Curated Culture 29.01.25
Our weekly recommendations round up from the region’s stages and cultural venues
Hello and welcome to the latest - and slightly belated - Curated Culture newsletter, bringing you a casserole of suggestions for things we think are well worth your time over the next couple of weeks.
Apologies for its delayed delivery. One of the CNE team has been under the weather in recent days - after undergoing a spot of surgery at the weekend - and was overly optimistic about the restorative powers of a shower and a sherbet lemon.
A N Y W A Y - back to the business of bringing you what regular readers have come to expect - namely:
A generous selection of featured listings from the North East’s stages and cultural venues and attractions;
A round up of suggestions from previous Curated Culture newsletters which are STILL SHOWING; and
The NOW BOOKING section which skips further forward in the calendar to highlight shows, events and whatnot you might want to get inked in sooner rather than later.
And let’s not forget the weekly newsletter prizedraw - which offers Cultured. North East subscribers an exclusive chance to win tickets to something great.
This week, we’ve got a pair of tickets to see Ishy Din’s new family drama Champion, which is premiering at Live Theatre, Newcastle from February 13 to March 8.
All the details and info on how to get your hat (gloves) in the ring is located at the end of this newsletter… but make sure you don’t hurry past all the delights that we’ve pulled together between here and there.
See you soon and thanks as ever for your support.
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, X/Twitter and Blue Sky
CLASSICAL: Hayden Thorpe & Propellor
Where: Sage Two, The Glasshouse ICM, Gateshead
When: Thursday, January 30, 8pm
Bookings and info: theglasshouseicm.org
Still some tickets left for a performance that brings together multiple talents and, despite being a little hard to define, could change your life.
For 16 years, Cumbria-born Thorpe fronted indie pop band Wild Beasts which released five critically acclaimed studio albums before disbanding in 2018.
He then went solo and last year produced his third album, Ness, a musical interpretation of nature poet Robert Macfarlane’s prose poem of the same name that was inspired by Orford Ness, a spit of land off the Suffolk coast which used to be used for weapons testing but is now a National Trust nature reserve.
Thorpe, a recent artist-in-residence at The Glasshouse, will perform Ness alongside members of the Cumbrian multi-instrumental ensemble which goes by the name of Propellor.
“Beautifully singular” is how The Glasshouse describe Ness. The performance, they predict, will be “sonically spectacular and transformational”.
In support will be Brighton-based Helen Ganya whose forthcoming album Share Your Care was prompted by the death of her grandmother who lived in Thailand where Ganya, who grew up in Singapore, would spend summers.
News just in….
MUSIC: Craig David
Where: Utilita Arena, Newcastle
When: February 5
Bookings and info: utilitaarena.co.uk
This year marks 25 years since Craig David made his mark with the acclaimed album, Born To Do It, which played host to a raft of hit singles including Fill Me In, Walking Away and 7 Days.
Seven albums have followed in the years since along with UK and world tours - the latest of which lands on Tyneside early next month, and features support from Lemar.
THEATRE: Hadaway Harry
Where: Various North East venues
When: February 5-22
Bookings and info: hadawayharry.com
A decade since the story of Victorian sporting superstar, Harry Clasper was told on the stages across the North East, the production is returning for a special regional tour.
Award-winning actor Jamie Brown is back in the leading role, telling the story of a working class pitman from Jarrow who became multiple rowing champion of the world.
Crowned the King of the Thames and the Tyne, the Blaydon Races was written for him while 130,000 people attended his funeral.
Written by Ed Waugh, the one-man play gathered five star reviews and accolades after its first outing, which included national dates as well as extensive North East ones.
LECTURE: The Power of Poetry
Where: Curtis Auditorium, Herschel Building, Newcastle University
When: Tuesday, February 4, 5.30pm
Bookings and info: www.ncl.ac.uk
Joseph Coelho begins the spring season of Insights public talks by delivering the annual Fickling Lecture, following in a distinguished line of speakers that includes Philip Pullman (2006), Roddy Doyle (2011), Baroness Floella Benjamin (2017) and, last year, Kate Adie.
Coelho, brought up by a single parent in a London tower block, was inspired by a visit to his school by the Jamaican dub poet and storyteller Jean ‘Binta’ Breeze.
Boy, did she start something that day! Coelho began performing with performance poetry outfit Apples and Snakes in 2002 and has since produced poetry collections, plays and books while also gaining a reputation as an educator.
From 2022-24 he was the Children’s Laureate, he was elected a fellow of the Royal Society of Literature in 2023 and last year his novel for young adults, The Boy Lost in the Maze, won the Carnegie Medal.
The lecture, supported by David Fickling Books, is free to attend but places must be booked. Chairing the event will be Dr Lucy Pearson, senior lecturer in children’s literature.
THEATRE: Only Fools and Horses the Musical
Where: Newcastle Theatre Royal
When: February 10-22
Bookings and info: theatreroyal.co.uk
This time in a week-or-so Rodders… we’ll be preparing to see a smash hit musical production of a beloved sitcom institution.
Del Boy, Rodney, Grandad, Raquel, Marlene, Boycie, Trigger, Denzil are among the iconic TV characters taking to the Theatre Royal in the musical, which boasts a script and original score written by Jim Sullivan - the son of TV series creator, John - and comedy treasure, Paul Whitehouse, who played the role of Grandad in the hit West End run.
The production enjoyed a run at the Sunderland Empire before Christmas, and is back in the region for another plonker-soaked stay.
JAZZ: Lewis Watson Quartet
Where: King’s Hall, Newcastle University
When: Thursday, February 6, 1.15pm
Bookings and info: www.ncl.ac.uk
You’ll find rave reviews of sax player Lewis Watson and his quartet all over the internet and the group only came together in 2022.
A free concert as part of the Live in the King’s Hall lunchtime concert series will be seen as a gift to those in the know and offers a brilliant opportunity to anyone wishing to get acquainted.
The Newcastle-based musician will be joined at the front of the hall by Mark Williams (guitar), Andy Chapman (double bass) and John Bradford (drums).
The quartet’s repertoire is wide ranging and includes original compositions but with an emphasis on collective improvisation.
As always, there will be a follow-up concert at 4pm by students, on this occasion including Alex Lee (soprano), Louis Tyson (bass guitar) and Oliver Needham (drums), so do pop back.
Read more: Review - Nerys Johnson: Disability and Practice at The Laing
COMEDY: The Suggestibles - Celebrating 21 years of these mugs
Where: The Cumberland Arms, Ouseburn
When: February 1
Bookings and info: thesuggestibles.co.uk
It’s key of the door time for North East improv treasures, The Suggestibles - and they’ve booked a date on home turf to mark the occasion.
The 21-year anniversary show at The Cumberland will be just as unpredictable and unique as the thousands of others which have been enjoyed over the years.
With added cake!
MUSIC: Holly and the Reivers
WHERE: Gosforth Civic Theatre
WHEN: January 31
Bookings and info: gosforthcivictheatre.co.uk
Programmed to coincide with Independent Venues Week, a special gig is set to get the weekend off in excellent fashion.
The band: Holly Clarke, Merle Harbron and Bertie Armstrong formed in 2017 via a love of singing together… and it seems it was a love destined to endure.
While they describe themselves as being firmly rooted in the folk song tradition, the trio’s output also brings together each of their individual influences within old-time music, Welsh songs, supernatural ballads, political takes and Scottish fiddle.
The result is a storytelling soundscape - with a strong leaning towards folk horror cinema narratives - you’re going to want to hear again and again.
Read more: Music City status for Sunderland
EVENT: Noisy Daughters - In discussion with Kate Fox
Where: Darlington Hippodrome (John Wade Group Lounge)
When: February 1, 11am
Bookings and info: darlingtonhippodrome.co.uk
Darlington collective Tracks has teamed up with the Hippodrome for a duo of Noisy Daughters ‘in discussion’ events around International Women’s Day - starting with poet, author, performer and Radio Four regular, Kate Fox.
The second, on March 1, will see comedian, Lauren Pattinson taking to the stage for a chat.
THEATRE: Tiny Fragments of Beautiful Light
Where: Gala Durham
When: February 6-8, 7.30pm
Bookings and info: galadurham.co.uk
Loads of people loved this play by Northumberland writer Allison Davies when it premiered at Newcastle’s Alphabetti Theatre in 2023 – and now, at the Gala, it embarks on a regional and national tour with funding from Arts Council England.
Same director (Karen Traynor) and same cast with Hannah Genesius reprising her role as quirky and well-meaning Elsa who worries that she doesn’t quite fit in and is embroiled in an ongoing struggle with the octopus inside her head.
Zoe Lambert returns as Elsa’s mum while Yemisi Oyinloye is cast once again as special friend Carmen.
The production is also visiting Queen’s Hall Arts Centre, Hexham, on February 19, Hipp @ The Hullabaloo, Darlington, on February 20, and Alphabetti Theatre, Newcastle, on February 21 and 22.
Read more: Call out for sounds of Wearside’s past
EXHIBITION: The Skin We Live In
Where: NGCA at the National Glass Centre, Sunderland
When: Until March 2, 2025
Bookings and info: sunderlandculture.org.uk
Artworks from the Northern Gallery for Contemporary Art’s growing collection have been assembled in this group show exploring contemporary portraiture in photography, painting and other media.
It features work by 29 contemporary artists and photographers who rather than focus on an individual have used portraiture to delve into our shared human condition.
Chosen from a collection of more than 500 artworks built up since 2006, the exhibition was designed to give visibility to marginalised communities and often internalised emotions.
Running alongside it in the NGCA Collection Space and at Pop Recs (172-175 High Street West, Sunniside, SR1 1UP) is My Name Is Harry, featuring hundreds of photos capturing the comedy circuit.
Working as a tour manager has given Harry Griffin the perfect vantage point for capturing well-known performers on the road, among them Joe Lycett, Phil Wang, Nina Conti, Philip Rosenthal, Elis James and Matt Chorley.
Read more: ClassicsFest returns with new writing challenge
FILM: A Sudden Glimpse to Deeper Things
Where: The Maltings, Berwick
When: Wednesday, February 5, 7.30pm
Bookings and info: maltingsberwick.co.uk
There’s growing interest in the Scottish abstract painter Wilhelmina Barns-Graham who spent a few years after the Second World War among the artists of St Ives, Cornwall, and then in 1949 had an artistic epiphany on a Swiss glacier.
This you’ll know if you saw the major exhibition of the late artist’s work at the Hatton Gallery, Newcastle, two years ago.
That moment on the Grindelwald glacier she described as her “glimpse to deeper things” which director Mark Cousins took for the title of his new film about Barns-Graham in which Tilda Swinton provides the artist’s voice.
The Edinburgh-based Wilhelmina Barns-Graham Trust was behind the Hatton exhibition and the Berwick screening will be followed by a Q&A with the Trust’s director, Rob Airey.
Mr Airey, you might not be surprised to learn, once worked in a curatorial role at the Hatton Gallery.
Read more: Shortlist for Gordon Burn Prize revealed
STILL SHOWING
Theatre: DIG, various North East venues until March 6
Theatre: The Rocky Horror Show, Newcastle Theatre Royal, until Feb 1
Music: Hector Gannet, The Exchange 1856, Jan 31 (Returns only)
Comedy: David O’Doherty - Tiny Piano Man, Tyne Theatre and Opera House, Newcastle, Feb 1
Classical: Elisabeth Leonskaja plays Beethoven, The Glasshouse, Feb 2
Music: James Bay, Newcastle City Hall, Feb 4
Theatre: Calamity Jane, Sunderland Empire, Feb 4-8
Exhibition: Spellbound, The Sill: National Landscape Discovery Centre, Northumberland, until April 6
Event: Glenn McCrory in Conversation, Live Theatre, Feb 8
Lecture: Andrew Graham-Dixon - The Age of Revolutions: exploring the art of the early 19th century, The Lit and Phil, Newcastle, Feb 11
Exhibition: Sustainable Clay, Hatton Gallery, Newcastle, Feb 1-May 3
Theatre: Jack and the Beanstalk, Beamish Museum, weekend performances until Feb 16
Event: Day Fever, The Boiler Shop Newcastle, 3pm-8pm, Feb 15
Comedy: Mark Thomas - Gaffa Tapes, Alnwick Playhouse, Jan 31 and The Witham, Barnard Castle, Feb 1
Theatre: The Whirlgig of Time, Queen’s Hall Arts Centre, Hexham Jan 31
Exhibition: We all came here from somewhere, BALTIC, until Feb 9
Exhibition: Sheila Fell - Cumberland on Canvas, Tullie House, Carlisle, until Mar 16, 2025 (coming to Sunderland Museum and Winter Gardens after it closes
Exhibition: Framing Fashion, Bowes Museum, Barnard Castle, until Mar 2, 2025
Exhibition: Romance to Realities: The Northern Landscapes and Shifting Identities, Laing Art Gallery, Newcastle, until April 26, 2025
Exhibition: Hannah Perry - Manual Labour, BALTIC, until Jan 19, 2025
Exhibition: Ted Holloway - A Bevin Boy Remembered, Mining Art Gallery, Bishop Auckland, until June 8, 2025
Exhibition: Magna Carta and the North, Durham Cathedral Museum, Jul 11 until Nov 2
NOW BOOKING
Mar 8: Lauren Pattison - Big Girl Pants Tour, ARC Stockton. Also The Witham, Barnard Castle (May 15); and The Stand Newcastle (May 27)
Mar 13-15: Birmingham Royal Ballet - Cinderella, Sunderland Empire
Mar 13-14 and 17-18: Ellen Kent opera - La Boheme and Madame Butterfly, Darlington Hippodrome and Sunderland Empire, respectively
Mar 25-Apr 5: Swan Lake, Newcastle Theatre Royal
Apr 3: RNS - Dvořák’s New World Symphony, Middlesbrough Town Hall
Apr 3: Eddi Reader, The Fire Station, Sunderland
Apr 3: Katherine Ryan - Battleaxe, Stockton Globe Also at Newcastle 02 City Hall (Mar 22); Middlesbrough Town Hall (Jun 13) and Sunderland Empire (Jun 14)
Apr 10: Megson, Queen’s Hall Hexham
Apr 11-12: Do I Love You? Gala Theatre Durham
Apr 23: David Haldane in conversation with Ed Waugh, The Lit and Phil, Newcastle
Apr 24-27: Newcastle Puppetry Festival, various venues across the city
May 8: Curtis Stigers, Sage Two, The Glasshouse
May 22: MC Hammersmith, ARC Stockton
May 22-Jun 21: The Bench, various North East venues
Jul 15: Jools Holland and His Rhythm and Blues Orchestra, Darlington Hippodrome
Aug 15-17: Hardwick Hall Festival, County Durham
Sept 10-20: War Horse, Newcastle Theatre Royal
Oct 6: Deacon Blue, Utilita Arena, Newcastle
Oct 18: Francis Rossi, The Fire Station, Sunderland
Oct 29: Adam Ant, Sage One, The Glasshouse
Nov 11-15: The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe, Sunderland Empire
2026
Feb 5 and Mar 27: Sara Pascoe - I Am A Strange Gloop, Tyne Theatre and Opera House, Newcastle, and Gala Theatre Durham
Jun 30-Jul 4: Fawlty Towers, Newcastle Theatre Royal
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 for Champion, a new family drama which gets its premiere run at Live Theatre from February 13 to March 8.
Written by Ishy Din, the play is set in 1977 during the four days world champion boxer and global icon, Muhammad Ali spent touring Tyneside.
Starring Christina Berriman Dawson (The Odyssey, Rattlesnake, The Hunt for Raoul Moat), Jack Robertson (Gerry and Sewell, Metroland Comedy) and newcomer, Daniel Zareie, the play explores the profound ripple effect of such a major cultural event on a mixed race family in South Shields
Read David Whetstone’s interview with Ishy Din.
HOW TO ENTER:
To be in with a chance of winning, simply email MePlease@culturednortheast.co.uk using the subject line: Float like a butterfly before midday (12pm) on Sunday, February 2, 2025.
The winner, who will be selected at random, will be notified within 48 hours of the entry deadline.
The tickets will be for a performance of your choice, subject to availability,
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.