With summer partying and heatwaves now behind us and just a hint of autumn in the air, we begin to notice the first stirrings of the new season which is always an excuse to snuggle down and enjoy some creature comforts.
September 1 is first day of autumn, according to meteorologists, and this month is also the time that TV bosses make a switch from lightweight summer content to serving up more meaty dramas and edgy thrillers to keep us entertained on nights in. Theatres and entertainment venues also see this wind-down time of the year as an opportunity to grab our attention now that we're not flitting around in the sun and spending all our time in pub beer gardens.
In the North East there really is something for everyone on offer during the month of September, ranging from top comedians and magicians to first-time writers and new musicals. There is a fresh take on a classic tragedy - with a women-focused touring production of Macbeth - plus tribute shows and dance.
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And there's murder in mind too, with a talk on serial killers coming to the Tyne Theatre. Here's a selection of what's on offer over the month and they include options in Northumberland, around Newcastle and also the south of the region in County Durham.
Top 10 shows to see in the North East this September
Joe Lycett
Coming to the end of his lengthy tour - which also has the lengthy title of More, More, More! How Do You Lycett? How Do You Lycett? - the award-winning comedian will be switching to arena dates in September which will bring him back to Newcastle. Prior to this he's been appearing at the theatres across the country since March, including local dates at Stockton Globe in April and the city's Tyne Theatre in May.
Now the TV favourite, also a presenter and a producer of music videos, will entertain Geordie fans a second time around with a stand-up show at the Utilita Arena on September 21 before his tour wraps up at Wembley Arena in London with a double date on September 22-23. An overseas tour is set to follow.
Lycett started writing this show before Covid and it has morphed to capture the positive side of the pandemic, which brought out our community spirit. The audience can expect to hear about the likes of Lycett's love of art, passion for gardening and thoughts on the perils of online trolls. And, er, a donkey.
For fans who haven't heard, there was a furore over what has become known as "the donkey joke' which was caused when an audience member reported a bad taste gag to the police who, after an investigation, decided there was no case to answer. For tickets to discover what it was all about see here.
Macbeth
The Dovecote Centre in Amble - the base of Northumberland Theatre Company - was severely damaged by Storm Arwen last November and now, following months of hard work, it is finally set to reopen and will do so with a female-led telling of the Shakespeare classic.
The small self-funded NTC, which tours to rural communities which professional theatre rarely reaches, will first focus on home turf with the Scottish play opening the Dovecote on September 1, before it moves on to 15 other venues, thanks to Arts Council funding.
This is a streamlined version of Macbeth, telling the tragedy through the perspective of its three witches. Audiences can expect a fast-paced and very physical version of the tragedy with all its grim and grisly elements plus original music.
For all the venues and dates for the tour, which will run until October 8, and ticket details see here.
Tim Peake
An out-of-this-world experience is in store in the company of the first British astronaut to do a spacewalk at the the International Space Station. Peake will be sharing the story of his experience with audiences at Darlington Hippodrome on September 30 in his show My Journey To Space which has extended its sell-out tour.
Remember it was Helen Sharman who was actually the first British astronaut - she visited Newcastle at the start of 2020 and her spacesuit can be seen at Great North Museum: Hancock - while Peake made plenty headlines for his own achievements which even included running a marathon in his downtime. He will discuss everything from astronaut training to the spacecraft launch and from the spacewalk to re-entry with his usual contagious enthusiasm and passion.
He says of his experience: "It's impossible to look down on Earth from space and not be mesmerised by the fragile beauty of our planet". For tickets to hear more in the show, which also will include photographs and never-before-seen footage, see here.
Your Voice Your Future: North East
Described as boldly imaginative and visionary, this series of eight new short plays by emerging local talents promises to be a 'theatrical rollercoaster" of a journey through the North East this September. All under one roof - at Live Theatre in Newcastle - the dramas are set to explore people, politics and the place itself.
The writers are all making their Live Theatre debut, having been specially picked and commissioned to examine ideas of the kind of future we want and how the world might be reimagined. Running from September 15-17, the shorts will tackle themes of teenage relationships; political independence, protest and environmental concerns plus issues of what home means. Another topic is imagined futures, taking in the scenario of a wall separating England and Scotland and the rather more inviting idea of a beautiful 'Cabaret of the Future'.
Prepare to rocket through all that as the whole thing lasts only about 1hr 40 minutes and that includes an interval. For more information and to book see here.
Derren Brown
The award-winning master of mind control and psychological illusion will be stirring up the audience at the Newcastle theatre from September 13-17 with Showman which, although written pre-lockdown, actually takes a topical look at how we deal with feelings of isolation. He says of it: "It has a gentle thread about how we share our human difficulties, and the value of remembering what’s important."
The show's main content is being kept secret secret but apparently it's earning Brown the best response he's had for any show so far. The tour is his biggest ever too - having started in March and set to keep him busy until November - and it seems it's keeping him on his toes too, as each performance is sparked by his relationship with the audience in front of him. Prepare for theatrics and thrills.
For tickets see here.
The Osmonds - A New Musical
One family and one hundred million records: that in a nutshell is the incredible achievement of the band of brothers - and a sister - who are the subject of this new musical gearing up for a first run, from September 13-17, at Sunderland Empire.
The Osmonds were one of the world’s biggest ever boybands and this show brings to stage life the official story, as told by Jay Osmond, about the five brothers from Utah who were landed in the spotlight as children and went on to dominate the music scene with decade after decade of hits. Following a star residency on The Andy Williams Show in America to the arrival of Donny and Marie, the musical will show how their success soared - until one bad decision cost them everything.
Fans can enjoy a nostalgic journey back in time to the 1960s-1980s and those poptastic days of Love Me For A Reason, Crazy Horses, Let Me In, Puppy Love, One Bad Apple and Paper Roses. And remember Jimmy Osmond's Long Haired Lover From Liverpool? To hear all those buy tickets here.
Brassed Off
Based on the much-loved 1996 film with a cracking cast including Pete Postlethwaite, Ewan McGregor, Tara Fitzgerald and Stephen Tompkinson, this Gala Theatre production is an adaptation by Paul Allen based on the screenplay by Mark Herman. And Durham audiences are set to find it every bit as funny and moving as the film in its depiction of a mining community's spirited fight to survive and its ultimate triumph in the face of adversity.
Considering it's set in a time of widespread pit closures and bleak prospects, that triumph comes not in terms of saving livelihoods but in fulfilling an ambition to have a small colliery band from County Durham make it to the National Brass Band Competition at the Royal Albert Hall. Helping bring the story to vibrant life will be music performed by brass band players from Easington Colliery Band and RMT Fishburn Brass Band.
For tickets to its run from September 6-24 (save for Sunday and Mondays) see Gala Durham's website here. There also will be BSL performances on September 10 at 2.30pm and September 20 at 7.30pm.
Hunting Killers
It seems we just can't get enough of murder stories and real-life ones tend to have us especially gripped if the constant drip-feed of crime documentaries on our TV schedules is anything to by. So there no doubt will be high demand for tickets offering a chance to hear first-hand about murders from a man who knows his stuff.
On September 21, The Tyne Theatre & Opera House will be welcoming crime expert Mark Williams-Thomas for what sounds like a grimly fascinating talk about serial killers. Mark, a TV investigative reporter and former detective, will be sharing a unique insight into the lives of notorious murderers.
Ahead of his visit he says: “On any given day, in any given year, there will be two active serial killers in the UK.” To book tickets to find out more see here.
Rapunzel
Starting at Northern Stage in Newcastle on September 29, leading local dance theatre company balletLORENT will be performing what's billed as a fresh and family-friendly retelling of Rapunzel by Poet Laureate Carol Ann Duffy. The familiar fairytale about the heroine trapped in a tower is set to be told here with an energy that is captured in a red-headed Rapunzel and themes of fight, passion and longing.
The collaboration of award-winners also includes composer Murray Gold (Doctor Who; Gentleman Jack and It’s A Sin); costume designer Michele Clapton who has worked on Game of Thrones; The Crown and Mamma Mia, and Royal Northern Sinfonia which will perform the score. Described as full of colour and emotion, the show - choreographed and directed by Liv Lorent with a story narrated by actor Lesley Sharp - will run until October 2. Book here.
It concludes a busy September for the theatre, following on from its already-sold-out Neighbours-theme show The Doctor Will See You Now which will see Alan Fletcher - former cast member of the just-ended Australian soap - take part in a Q&A on September 7 and recount tales from the 28 years he spent playing Ramsay Street doctor Karl Kennedy.
Classic Clapton
A blast back to the musical heyday of Eric Clapton is on offer at Bishop Auckland Town Hall in County Durham this September, courtesy of local talent Mike Hall. Despite the fact that Mike was born in Durham, with family in West Auckland, and that the band has a big local following - having sold out Gala Theatre several times - this is to be their first concert at the venue.
The September 16 gig also will be the first they have played for more than a decade with drummer Keith Cad, from Hartlepool, who has rejoined the band he last played with in 2010. They'll deliver two hours of hits such as Wonderful Tonight, Tears in Heaven, Crossroads, I Shot The Sheriff, Cocaine, Lay Down Sally and Layla.
And the rockers, billed as 'the world's number one Eric Clapton tribute band', know them like the back of their hand, having been around since 1985 when the band used to be known as After Midnight. They have three albums of their own under their belt; have featured in a Tyne Tees programme called Cover Their Tracks and guitarist and singer Mike is even a previous winner of a national look-alike competition.
For tickets to the show see here and follow the band's news about the upcoming gig here.
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