Go Behind The Scenes of Newcastle Theatre Royal's Pantomime
It might be summer, but tickets are already on sale for Newcastle Theatre Royal's pantomime
Danny Adams leads the cast of Jack and the Beanstalk, with panto legends Clive Webb as Farmer Trot, Chris Hayward as Dame Trot, South Shields’ singing star Joe McElderry as the Spirit of the Beans, Mick Potts as Pat the Cow and Wayne Smith as villainous Fleshcreep. Ahead of rehearsals, and getting a first look at their spectacular costumes, we meet the cast at the theatre.
Returning to this ever-popular pantomime was a no-brainer for Danny and Clive following their 20th season last year, and the rest of the cast were keen to return to what they all describe as one big family. Clive says it’s the audience that encourages him to come back each year. ‘If they weren’t there we couldn’t do it,’ he says. ‘We're very lucky to have such a wonderful audience, and really lucky because, in the North, these people are into the silly humour that we are. We just love the place!’ Wayne says it’s the highlight of his year and Joe says he was thrilled to be asked back. ‘I've done panto for years, but this is my sixth year here and it's lovely to be back,’ he adds. ‘We genuinely do have the best time.’
This year marks the first time Joe has starred in a take on Jack and the Beanstalk. ‘I'm playing Spirit of the Beans… what that means I have no idea,’ he laughs. ‘But I’ll magically save the day in some way, I'm sure, and have the mick taken out of me by Danny and Clive.’ Joe’s costume is particularly impressive, with a huge headdress and wings. ‘I don't know how I'm going to fit on the stage, but we'll make it work. We always do. They were talking about the fact that the wings are so big that they might have to have them on the fly floor when I'm not wearing them and fly them in and out because I don't think I'd get through the doors – that’s just because my ego is too big,’ he laughs. ‘It’s a really impressive costume!’
Each year Newcastle Theatre Royal’s pantomime promises to be bigger and better than the last, and it always delivers. ‘Pantomime's not like it used to be years ago, it's very spectacular and Newcastle Theatre Royal’s panto gets bigger and better every year,’ says Chris. ‘I’m having 12 costumes made. I know my finale costume colours and I just know it’s going to be spectacular. The sets are absolutely amazing, I don’t think we've had sets like it.’
Joe agrees. ‘I think it's a testament to Michael Harrison, and the whole team,’ he adds. ‘Everybody loves it and I think you feel that in the building. We all come together every year and it's a kind of collaboration of love for theatre and pantomime, and wanting it to be great.’ Danny says it’s because everyone's at the top of the game, in every aspect, highlighting the talent of The Twins FX. ‘When any new technology comes out, they’ll be the first to trial it and use it. It’s things that just two years ago you’d think “that’s impossible”, but now it is possible,’ he says. ‘But as well as using all that, our humour dates back to Laurel and Hardy. There’s still that tradition of pantomime and the comedy that we do especially is still funny now. Certain things are timeless, and slapstick comedy is one of them.’
It’s this combination that keeps audiences returning time and time again. ‘For a lot of children, it's the first time they ever see anything in stage, so it's really important that the first thing they see makes them go “wow”,’ Danny adds. ‘It’s the magic of the pantomime and the spectacle of it (especially this pantomime in Newcastle). When we tour it's big, but you've got limits to how much you can take with you. Here there’s no limits. If you come with an idea, the budget's there, and the size and scale of it is bigger than most shows around the country, it's like a proper West End-size show. It's really important for kids to come and see something really good.’
‘But not just the kids – the adults as well,’ Clive says. ‘Yes, we’ve been on stage a couple of years ago, and there was probably 10 or 15 20-year-old lads sat right across the front row,’ Danny reveals. ‘They all had a beer, and we thought “have they come to the right show?” But they loved it. They were at a stage door and they said “we’re all best friends and our families brought us when we were kids”. They were all at uni so when they come home at Christmas it brings them together. They come to the panto then go off to Bigg Market. They're still coming and loving it, and that’s what we try to do – aim it at the whole family. That’s what it’s all about. On a matinee, you can go out to 1,000 six-year-olds but on a Saturday night, you'll struggle to find a kid. So the show's structured the same, but we tailor our routines. There's some pantos that maybe push it too far and I think, touch wood, we've always managed to find that line for everyone.
‘It’s crazy that there’s people who remember being tiny when they came and now they're bringing their kids. Geordies really embrace what we do. I think the city in general has a buzz around it but the theatre especially. It’s a tradition. Some families book the same seats on the same day each year – Granny, Grandad, the kids, their kids. It starts their Christmas celebrations. To be part of that is quite special.’
The cast’s joy in performing is infectious when they’re on stage, but their silliness and camaraderie continues off-stage too. ‘We all spend nearly three months of the year (every day) together (including all of the rehearsals) so we're obviously great friends outside of the show as well,’ says Joe. ‘It's the energy backstage, but I think that's a testament to the audience.’
On some days the cast take on three shows. ‘I did three-show days when I played Joseph [in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat] and I thought, I don't know if that's going to be like possible with pantomime because it's such an exhausting show,’ says Joe. ‘But actually it flies by because the shows here are such a juggernaut of energy, comedy and music. Sometimes it goes quicker than a one-show day weirdly because you just don't have time to think about it. How lucky are we that three full audiences turn up to the show in one day? We're so blessed to have that amount of people wanting to come and see the show.’
Perhaps it’s the food that keeps them going too. ‘We have quite a laugh backstage,’ says Mick. ‘It’s very rare that people won't be in other people's dressing rooms, having a chat and having a laugh. We do a thing called Thursday Takeaway Club every week where we get a select takeaway from the local area and then rank them. I'm in possession of the “Takeaway Bible”!’
Wayne is particularly excited about this year’s panto as he gets to play a villain again. ‘I was a half villain in Beauty and the Beast, as Flash Harry, but he wasn't really a proper villain,’ he says. ‘I was a proper villain in Pinocchio, which was in 2023, and I’ve been itching to play one again. This is one of the most spectacular pantos in the country, so you’re so lucky to have it on your doorstep. Panto is so important to the North East, and I feel like the Theatre Royal is at the heart of it all.’
Mick agrees: ‘It's going to be really spectacular. It's a great script already and the script will improve. There's a guy in it dressed as a cow, there's a giant in it, and how often have you seen a giant? I’ll give you a clue,.. never. It’ll be the best show in town.’
