Great Party Venue - Edge Nightclub in Stockton On Tees

Hey guys

So normally I post reviews of shows, events or artsy stuff but I thought I'd break from tradition and just shout out a fabulous venue in Stockton On Tees - Edge Nightclub.

Split over 2 floors and right on the banks of the River Tees, Edge has a wonderfully eclectic feel, great vibe and is perfect for birthday parties, christenings, graduations, you name it.  They have regular event nights including guest DJs, Karaoke, Drag nights, promotions and of course non stop great tunes from 11pm till 3am.

My daughter recently had her 18th bday party downstairs and I doubt there is a better venue - you've got your own fully stocked and staffed pay bar, a lounge area to chill (or have food) and a great sized dance floor with views over the river.  Easily capable of hosting 100+ people, we had at least 80 and it was buzzing without feeling full.  We provided the sound system and set up (including lights, smoke machine, DJ decks) and ordered in table decorations and balloons.  We had access to the venue from 4.30 for a 7pm start, plenty of time to get things ready.

Mark & Amy, the owners and managers, ensure that there is a safe yet fun atmosphere - they will always challenge 25, but will also issue wristbands so that patrons aren't constantly asked for ID throughout the evening.  As for catering they are happy to suggest companies, support you bringing in your own food or helping to order takeaway deliveries.   We opted for a mix of two - early evening was sandwiches, cakes and a wonderful sweet shop, later in the night we arranged for a delivery of pizzas.  Mark and Amy clearly understand that happy punters will recommend (as we are doing) and will come back (as I'm sure we will).

Edge bar prices are very good with regular specials and promotions - easily competitive with other venues and certainly not prohibitive to having a great party.

Check out their website - http://edge-stockton.com/ we can definitely recommend them for a brilliant party venue.

Murder by Gaslight @ Tyne Theatre

The art of storytelling is very much alive, even if the topic is rather, well, dead !

I was a child of the 70’s and 80’s and as such I was brought up with the BBC children’s programme Jackanory – this was a half hour story telling show with one narrator who drew the audience in with the power of words alone.  I loved it so I was very excited when I realised that Murder by Gaslight was a one man, 2 act retelling of grisly Victorian/Edwardian horror.

Written and performed by Jonathan Goodwin, the two tales are very imaginatively staged. Playing to a very intimate audience (the numbers are purposefully limited) we were sat ON the stage in a semi circle which, due to simple but very atmospheric lighting, became deliciously claustrophobic by the end of the evening.

The two ‘murderers’ – William Palmer and Hawley Crippen – are well known to fans of the macabre but Jonathan not only brings these stories alive, he adds quite a unique approach to both which stops this from being a simple recounting of the normal prose. 

Palmer is an infamous serial poisoner from Rugeley, known to some as the Prince of Poisoners, whose constant chasing of wine, women and the old ‘jingle jangle’ meant he was always finding himself in situations requiring a tincture or two.  For this show we find Palmer in his cell awaiting the hangman and so, to kill time (pardon the pun), he recounts his life.  It is testament to Goodwin’s writing that within the first few minutes you forget that you’re sat on the stage watching a performance and instead can almost smell the stench and taste the damp of a Stafford prison cell.  Palmer was undoubtedly a man of much persuasion and little morales, which, when coupled with the access and knowhow of poisons made for a very deadly combination – what Goodwin does very well is to give glimpses of the man whilst never letting the audience forget about the monster.

Following the interval we meet Dr Crippen, whose ‘other’ claim to fame was to have been the first person to be arrested with the use of the Marconi Wireless telegraph.  Crippen was a native of Michigan who studied to be a homeopath.  On moving with his wife to London he found his credentials to be pretty much useless and so was unable to secure a high paying job resulting in his overbearing and materialistic wife to pursue many extra marital affairs, cuckolding him in the family home.  If story be believed it was through this behaviour that Crippen finally reached the end of his tether and he killed her.  Crippen, however, maintained until his death in Pentonville Gaol that she had left him to return to the states and the remains in his cellar were unknown to him.  For this tale Goodwin brings us into Crippen’s London home, 39 Hilldrop Crescent, where the mild mannered and somewhat meek Doctor, explains his side of the infamous events.  Once again, Goodwin’s writing is first class – the characterisation of Crippen is brilliant and his acting, complete with a wonderful Midwestern accent, is strong and very persuasive that perhaps Crippen was the victim of a malicious wife and an over zealous police force.

In this day of instant gratification through special effects, clever (and expensive) staging and over complicated plots designed to show off rather than just show, Jonathan Goodwin has brought 2 deep and dark stories to life and resurrected the art of storytelling in it’s purest form –a brilliant example that young and old most definitely should go and see.

The Horne Section @ Durham Gala

The Horne Section @ Durham Gala

It takes a rare talent to stand up and make a theatre full of people laugh – it also takes a rare talent to entertain the same crowd with impromptu music, magic and mayhem yet Alex Horne and his Horne Section do both with consummate ease. 

People might know Alex from appearances on 8 out of 10 Cats does Countdown, Live at the Apollo and other chat shows; small segments which serve as comedic interludes but watching his full show, as we did at a sold out Gala Theatre, Durham, makes for an original and fun packed couple of hours.

Me and the Big' Lil' Bro had taken a 'lite' supper at the Lebanese restaurant Lebaneat, tucked into a whopper of a meze platter and, despite the walk back down the hill to the Gala, we still needed a bit more exercise to burn off the delicious range of grilled meats, rices, dips and salads - we need'nt have worried as our arms, legs and laughter muscles were about to get a great workout. (on a side note, we can DEFINITELY recommend Lebaneat, up near the Cathedral but better book a table, we were lucky to get one but, as is the sign of a great restaurant, it was packed with non-stop walk ups having to find somewhere else.)

 

Combining brilliant musical comedy with plenty of visual gags, including the most original use for Henry and Hetty Hoovers (which is more than a little trippy) , Alex performs a stand-up routine to rival the modern funny greats – Lee Evans, Al Murray, Lee Mack, Tim Vine et al,  yet what Alex has extra in his hilarity arsenal is a backing team who themselves have great comedic timing and no small amount of playing skills.

Routines like “the reverse Conga”, getting the whole auditorium to do a “Zumba” workout, “songs are better for including the Baker Street sax” and plenty of audience participation make the evening uniquely funny without ever verging on silly or banal.  Indeed, Alex manages to pay homage to old time vaudeville and music hall theatre, days when acts had to be experts in every aspect of entertaining and not resort to clichéd sexist or ‘shock’ tactics to entertain their audience.

The Horne Section is on tour and there’s not many better ways to spend an evening, just remember to take your comfy trainers and strap up your ribs.

Empty Nesters Club @ Durham Gala

My first show of the year and to be honest, even though it’s only February, I know it will be one of the one's I remember most.  The concept for Empty Nesters Clubs is not a new one, well, not new to the US, Australia and, funnily enough, South Korea, but for the UK we have yet to embrace the notion of sharing feelings when our children finally leave home.

Empty Nesters Clubs are meeting points for parents who suddenly find their once full and noisy homes (and lives) become bereft of chaos, forcing them to finally stop hiding behind the ‘doing it for the kids’ and take a long hard look at what they’ve become.

John Godber is the master of taking an everyday life event which many can relate to and peeling back the layers to expose the humour, fear, insecurities, prejudices and love upon which our lives are built.  For this play, which is in its early stages of a 4 month tour, John takes a couple, Vicky and Phil, and their daughter Millie through the process of her leaving home and moving to university.  Set with only an IKEA table (other brands are available) and some shelving units, the focus remains firmly on the characters, the stage lights seeking only to illuminate the reality of a couple who slowly realise that they lost their own identities years ago and now feel only defined by being Millie’s parents.  Millie, on the other hand, seems oblivious to it all (as you would expect and hope an 18 year old should be), not realising the impact of a flippant change of mind or the total obsession of getting a bass riff right.

Whilst Vicky and her drive to reinvent herself through creating the Empty Nesters Club drives this story, for me it was Phil’s progression from doting dad, taxi man, fixer, dog walker, music muse and political enabler that really hit home.  In almost every scene you could see him lose a little more purpose forcing him to question “Is this all there is now”.  Searching for a substitute for his time and a focus for him to keep getting up in the morning, Phil takes up Kung Foo, cycling and protracted dog walking, all singular pursuits, in an effort to fill the void and counter his feared journey towards invisibility (echoing completely my own current situation as my eldest started uni in January and my youngest heads off in September).

The relationship between Vicky and Phil is undoubtedly a strong one but it’s not until Millie leaves that they realise the glue that stuck it firmly together was their shared investment into Millie’s future, and now that that is no longer needed do they really have anything else in common ‘cept for time spent.  Millie, on the other hand, questions that, at only 18, is it really possible for a young adult to fully know what they want to do, yet the expectation is they will make such a choice and have little option to change it.  Likewise, as seen in some of her poems, she is more astutely aware of the impact her leaving has had on her parents lives than they might believe, something which parents in general often miss as we still see them as our little children.

The script is tight, at times claustrophobic as anyone who’s been alone in a large family house when it’s quiet will recognise just how small the rooms feel when you’re hemmed in by the walls of your own mind.  The diverging paths of Vicky and Phil strain any remaining bonds they have with Vicky seeking her own personal reinvention (tattoos, charity bike rides, spritzers for lunch) while Phil battles to find any way to cling to the past. 

If you have had children leave home then this will ring so very true – we stayed behind afterwards to talk to Mr Godber and the cast; the audience seemed to be quite firmly split into 2 camps – those who saw their children leaving as a reason for celebration and those who felt the loss somewhat akin to bereavement, made only harder as you still seek the daily contact which was ever present whilst the children live at home. If you, like me, are nearing the time to say goodbye then this play is an ideal precursor to the emotions you are going to face - go see it, class it as entertainment, insight, research, therapy – but above all else, enjoy!

Welcome to the Cheap Seats

The View From the Cheap Seats 

Hi there, this is my blog site where I record and review music, arts, theatre and, come to mention it, pretty much anything else that I think might be interesting.

Why the Cheap Seats ?  Well, I am not a professional critic, nor am I an Arts student, an English Major or a trained journalist - I'm just someone who really enjoys theatre and live performances and have been very lucky to be supported by the great venues in the North East to come along, see their shows and write about it afterwards.  I try and make my reviews interesting for everyone in the hope that someone will be encouraged to go and see a performance they would not normally have seen.

I don't profess to be clever in my style, I write about what I see and like what I like so there will probably be some common themes (I like musicals, I like strong leading characters, I like beautiful women and I like comedy) - that said, I won't sugar coat something if it left me disappointed - I wouldn't want to mislead anyone into seeing something I wouldn't go and see again.

Over the past 5 years I have supported Whats On North East, the region's leading online arts & events website - WONE provide listings, reviews, competitions and local news.

I don't get paid for reviewing, I do however accept a free ticket to a show on the agreement that I will feature a review straight afterwards and therefore some venues and production companies will ask me to attend their press nights. 

Likewise, by sharing my reviews it helps to raise awareness of shows on tour - I have had many production companies, directors and actors who have used my reviews as part of their own promotional material.

I am always looking for new venues, new shows, new performers so please get in touch if you have any feedback.

Below are web addresses of some of the wonderful venues we have in the North East:

www.darlingtoncivic.co.uk
www.galadurham.co.uk
www.atgtickets.com/venues/sunderland-empire
www.tynetheatreandoperahouse.uk
www.theatreroyal.co.uk
www.leisureworks.net/events/4/empire-theatre

www.whatsonnortheast.com