Dropped my wife and disabled daughter off, which was difficult because there is nowhere safe to…read morestop, despite their claims about access. All nearby car parks full or shut, so by the time I got there all the doors were locked and no way to contact anyone. Missed the show, waste of money. If you need to get there by car, just don't bother. Parking in Newcastle is diabolical and they can't even get basics like letting you in right. Disgusted with them. Never again.

What an amazing building…read more It's just like stepping back in time. Luxurious, lavish, grand, welcoming and comfortable. Booked some tickets to see a play (as an aside was a little dull) and sat in the grand circle. Good view, comfy seats with just about enough leg room to keep the circulation going. As with most establishments these days the additional bits they sell we're a little costly. A round of drinks before the show ensured that it was going to be just the one round. A small tube of ice cream at the interval was to be blunt just too expensive. Surely selling more at a lower price would make better financial sense. Getting to and from the theatre was nice easy; within walking distance of the city centre hotels, a free metro ride if you have your tickets to the station not more than 50 metres away any car parking just about everywhere. Looking to book something else for the summer and do dinner before at the wealth of excellent restaurants in this amazing city.

Very good free museum at the University of Newcastle. The Great North Museum focuses on natural…read morehistory for the most part, with interesting sections on world cultures as well. The exhibits are interesting and informative, but also interactive enough to keep everyone's attention. When we visited, there was a special exhibition on the amazing Gertrude Bell. It tells her life story, including her fascinating archaeological work in the middle east, and her efforts to establish a National Museum in Baghdad. A truly interesting woman. There is a good shop and a café on site, so you can definitely spend a few hours here and not get bored. Highly recommended in Newcastle.

Fantastic free museum for adults & children. Well worth a visit if there m the city. Some…read moreinteresting items on display. Shame about screaming kids during school holidays!

Amazing place, amazing show…read more My breath was literally taken away when I went to see The Lord of The Rings at the Theatre Royal. The architecture of the building itself is wonderful, but what really got me was the set for LOTR. The attention to detail is astounding, with 'branches' of leaves all over the stage and the roof and the sides (even covering a few of private, er, booths (I can't think of what the proper name is) which I assume were empty!). It really feels like you are in Middle Earth for the time you're in there wonderful. On the down side, the leg room is pretty much non-existent if you are sitting in the Stalls (can't say for the balcony etc, as I have not sat there yet) and by the end of it my legs were begging to be stretched. However, the quality of the show is such that leg room doesn't matter so much. Ticket prices and food/drink prices are quite reasonable - my tickets were purchased through See.com, where they had/have a 2-for-1 offer on the £60 tickets, and for the seats we had, £30 each is a bargain!

7:00pm, Monday 18th June 2007. The walk from Covent Garden Underground Station was filled with…read morepromise and excitement as the long anticipated wait for the night's upcoming performance was soon to reveal itself. Leaving the street performers and market stalls of Covent Gardens behind, I turned in Drury Lane and came face to face with the magical world of theatre. In all its magnificence it stood The Theatre Royal, a secret gateway into the world of Tolkien and The Lord of The Rings - The Musical. 7:30pm stuck I made my way into the theatre. Arriving at seat B34 (dress circle), I discovered that I had a perfect view of the stage. Opening my £3.50 program, I began to soak in the pre-performance action occurring on stage. I found myself gazing into the world of Middle Earth and of hobbits running amuck amongst audience members as a pre-performance treat. I was presently surprised when none other than Merry and Pippin popped up in the dress circle to create havoc by walking along the back of people's seats, and then stealing them when they were vacant. The terrible twosome created the perfect atmosphere and encouraged audience participation. From the dress circle, Merry and Pippin called out to the stalls to the likes of the Gaffer and Mrs. Gracegurdle, other Tolkien favorites, who responded by throwing biscuits up to the dress circle much to the audience's amusement. The audience was also invited to help the Hobbit catch fireflies flying, small laser lights, above head and put them into a jar for the Hobbits to keep. One by one, the Hobbits disappeared backstage and the lights dimmed. The performance was opened with an upbeat dance signifying Bilbo's party. As the play progressed we were introduced to Tolkien's other characters; Gandalf, Strider, Sam and Rosie, Arwen, Boromir, Legolas (who did not do Orlando Bloom justice!) and Gimli. Whilst all of the cast were amazing, the stand out character for me was Galadriel. She had a voice so pure that I got goose bumps whenever she sung. She appeared on stage wearing a floor length gold bodice which flowed into a dress complete with stilt-like shoes which created the illusion of height. Her entrance was made perfect by her being lowered down from the ceiling via cables giving her a weightless appearance. Interval broke at about 9:00 pm shortly after the fight to the death battle between Gandalf and the Balrog. During the "you shall not pass" scene, they released black pieces of tissue paper from the ceiling while the tension of Gandalf's death grows. It was a perfect way to take the audience out of their seats and into the journey with the Fellowship. As Gandalf, defeated, fell to the stage floor, the lights on stage went out and the lights for the audience came up. I don't think anyone in the audience moved for five minutes due to the overwhelming power of the performance. After treating myself to a £3 ice-cream in the twenty minute break, I rushed back into the theatre only to be met by a dozen orcs. Stalking us as we took our seats, the theatre was full of hysterical laughter from audience members who were unsettled by the Orcs' presence. This was kept up for a further five, ten minutes until a very loud, much unexpected bang came from the orchestra and the second act started. Recovering from their almost heart attack, the audience gave on unanimous laugh and cheered for more. The second act was just as inviting as the first. At 10:45pm the performance concluded to a standing ovation. The Lord of the Rings The Musical is currently running at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane. Ticket prices range from £15 and are worth every penny.

Great place, dont get along as often as would like. Cabaret style seating, great , intimate…read moreatmosphere. My favourite theatre

This is a great venue and is really leading the way in commissioning new plays. Lee Hall (of Billy…read moreElliott fame) has a prize-winning play, The Pitman Painters, which is now touring after a West End stint, but it debuted at Live. You can sign up for an email newsletter and also book online. This had quite a few glitches but they seem to be sorted. You pay just 60p to have tickets sent out (your booking, not per ticket) and if it's close to the date you can collect from the box office - a word of warning though, allow plenty of time to do this. Last time the person in front of me took a full 10 minutes! Avoid the Travelodge car park which is a fiver and go for the city car park (turn right at Live then first left). It's about 25p an hour in the evening. And if you've forgotten to buy milk, there's a handy Tesco Express just outside the Theatre that's open late!

The tour of the sage is woth a visit. Some days its cheaper, so you would want to plan accordingly…read more There are some really good shows at the Sage as well.

I can't attest to the qualityb of performances, the fabulous accoustics or really anything related…read moreto that part. But I love this building. From accross the tyne the reflections on the outside are so nice and the shape and structure are amazing. I loved it from the outside looking in and it was equally as fascinating looking out accross newcastle. Iloved the way the interior seems to float inside it's exterior shell. A modern design classic.

This place has recently been revamped. It's located bang in the centre of the Newcastle University…read morecampus. It is a theatre but also has a great restaurant with huge windows overlooking the lawn opposite the Students' Union making it extremely popular with students. It has a very modern airy clean feel to it and the food is excellent. They do tapas mainly but also sandwiches and they have proper thin French fries which are heavenly! I'd recommend the pork sarnie if they still do it when you head there, it's so tender and tasty yum! The theatre downstairs puts on all sorts of quirky performances, it's definitely worth checking out at some point if you're around town as it tends to have a great variety of shows which are affordable.

Recently revamped form the Playhouse Theatre to the Northern Stage,this is a good place to see a…read moreproduction.Most shows are realy affordable and are so varied and there's a lot on offer with it having three different venue area's. There's also a bar and some good food available,always important.It's easily reached.The Haymarket bus station is across the road as is the main bus station.

Real nice theatre, been a few times to see bands & comedians. Close free parking, plenty of places…read moreto eat nearby. Love it!

I went here to see Jimmy Carr, a reasonable sized theatre,…read morewith a small foyer, and bar. Drinks were slightly over priced but not too bad when compared to the price of some venues. You can't take alcoholic drinks out of the bar tho only bottles of water or coke. Seats were reasonably comfy and most had a reasonable view of the stage even those at the back of the balcony and in the limited view area

Journal Tyne Theatre - my favourite of the two theatres in Newcastle. Though its rival is seen to…read morebe the Theatre Royal, I can honestly say that I prefer the general atmosphere and architecture of the Journal Tyne Theatre. On my first visit I found it virtually impossible to locate despite having lived in the North East all of my life. When I did eventually find it, he staff were welcoming and cheerful. Last year I saw numerous pantomime performances throughout the North East, but I can honestly say that despite its lack of special effects and its very basic stage, the actors and actresses were more engaging than any of the celebrity endorsed pantomimes. I guess they have to be in order to keep up with the competition and pull in an audience over the christmas season. The actual inside of the theatre is lacking - it goes without saying that it is a very old building, which isn't particularly well maintained. However, it does have a certain charm and for this reason I look forward to the christmas pantomime every year.

This is a lovely old place to visit,The Theatre stands at the bottom of Westgate Road in the city…read morecentre,so is very easy to get to.It's a listed building so it has'nt lost its charm and has lots of original features.There is always a vast variety of acts available and even the annual pantomime so there really is something for every age. There's a good sized bar which is always a bonus. It's not a glitzy place but it's atmosphere more than makes up for anything it might lack in looks.Much nicer than a lot of the newer venues around.

I love this old theatre,it is so full of character and a charming old place to visit if only for…read morethe building.I don't think anyone can call it posh by any means but the character makes up for it.They have a lot of good bands on here and a pantomime at Christmas which is always good for the kids.I prefer the ones here to the productions at the Theatre royal to be honest. There are family tickets always available and a bar for a pre show or interval drink.Book at the box office or you can book online.No onsite parking but you can always find a space locally.Well worth a visit.

This venue is now known as the Journal Tyne Theatre and Opera House. Although it is not the most…read moreupmarket of the theatre venues in Newcastle, possibly due to its out of the way location, it still often offers interesting shows. It does not have the mainstream offerings of the Theatre Royal of the Sunderland Empire but one of the attractions of this theatre is that it often shows good kids shows - the Tweenies show, Noddy and Barney have all appeared here and these are good for the little ones - my daughters loved them. They do offers on family tickets which are good value. Their pantomimes are particularly excellent - it is the same cast every year, featuring Brendan Healey, who is fabulous and although the sets and costume cannot match the big scale productions in the other theatres, the laughs are much more obvious. We go every year and love it. The box office staff are unfortunately sometimes rude and obnoxious, so book online! The local car park often has spaces (Blandford Street) although it is pay and display. Otherwise, there are other local car parks that can be used.