Gerry and Sewell | Newcastle Theatre Royal
invited | Review by Stephen Stokoe 11th June 2026
Jamie Eastlake’s take on Jonathan Tulloch’s novel ‘The Season Ticket’ has returned to its spiritual home in the north east. Prefaced by a cautionary announcement from Alan Shearer who warned about the use of mobile phones and keeping your valuables safe the audience thrilled to a frenetic opening sequence which saw black and white flags hoisted throughout the auditorium as the footballing colours and allegiances were laid bare for all to see.
This play has its roots in a 2000 film ‘Purely Belter’ which starred among others, the aforementioned footballing god Mr Shearer alongside Chris Beattie and Greg McClane as the impoverished scamps and miscreants Gerry and Sewell. In Eastlake’s reimagining the titular characters are played by Dean Logan and Jack Robertson who as Gerry and Sewell respectively have one simple goal in life – to score, by any means possible, season tickets for their beloved Newcastle United.
The play is set in a turbulent time for the magpies as much vilified owner Mike ‘The Fat Cockney’ Ashley is at the club and Steve Bruce is their current manager. Still, and through it all, black and white blood flows through these impoverish boys’ veins as it does through the majority of the people around them.
The set (Power Props) reflects various landmarks around the north east including Anthony Gormley’s iconic The Angel of the North in the background and two metro stations depicting the rivalry between the cities north and south of the River Tyne. A replica of one of the old style metro trains regularly pulls into the station which is as impressive as it is nostalgic. The performance areas are used to excellent effect with all parts of the stage well used and the large ensemble utilised to facilitate effective and dramatic scene changes.
Where I feel the production gets a little jumbled and chaotic is in the telling of the story. For a start off the character of Gerry is significantly older in this version and while I have no doubt that late teens and 20-somethings get up to the sorts of things this Gerry gets up to, I did not feel quite so kindly disposed to put it down to ‘boys will be boys’ or give allowances due to sympathy for their endeavours. As my grandfather might have put it ‘They need their heads bashing together.’
Joining, commiserating, and occasionally head butting the main characters on their adventure are mother to Jerry – Angela Lonsdale, abusive father – David Nellist, sisters Bridget and Claire Becky Clayburn and Sammy T. Dobson, and the hard working Rusty Hill as Penny and caravan dwelling Scot Rusty. Acting as a sort of narrator of the piece Becky Clayburn offers a poetical commentary on the antics of the boys and their circumstances as Brabin.
When Eastlake’s production first played it was in a tiny venue ‘Laurels’ in South Shields with a cast of three. Since then, it has been expanded to a cast of many and a dog. In many respects it has benefited from the expansion allowing more characters to be introduced but in others (the multi-roling) it still has the feel of a repertory theatre piece somewhat out of place in the enormity of the Theatre Royal.
Gerry and Sewell is a wild, perplexing, and sometimes baffling retelling of Tulloch’s novel which in itself is a much trodden tale of working class morality and pseudo-philosophy wrapped in a socio-economic unfairness narrative. There is wonderful chemistry between the two main antagonists. Logan brings a cheeky ‘glint in his eye’ charm to the role of Gerry and Robertson excels as his rotund no-nonsense perma-hungry sidekick.
The soundscape and music is excellent. Aidan Tulloch, son of the original novelist on which the play is based, cleverly intertwines well known geordie anthems such as Bobby Shaftoe into the background adding further to roots firmly planted in a grim depiction of the north. The ‘Geordie Nation’ penned by Luke Gaul is also very powerful.
The audience this evening were gripped by the drama that unfolded before them. As a ‘friendly’ local crowd, they probably got more of the humour than when the production travelled to the London’s West End. This is a production helmed, crewed, and created by north east talent, which I am proud to say we have in abundance and it is a real audience pleaser.
Read previous reviews by Aaron Whittington at both Newcastle Theatre Royal here and an earlier version at Live Theatre Newcastle here.
Discover more from InNewcastle.co.uk
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.