The Secret Garden ... in the Garden

I have seen outdoor theatre shows advertised at various locations over the last couple of years but for one reason or another I had never been to one.  An opportunity arose (thanks Gwenda!) for 2 tickets to see The Secret Garden at Alnwick Garden and I jumped at the chance.

I had absolutely no idea what to expect.  We have visited the Garden on many occasions since it opened and love the place.  Such a wonderful idea and we have enjoyed many a family day out here over the years.  So I knew it would be lovely and was very much looking forward to it.

Armed with picnic blanket, umbrella's (just in case), drinks and snacks, my daughter and I arrived at the Garden at about 6.10 with 20 minutes till showtime.

The stage was set just to the left of the Grand Cascade and it was magical.  It was an absolutely perfect setting.  The staff were lovely, exceptionally helpful and always on hand to help out.  We were directed to the 'blanket only' spot which was a great idea as a lot of people had brought their own chairs, this way we got a perfect view.

This performance was put on by Chapterhouse Open Air Theatre Company who are putting on 6 wonderful shows throughout the summer in some of the country's most beautiful locations.  Check out their website, there is sure to be one near you.

The actors were brilliant,  we loved them all and they played their parts perfectly.  Eva particularly liked Mary and Colin, she found their stroppiness really funny!

The performance lasted approximately an hour and a half and there was a 15 minute interval in the middle which was perfect timing to let the kids have a run about in the garden, we even found our own secret door.

The bar was open throughout the first act and the interval and there was also a yummy barbecue serving burgers and sausages in buns complete with salad.  Most people had come well prepared with large picnic baskets, we will do better next time!

At the end of the performance, Eva got the chance to meet some of the cast and Mary posed for a photograph on the stage with her which she was over the moon with.

Chapterhouse and The Secret Garden are moving onto Auckland Castle on 8th August and there are plenty more productions in the North East before the end of Summer, Jane Eyre, Pride and Predjudice, Sherlock Holmes and A Midsummer Night's Dream all taking place in stunning locations.  I would love to see Jane Eyre at Belsay Hall, that would be wonderful.

The Alnwick Garden was the perfect place to watch this performance and we will definitely be back for more shows.  Thank you Chapterhouse and Alnwick for a lovely evening.

Playhouse Playtime

On Tuesday we went along to the lovely Playhouse Whitley Bay to attend the first of the Playhouse Playtime events.  The Playhouse has teamed up with lots of lovely local entertainers to put on weekly events throughout the summer holidays.

Our event was with Marty from Circurama who provide fabulous circus skills workshops to children.

We didn't have a clue what to expect when we turned up but there was plenty of staff on hand to help out.  

To start with, we were split into two groups, we were in the first group which meant we got to go first to meet some cool critters.  Creatures up Close brought along some of their less furry friends and the kids got a chance to handle and stroke them. My favourite had to be Sumo the Giant Tortoise, fabulous!  Luca was even brave enough to hold the tarantula! A definite sign of how far this little boy has come in a year, I was so proud.

After our half an hour with the animals, we went over to the craft/games corner.  There were giant games like Connect 4 and building bricks alongside lots of craft activities.  We made frogs, bats and even a pom pom spider.

It was now time for the main event, circus skills and for that we had to go into the main auditorium.  The kids went up onto the stage, which they loved, Eva especially as she has now decided she will be in a famous pop group along with her best friends.

Marty from Circurama was absolutely fantastic! He was funny, engaging and very daft which of course my kids loved.  There were 25 kids on that stage and he made sure they all got involved and made to feel special.  He did a demonstration at the start of all sorts of tricks, including unicycling and then let the kids loose on the equipment.  They spun plates, twirled ribbons, played with flower sticks, even the wheels of doom :0).  At the end, all the kids took part in a performance, each child had a trick to perform and they all did brilliantly.  You could see by the smiles on their faces that they had a fabulous time.

To end the event, we went back into the foyer and the children were provided with a drink and a piece of fruit whilst they had a rest and recovered from all their antics.

Eventually the time came to leave, the whole event lasted approximately 3 hours which I thought was amazing value for money and the treats didn't end there.  On departure, the children were given a large balloon along with a goody bag containing all sorts including a magic wand.

Thank you to Marty and the Playhouse for a wonderful morning.  I am hoping that pennies allowing, we get back to see Mister Twister later on in August.  We highly recommend Playhouse Playtime.

We're Off to see the Wizard

We are really lucky to have a lovely, large group of friends that all like doing really fun stuff,  I am always on the lookout for various activities and putting on various events for all the kids to enjoy.

A few months ago, I came across a touring theatre company, Act One Productions who travel the country performing pantomimes to groups.

I decided to get the gang together, once again, to celebrate the start of half term and booked Act One.  This season's panto is The Wizard of Oz so got the date confirmed and dusted off the ruby slippers :0)

Booking process was really easy and efficient, although they only had a few dates available due to their own popularity, Jule was very helpful and it was seamless.

I booked a lovely big hall with loads of space and that was all I needed to do, well apart from making up 30 treat bags for eager kids!

The guys from Act One turned up bang on time and even helped with the re-arranging of chairs etc.  They set up and were ready to go spot on our start time.

The show was great, it was funny and full of lots of pop songs that the kids all recognised.  It lasted just under an hour so was a perfect time for little ones and involved lots of audience participation.  My two loved it, they thought the cowardly lion was really funny.  

The actors came out at the end to pose for photo's with the kids and that was an added bonus.

Thanks again to Act One we had a ball.

CBeebies Live - Mr Tumble's Circus

For the past few years we have taken Eva to see CBeebies Live whenever it has been in Newcastle.  Luca has always been too young we felt.  This year, for one reason or another, we didn't buy tickets but I was sad that we would miss it.  Then lo and behold, a miracle occurred.  A friend of mine messaged me to say her cousin had won tickets and couldn't go, would we like them! Wow! Of course! The children were over the moon, Luca is a massive Mr Tumble fan.  I have to admit that Mr Tumble will always have a special place in my heart.  I love him for the memories I have of Eva from a teeny tot singing 'Hello hello how are you' and also for Luca and his 'doiiii'.  I am sure parents of Tumble fans get what I am trying to say here :0)

This years theme was Mr Tumbles Circus and the show starred CBeebies favourites Andy, Gem (from Swashbuckle) and Kat.

Our tickets were waiting at the box office for us and we were pleased to see we had fabulous seats.

It was a fabulous show, filled with all our favourite characters from all of Justin's shows, Something Special, Justin's House and Gigglebiz.  There were acrobats, fireworks and plenty of audience participation.  My favourite part of the show, as in the other CBeebies shows we have seen, is the children's reaction to when Mr Tumble comes on.  They go crazy! he is like god to them and they adore him and I, as I have previously said, adore him for this reason! May sound daft but the man has the Midas touch and the teeny ones are his biggest fans.

Thank you Justin and friends for another wonderful memory.  The show was fantastic, keep doing what you are doing, your fans will always love you.

The Bodyguard

Last year when it was announced that The Bodyguard would be coming in to town, I NEEDED to see it! I have always been a massive fan of Whitney Houston and amongst millions of others, was devastated by her untimely death.

I knew it had a lot of Whitney songs in it and that was the main selling point to be honest.  I really loved the film when it came out early 1990's but have to admit to not having seen it for years (I saw it with friends at the very old Cannon cinema in West Monkseaton and cried like a baby!)

We booked for the Saturday following the opening on Thursday at what is fast becoming our second home, Theatre Royal Newcastle,  at the time I was a little unsure about Alexandra Burke playing Rachel Marron, after all, who could fill Whitney's shoes.  I had read a lot of reviews who said she was amazing it so was really looking forward to seeing how she did.

From the start with the spectacular opening of Queen of the Night, Alexandra absolutely smashed it.  Her voice is fantastic and she had no problem with hitting each note perfectly.  The entire cast were perfection from the incredibly handsome Stuart Reid as Frank Farmer and the wonderful Melissa James as Nicki, Rachel's sister.  Melissa had an outstanding voice also, she was fantastic.

The show is jam packed with Whitney's hits and I admit that I cried a lot when Rachel sang The Greatest Love of All.  

I won't spoil it for you, even if you have seen the film, you are still in for some surprises.  Remember to take along your dancing shoes if you are lucky enough to have a ticket for the show.  Our show was a sell out but at the time of writing I think there are still a few left.  If I had the chance I would watch it all over again.  Probably one of the best shows I have ever seen, when the end came we didn't want it to stop! There was a standing ovation for the cast and it couldn't even be spoilt by the drunken 'ladies' surrounding us.

Apologies for the lack of photographs, we were too busy singing/crying/watching the performance :0)

Whitney  - I will Always Love You, hope you are happy wherever you are xxx

(please note that Alexandra is not performing at midweek or Saturday matinees, Rachel is played by Zoe Birkett at these shows)

The Bodyguard

Shrek-tacular

Our love affair with the Theatre Royal continued today.  We, along with a group of friends, went to watch Shrek the Musical.  Having read a couple of reviews and seen the advertising posters all over the place, we were extremely excited to see it.  The whole family all love the film and were looking forward to seeing how it played on the stage.

We booked our tickets probably about a year ago, as soon as it was announced and even then the 'cheap' tickets in the amphitheatre were already heavily booked which resulted in us being spread about the place.  Not to worry though as I managed to get each family group sat together.  One of the things I love about the Theatre Royal is that despite where you sit, the view is always good, which is handy when on a budget like us.

The show opened to Shrek and Princess Fiona explaining a little about how they got to end up in the swamp and the tower, a bit of background information is always useful!

The show was fantastic, it was filled with songs and dancing, wonderful costumes and all of the favourites from the film including Gingy and Pinocchio.  There were lots of laughs, including a few risque jokes for the grown ups :0).  All of the characters were wonderful, of course the main man Shrek was fabulous, the costume was brilliant and he looked just as he should.  Lord Farquaad stole the show, he was hilarious and the costume was ingenious.  I loved sassy Princess Fiona, she definitely wasn't the damsel in distress and had lots of girl power.  Eva and Luca's favourite was the cool and funky Donkey, full of wise cracks and silliness, he was definitely a crowd pleaser.  

The entire ensemble had wonderful voices, the Dragon completely blew me away, she was fantastic.

I won't spoil it all for you as at the time of writing there are still very limited seats to be had if you get in quick. Our group consisted of young and old and every one of us thoroughly enjoyed the show. Well worth the wait, catch it if you can.  Next stop, The Bodyguard in April....

Shrek, Theatre Royal

The Nutcracker - Ballet comes to Newcastle

I have never seen a ballet, a proper ballet performed on stage.  My daughter has been taking ballet lessons since she was about 3 and I did myself for a few years when I was a youngster.  Never to any sort of level but I really enjoyed it and so does Eva.

We have read the story of The Nutcracker but didn't really know much about it apart from it was set at Christmas time and was about a young girls adventures.  I saw that it was coming to the Theatre Royal in half term so decided to make a booking.  I gathered together some like minded friends and we booked up.

We went for the Friday evening performance and I started to look for somewhere, for a pre-show drink, that was happy to accept children in the surrounding area.  Eventually we went for Las Iguanas on Grey Street.  I have heard nothing but good about this place but never actually been.  I have to admit that their 2-4-1 cocktail happy hour had a little to do with my decision.

We got the metro into town, I am ashamed to say that until that night, I had not realised that you get free metro travel into Newcastle City Centre with your theatre ticket.  It is valid for 2 hours before and after the show and is a brilliant deal.

The cocktails were a great hit, well with the adults anyway, the food looked delicious, my friend ordered the loaded nachos and they were scrumptious.  The staff were brilliant with the kids, even giving them balloons and festival masks for them to colour in.  We were made to feel welcome and not a hindrance for having 3 young children with us.  We have made a plan to go back one night (without kids) and sample a few more of those cocktails, and the food of course!

So onto showtime.  We had quite good seats, the front row of the Upper Circle, this meant the kids could stand up if they like and weren't obstructing the view of the people behind.  I have recently booked many tickets for Theatre Royal through their groups department and the help I have received has been outstanding, particularly Robert and Amy.  They have great patience with my endless questions and queries!

The ballet was performed by The Scottish Ballet and it was simply beautiful.  The victorian front room all set up for Christmas was stunning with its feature Christmas tree and the scenes in The Land of Sweets were breathtaking.  Eva loved watching the wonderful dancing and the sparkling and colourful costumes made it perfect viewing for a transfixed little girl.  It was also just the right length for a 6 year old, approximately 2 hours including the interval.

We had a beautiful evening and I can safely say that our very first ballet was a big hit!

Pirate Pumpkins Dastardly Deed

Another day, another party! Today was a pirate adventure with Hopscotch Entertainment which was set in Wallsend Memorial Hall.  We have previously been to an outstanding Superhero party here earlier in the summer, also by Hopscotch (read our blog here A Super Adventure).

Upon entering, our names were ticked off the list by the lovely Stephen and we went into join our friends and to complete our first task, making a pirate hat.  There was lots of stickers for the children to use and I think you will agree, Luca made a particularly fine effort.  

The setting is fantastic and as the room is so huge there is lots of room for the children to run about to waste some energy before the fun begins and they had fun playing hide and seek for a while until it was time for the adventure to start.

This caper was all about the naughty Pirate Pumpkin and his sidekick Bones, who hatched a devious plan to steal the Tinker Fairy's wand.  The children had to help to get it back by completing a series of tasks set by the pirates.  Of course, Tink needed some help in bringing the bad guys to justice and that help arrived in the shape of The Snow Queen.  She enthralled the children by singing a little song, you may well have heard of, the young audience certainly did and joined in wholeheartedly, a fabulous sight!

All the characters were fabulous, they really got all the children excited and involved.  The tasks were great fun, first of all was a spooky obstacle course, then we had to throw spooky beanbags into pumpkins and finally wrap up two unsuspecting 'mummies' in toilet roll! Throughout all the tasks, the characters and other members of staff were on hand to help the children and show them what to do,  

Included in the ticket price was a picnic lunch and also there was unlimited juice available throughout the party.  Our children ate their picnic on the floor next to Tink and Elsa and they both fully interacted with all the kids throughout, as did Pirate Pumpkin and Bones, with all four posing for photographs when asked.  So friendly and enthusiastic, they were really good with the little ones.

After lunch it was time for some party games, everyone played pass the parcel and a game where they all had to be various animals. That was great and one of our kids, Matilda, won a prize and was selected by Elsa, she was extremely happy about that!

All the parents joined in for one massive hokey cokey at the end of the party and then it was time for photographs and party bags.

It was some of my friends first time at a Hopscotch event and they, along with us, were more than impressed, at all aspects of the event from the organisation, to the characters and all the effort that goes into making it one big success. Eva and Luca's favourite was Bones and they were pleased that the naughty pirates had to say sorry and turn into goodies.

We have booked for the Once Upon a Christmas event also and are very much looking forward to what the team have in store for us.  Thank you for a wonderful afternoon and we will see you all again very soon!