UTILITA ARENA NEWCASTLE THURSDAY 2ND JANUARY 2020
WITH TWO PERFORMANCES
The first ever stage adaptation of Grandpa’s Great Escape, the exhilarating number one bestselling children’s book by actor and comedian David Walliams, is to tour UK arenas this Christmas. The live version of the kids’ favourite, which has sold over two million copies around the world arrives in Newcastle at Utilita Arena Thursday 2nd January 2020 with two exciting performances.
Grandpa’s Great Escape Live follows the acclaimed television film which aired on BBC One in December 2018, and will be directed by Tony® Award nominee Sean Foley (The Catherine Tate Show Live & The Painkiller). Grandpa’s Great Escape is the eighth book by Walliams and was published in September 2015 by HarperCollins Children’s Books
David Walliams said: “Grandpa’s Great Escape Live is an incredible new development for the book. We’re not just turning it into a live show, but into a spectacular live arena show for all the family this Christmas. Being in arenas means we can have a life-size Spitfire, a tank, the London landscape and a dramatic escape from the Imperial War Museum. It’s great because we can really go to town with all of those elements and this story demands that scale. I’m delighted to be involved with this arena tour of Grandpa’s Great Escape Live, working with fantastic people like the director Sean Foley and Kevin Cecil, who’s written the script. I couldn’t be more excited about it!”
The wonderous stage design for Grandpa’s Great Escape Live will see arenas around the UK transformed into London and its landmarks, including Buckingham Palace and the River Thames, from thousands of feet in the sky, as Grandpa’s life size Spitfire soars through the air. The set has been created by entertainment architects Stufish Productions (Beyonce & Jay Z, Madonna, The Rolling Stones). The script adaptation of the book has been written by Kevin Cecil (Little Britain & Gangsta Granny television film).
Grandpa’s Great Escape, which has been translated into 39 languages received a wealth of glowing reviews with the Evening Standard declaring Walliams as “the new Roald Dahl”, while The Times describe the story as “a beguilingly funny, original and thought-provoking tale… hilarious”.
Many years ago, Grandpa was a World War II flying ace. But when he is sent to old folk’s home Twilight Towers – run by sinister Matron Swine – it’s up to Grandpa and his grandson, Jack, to plot a daring escape. Little do they know, the wicked matron is on to them.
Tickets will go on sale 8.00am Tuesday 4th June and are available online, from the booking hotline number 0844 493 6666 or from 11.00am in person from the Utilita Arena Box Office. Please note venue facility and booking fees will apply.