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The People's Theatre (Newcastle upon Tyne)
by juicy_lucy
The Peoples Theatre
I was recently at the theatre with Little Miss and grandson to see the Christmas pantomime, Cinderella, which we thoroughly enjoyed.
WHERE IS IT?
The theatre is situated on the Coast Road, which is n the way to Tynemouth and Whitley Bay. There are several bus services available but the ... nearest Metro stations, Jesmond and Chillingham Road, are more than a mile away. The road is a very busy road but is close to local shops and also a pub/eatery, The Corner House, so you can dine before the theatre!
The theatre does have two small car parks but these frequently get full soon street parking is available. However, if you eat at The Corner House, this is probably the best bet for parking as it is just across the road from the theatre.
THE THEATRE...
The theatre is one of the oldest in Newcastle and stages up to 12 productions a year in the 500 seat auditorium. There is also a smaller auditorium but the production we saw was in the larger auditorium The shows are all staged by the theatre's own members, many of whom go on to be professional actors.
We were in the larger auditorium which is on the ground floor so its ok for wheel chair access. To get to the auditorium, we had to walk through a large bar area with seating, and drinks can be taken into the auditorium or ordered for the interval.
The stage is, as is usual at the front and then the seats are in rows going quite steeply upwards, and separated by aisles. This is where it becomes a bit tricky for anyone with young children or in a wheel chair as the toilets on the ground floor were out of order and the only other toilets were right at the top of the auditorium through what was almost a labyrinth of small rooms.
The seats themselves are quite comfortable and there was more leg room than in a lot of theatres I have been to but they are quite heavy so little grandson had to sit right on the edge of his seat in case it flipped up during the performance.
CONTACT...
e-mail: - theatremanager@peoplestheatre.co.uk
Telephone: (0191) 275 9875
Address: Stephenson Road Newcastle upon Tyne NE6 5QF
VERDICT...
Whilst its not the most attractive theatre I have been to, being in a large unadorned building on the side of a busy road, it is easy to access and there is plenty of parking. The acoustics are fairly basic and sometimes the voices were dropping off and we couldn't here.
However, on the plus side, the staff are friendly and helpful, and the merchandise realistically priced- programmes are £1 and light wands £3.
We thoroughly enjoyed the production and would recommend this theatre for anyone wanting to watch an amateur production.
Thanks for reading
Daniela xx
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Wicked The Musical
by thefund
When I first went to see this show I wasn't looking forward to it at all, and wished I was going to see something else. For some reason I was determined to hate it, but I just couldn't. It was simply breath taking! To date, despite seeing most west end shows for the past 10 years, it is my favourite of all time and will probably keep ... that top spot for many years to come.
When you first walk into the theatre the staging hits you - cogs everywhere and of course the dragon above the proscenium arch that fully functions. The set throughout is nothing short of amazing.
From the opening song I knew the show was going to be special - it took my breath away from the very beginning and this has got to be Stephen Schwartz (the composer) at his best. The soundtrack is enough to make you fall in love with the show itself!
The story is similiar to that of the Wizard of Oz but with a very different twist which you won't have heard before. I thought that it would basically be the same and that was why I wasn't looking forward to it, but my god, this is so much better.
Having seen it 4 times with both the principal cast and understudies I must say they never seem to disappoint. Each time the entire cast have blown me away.
There isn't much I can say about this show except that you should just go and see it, NOW. Don't hold back - Wicked is a truly magical experience and is exactly what the theatre industry is about. A must see.
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