gallery.
The exhibition features around 40 key works produced over five decades by the renowned abstract painter, who studied at Newcastle University from 1963-68.
Read Davis Whetstone’s review of the exhibition, here.
COMEDY: Lucy Beaumont Live!
Where: Tyne Theatre and Opera House
When: November 7
Bookings and info: tynetheatreandoperahouse.uk
She’s BAFTA nominated and has peppered our TV screens in recent years (At Home With The Richardsons, Taskmaster and too many panel shows to mention etc).
Now Lucy Beaumont is back out doing what she’s always done - standing on a stage and making people laugh a lot. This is part of her extended tour… needless to say there aren’t many tickets left.
THEATRE: Doomgate
Where: Laurels Theatre, Whitley Bay
When: October 29 to November 2
Bookings and info: Laurels website
An unsettling anthology of nine plays, all set on the same street, is bringing the halloween vibe to the coast this week.
BBC Newcastle’s Grin Up North brought writers Hannah Sowerby, Lynne Patrick and Jamie McLeish together… and this is the first production of their new theatre company’s stable.
One of the shortlisted entrants to Laurels’ Richard Jenkinson Commission playwriting prize, they say they’ve taken inspiration from The League of Gentlemen, Inside No. 9 and Tales of the Unexpected. Read our full preview here.
MUSIC: YVA
Where: Cluny 2, Ouseburn, Newcastle
When: November 5
Bookings and info: thecluny.com
With two EPs and millions of streams under her belt - together with a huge stamp of approval from Nitin Sawnhey - with whom she has played the Royal Albert Hall four times - spellbinding Newcastle-based singer songwriter, YVA is back on home turf for this live date at The Cluny.
STILL SHOWING
Event: Bright Ideas Gathering, Gala Theatre Durham, Nov 2
Dance: Peaky Blinders: The Redemption of Thomas Shelby, Sunderland Empire, Oct 29-Nov 2
Film and Music: Psycho in Concert, The Glasshouse, Oct 31
Theatre: Nightmares, Gosforth Civic Theatre, Oct 31
Classical: Pierrot in the Moonlight, The Glasshouse, Nov 2
Music: An intimate evening with Martin Fry, The Queen’s Hall, Hexham, Nov 3
Classical: Beethoven’s ‘Pastoral’, The Glasshouse, Nov 8
Theatre: The Cramlington Trainwreckers, various venues regionwide, Nov 7-16
Theatre: Many Happy Returns!, various Northumberland venues, Nov 15-22
Exhibition: Framing Fashion, Bowes Museum, Barnard Castle, until Mar 2, 2025
Festival: Tees Valley International Film Festival, ARC, Stockton, Nov 6-9
Exhibition: Solidarity Forever: Banners of the Durham Mining Community, Durham Cathedral, Oct 22-Nov 7
Comedy: Dom Joly - The Conspiracy Tour, ARC, Stockton; Nov 7
Theatre: Chicago, Newcastle Theatre Royal, Oct 28-Nov 2 (Read our review, here)
Exhibition: Romance to Realities: The Northern Landscapes and Shifting Identities, Laing Art Gallery, Newcastle, until April 26, 2025
Exhibition: Brian Hutchinson: A Retrospective, ARC, Stockton until Nov 16
Theatre: Saint Maud at Live Theatre, until Nov 2 (read our review here)
Events: The Pumpkin Forest at Auckland Castle, until Oct 31
Events: The Glittering North, Raby Castle, Oct 30-31 and Nov 1-3
Festival: Williams Shield Festival, Lit and Phil and other venues, until Nov 28
Exhibition: Joanne Coates - Middle of Somewhere, BALTIC, until Nov 17
Exhibition: Hannah Perry - Manual Labour, BALTIC, until Jan 19, 2025
Screen: Prima Facie: National Theatre Live, various North East cinemas, until Dec 5
NOW BOOKING
Nov 13: Gwyneth Goes Skiing, Live Theatre, Newcastle
Nov 16-17: Sarah Millican - Late Bloomer, Stockton Globe
Nov 18: The Libertines, Stockton Globe
Nov 22-Dec 31: AGLOW at Auckland Castle
Nov 23: Mikey Kenney, Cobalt Studios, Ouseburn
Nov 25-30: Only Fools and Horses - The Musical, Sunderland Empire. (Also playing Newcastle Theatre Royal Feb 10-22, 2025)
Nov 27: Jason Manford - A Manford All Seasons, Utilita Arena, Newcastle
Nov 28-Dec 5: Royal Northern Sinfonia Winter Tour, various North East venues
Dec 3-21: Present, Live Theatre, Newcastle
Dec 5 and 8: Jools Holland and His Rhythm and Blues Orchestra, Newcastle City Hall and Stockton Globe
Dec 6: Voices of Virtue Gospel Festive Party, Gosforth Civic Theatre
Dec 7: Django Django at King Street Social Club, North Shields
Dec 12 and 13: The Stand Christmas Special, The Stand Newcastle
Dec 15: Laffs for Kids, Utilita Arena Newcastle
Dec 17: Culture Club with Heaven 17 and Tony Hadley, Utilita Arena, Newcastle
Dec 19-20: The Suggestibles’ Impro Pantso, Northern Stage. Also at Queen’s Hall on Dec 13.
Dec 31: Jason Cook’s NYE Comedy Club, The Customs House, South Shields
2025
Jan 2-5: Les Miserables, Utilita Arena, Newcastle
Jan 12: Kai Humphries - Gallivanting, The Stand Newcastle
Jan 18: The John Martyn Project, The Maltings, Berwick
Jan 21 and 22: Ben Elton - Authentic Stupidity, Gala Theatre Durham and Darlington Hippodrome
Jan 27-Feb 1: The Rocky Horror Show, Newcastle Theatre Royal
Feb 11-15: Here You Come Again - The New Dolly Parton Musical, Sunderland Empire
March-April: The Lindisfarne Story, various venues across the North East
Feb 13-Mar 8: Champion, Live Theatre, Newcastle
Mar 7: Russell Kane - HyperActive, Stockton Globe (also Tyne Theatre Newcastle on Sept 20)
Mar 18: Jason Donovan - Doin’ Fine 2025, Darlington Hippodrome
Mar 25-Apr 5: Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake, Newcastle Theatre Royal
Apr 13: Si Beckwith - Debt Midler, The Stand Newcastle
Apr 16: Sugababes, Utilita Arena, Newcastle
May 15-31: The Sunderland Story, Sunderland Empire
Sept 8-13: 2:22 A Ghost Story, Sunderland Empire
COMPETITION TIME
Welcome to our latest newsletter prizedraw, offering our subscribers an exclusive opportunity to win tickets to see or do something great.
This week, we’ve got a pair of tickets to see Fixing at Alphabetti Theatre in Newcastle on November 9th at 7.30pm.
Asking the question, ‘Which is easier to fix; a 1954 Sunbeam Talbot, or a family relationship?’ Matt Miller - with the help of drag alter-ego, Natalie Spanner - opens up the bonnet to find the answers.
Fixing plays Alphabetti from November 5 to 23. For more information and booking, visit the website.
To be in with a chance of winning, simply email MePlease@culturednortheast.co.uk using the subject line: SPANNER before midday (12pm) on Saturday, November 2, 2024.
The winner, who will be selected at random, will be notified within 24 hours of the entry deadline.
Terms and conditions: Only subscribers to the Cultured. North East newsletter are eligible to enter the Newsletter Prize Draw competition. Prizes are as stated - subject to availability - and non-transferable. No cash alternatives will be offered. You must be over 18 years of age to enter. The Editor’s decision is final.