Behind The Scenes on Northern Stage's Christmas Show
Northern Stage's Christmas production is a reimagining of Beauty and the Beast
A stolen rose will set everything in motion this Christmas, when two mischievous fairies transform Northern Stage into rural France with a Thoughtsnatcher machine and a helpful rabbit in tow. Beauty and the Beast might be a tale as old as time, but in true Northern Stage style this Christmas show guarantees a fresh and fun festive treat for the whole family.
‘What’s really special about this show is that it has a really bold and inherently colourful style,’ says Verity. ‘When I first read the script, it was literally a page turner because of the way that Lucy Kirkwood has given a voice to these characters that we know really well. But there is a deeply playful and quite mischievous streak that runs through the whole piece. It is a really special take, I think, on a classic story. That’s the thing with a classic story, it invites you to be playful with it – and that’s what Lucy has done.
‘This story is narrated by some quite mischievous fairies and a very talented rabbit and they take us through some moments that feel like they’re pages of a storybook that’ve come to life – they have this dream-like, beautiful storytelling to them. And then there are other parts that are super funny and cheeky and have audience interaction that feels like it comes from the classic era of family entertainment. So there’s something about that that’s really warm and inviting, I think, especially for families coming potentially for their first Christmas show or a special thing that maybe they do every year – it’s a really exciting piece to work with.’
As it has been in previous years, Northern Stage’s Christmas production will be performed in the theatre’s Epic Space (where stage one and stage two combine and audiences are seated on both sides of the stage). ‘For a Christmas show, that’s a really unique setting,’ Verity says. ‘For the design, it creates a really unique challenge. You’ve got the audience on both sides, which always makes it feel quite immersive. Also this huge scale is quite perfect for a story that spends a lot of time in a palace! As a designer, I like to think about what the unique properties are of any given space that I’m working in and how I can accentuate and celebrate that through the design. Hopefully it feels like not just another clever way to use space, but also a celebration of Northern Stage’s uniqueness.’
On a big show like this with lots of different elements, for Verity the process always starts with a detailed conversation with the director (that’s Bryony Shanahan on this show). ‘Bryony and I worked together over quite a number of months to find the visual language to tell the story,’ says Verity. ‘We became interested in the really fun, sort of family entertainment formats (like game shows and variety shows), and what feels glitzy and a bit glamorous – just drawing all those different references that basically give you a really good night out (or day out) at the theatre. Out of those worlds we pulled together quite a tight visual language that’s very colourful, and uses colour in quite a bold way to take the audience to the different places that the story goes, and to support the storytelling. There are lots of different elements to that.
‘There’s projection and storytelling through shadows. There’s also “actual” magic (because, you know, it’s told by fairies) as well as “theatre magic”. Obviously “real” magic, with audiences on both sides, is a unique challenge, so we are working with the super talented Magical Bones. What’s really exciting for me on a big show like this is all the different people that come together to make the team and the different kind of expertise that they bring.’
Sustainability is another key aspect of this production. ‘We’ve got a super talented costume team,’ Verity continues. ‘Once the costumes are designed, I then work really closely with the wardrobe supervisor and the costume makers, and this year we’re working with Lucy Minta Reeves, the wardrobe supervisor, and she has got a really strong focus on sustainability, which is super interesting. She has a relationship with a local charity and she is able to get access to items that would otherwise just go to landfill, and [she] repurposes them. That’s something that she already has in her practice, but she’s bringing that to this show to make the costumes. Our absolute aim is that we’re going to try and make sure as much of the costumes as possible are recycled or repurposed, either from charity shops, stuff that was going to go to landfill, and also Northern Stage’s really fabulous store that has all the previous costumes from wonderful shows in it – that’s really exciting to work on! The sets and the props too – we use as many of that as we can and either repurpose it or take out some of the raw materials and reuse those. A lot of different skills and expertise are needed to do that. It’s much more complicated than just buying fresh stuff off the shelf.
‘What’s brilliant about this show is that there genuinely are jokes and humour all the way through it’
There’s the rose that’s really important in Beauty and the Beast and we’ve found different ways to spread that through the story. There’s snowy, wintry moments. There’s the enchanted palace that also feels very wintry and sparkly. There’s the visuals of Christmas peppered through it and then there’s the good vibes of Christmas. We’ve also had fun weaving some playful North East references through this as well, which is something that Northern Stage always do – they are really good at celebrating what we’ve got here in the North East. There’s a big North East contingency in the team as well so everybody’s contributing in their different ways to make those references feel represented in this show.’ Newcastle-based performer Bridget Marumo leads the company as Beauty.
Northern Stage’s Christmas shows are an opportunity for families to spend time together, and a Christmas tradition for many. ‘I think that’s the ultimate thing about Christmas, everything kind of stops for a while; the rest of your life, ideally, can pause for as long as you have at Christmastime,’ says Verity. ‘You can be with people that you love, that you enjoy spending time with the most, so the show is an opportunity for people to come and spend time and make memories together, without sounding really cheesy. What’s brilliant about this show is that there genuinely are jokes and humour all the way through it that I think work on lots of different levels. That’s what I think is what makes it feel like it comes from that classic era of family entertainment, because you’ve got multiple generations sitting next to each other all enjoying it in a different way. That’s like the ultimate Christmas experience, isn’t it?’
Verity hopes audiences enjoy the show and this new take on the tale. ‘I hope that they find it really fun and magical,’ she says. ‘I hope that there’s a few scary moments for the audience as well, all good fairytales have a darker side to them. I think we’re having fun exploring that so I hope the audience have fun with that as well. There are a few surprises in there that they maybe won’t expect, but also some things in there that they know and love about the story. But I think the heart of this piece is the story that we all know and love, and that’s there to be enjoyed.’
Yorkshire puddings on a Christmas dinner, yes or no?
That’s what differentiates Christmas dinner from Sunday dinner. Though I will say, at Christmas, more is more. So bring it all on. I wouldn’t turn a Yorkshire pudding away.
What is your favourite Christmas film?
White Christmas. It’s a classic!
What is your favourite Christmas song?
I think since Gavin & Stacey re-popularised it, I actually really like Step Into Christmas, and my nephew absolutely loves that song. When he was a really little kid he used to belt it out, really enthusiastically, and it just brought me so much joy.
How are you celebrating Christmas this year?
This year all of my family are actually back up north. So I think it’s going to be a big, loud, Christmas family fiesta – hopefully not a fiasco!
