Sweet Treats at the Theatre Royal

In between sampling some of Newcastle's finest restaurants for Restaurant Week, I also managed to slip in an early birthday present at the Theatre Royal this week. The Scottish Ballet were bringing their topsy-turvy fairytale world of Hansel and Gretel to town and I couldn't wait!

I've enjoyed going to the ballet ever since I was little, and that's all thanks to my Nanna, who insisted my older sister and I had to experience it at least once. I remember my first glimpse of a prima ballerina in The Nutcracker - utterly enthralled by the way she moved her body and tip-toed across the stage underneath a sky of gently falling snowflakes. My eyes darted from left to right following her sparkly tutu as it caught the light and I tapped my feet excitedly to the music from the orchestra; it was like I was under a spell. Although I didn't understand much about the story or the complex moves, the costumes, the set and the music kept me entertained.

So from that year on it became a tradition that Nanna and I would go see the ballet every Christmas and I saw them all as I got older - Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty, A Midsummer's Night's Dream... dressed in my best ballerina-style outfit and usually sat on my nanna's knee because I was too small to see over the person in front. So this year when she saw that Hansel and Gretel was coming to the Theatre Royal a few weeks before my birthday, Nanna surprised me with tickets.

Although I'll be 23 this birthday, old habits die hard and I still can't resist wearing my own ballerina-inspired outfit to the ballet. Since I'm definitely too old to pull off a Barbie pink tutu (oh the good old days), I payed homage to those perfect sparkly costumes with a little sparkly skirt of my own.

Settling down into our seats with some sweets and a programe, we waited for the magic to begin...

ACT 1

The story started with a gaggle of school children following their enchanting new teacher around during lessons, to which she rewarded them with an endless supply of lollipops. Suddenly, the children began to disappear one by one until there was only Hansel and Gretel left. Brother and sister decide to sneak away from their parents during the night and go in search of their missing friends.

Before long they run into an ominous looking gang called The Ravens who seem to be accompanying their old school teacher. Rewarded with a lollipop, Hansel and Gretel continue on their way into the deep, dark forest... The Ravens follow Hansel and Gretel into the woods where a beautiful woman (who looks suspiciously like their old schoolteacher) makes her dramatic entrance from the sky and bewitches them into a deep sleep.

 Whilst Hansel and Gretel are under their sleepy spell, a series of vivid dreams occur on stage in which Hansel and Gretel are reunited with their parents and attend a magical feast.

Tables, chairs, chandeliers and food floods the stage while the bewitching lady/schoolteacher dances amongst cakes, pies and OTHER sweet treats on a table laid before Hansel and Gretel. This was definitely my favourite scene, it was so reminiscent of Disney's Beauty and the Beast when the food and furniture come to life before Belle's eyes.

ACT 2

After a short interval we returned to our seats. The set looked incredible as the curtain swept back to reveal an enchanted forest of gumdrops, lollipops and sweets.

Suddenly I felt eight years old again, completely taken aback by this magical world in front of me - the dancers' incredible costumes caught my eye reminding me of dainty pink french fancies, while the music pulled me deeper into this fairytale world, rising to a crescendo as Hansel and Gretel discovered the wicked witch and her gingerbread house.

After finding himself locked in a tiny cage, Hansel must rely on Gretel to steal the key from the evil sleeping witch before plunging her in the hot oven. As Hansel and Gretel jumped for joy the audience couldn't help but laugh at the witch who kept banging dramatically on the oven door.

The performance was certainly a topsy-turvy affair, I thought it had a very Tim Burton vibe about it which I loved. Anyone who has ever seen The Nightmare Before Christmas, Edward Scissorhands or Charlie and the Chocolate Factory will understand the strange beauty that Tim Burton brings to his stories. I liked the way Hansel and Gretel's heroic and innocent nature was juxtaposed by the grotesque witch and their chain smoking mother and drunk father who come on at the beginning.

There was definitely a Tim Burton/Alice in Wonderland vibe to the set too - from the oversized sweets that hung from the rafters, the gnarled, almost skeletal outline of trees that were constantly in the background and even the almost grotesque scene of sweets and cakes piled high as the evil witch danced among them taunting Hansel and Gretel. We both had a brilliant time, and I found myself wanting to become a ballerina all over again. Although I have the grace of an elephant I've missed my calling to become a prima ballerina, I have signed up to a ballet class for beginners! If you can't pretend to be a ballerina and dance around your house then when can you eh?

Did anybody else see the show? I'd love to know what you thought of it! 

Please Note: I do not own the copyright to any of the images of the actual performance, these have been taken from the Scottish Ballet website for the purposes of illustrating this blog post and copyright belongs to The Scottish Ballet/Andy Ross/Christina Riley. 

Payday Friendly Place To Eat

After managing to grab a pair of (very last minute) tickets to see Fiddler on the Roof as a treat for my mam last week, I finally got the chance to visit the iconic Theatre Royal after it's recent restoration. As expected, both the show and the recently-renovated surroundings were fantastic, yet it was the bar/pizzeria attached to the theatre that took me by surprise. 

We decided to have a few drinks in Pasqualino's before the show. Furnished with colourful mismatched chairs and graffiti-style walls, the bar also boasts an extensive drinks menu which we made good use of and made a mental note to return for food. As luck would have it, less than a week later the boyfriend and I found ourselves in town after work looking for somewhere to eat. With payday still in the distant future, we didn't want to pay over the odds. This is probably also a good time to mention that my darling boyfriend is quite possibly the fussiest eater ever, so finding somewhere we can both agree on is difficult. With two courses of any pizza or pasta for £8.95, or three for £10.95 until 10pm, Pasqualino's came to the rescue. 

Pasqualino's was just the right kind of busy for me when we arrived on a rainy Thursday evening: bustling and buzzing without being too loud or overcrowded. Richie knew what he wanted straight away (minestrone soup to start followed by pasta Amatriciana which consisted of smoked pancetta, onion and tomato), whereas I struggled to narrow down my list of choices (nothing new there though). The Orecchiette Pinoli (fresh orecchiette with chillli, pine nuts, lemon zest and broccoli) sounded good, but then again so did the pappadelle maiale (pasta with pulled pork, onion dried tomatoes, marscapone and sage), but I eventually opted for the latter: the Lola pizza (peppers, mozzarella and rocket pesto) and dessert to satisfy my sweet tooth. As Richie wolfed down his minestrone soup starter I sipped my glass of chilled prosecco looking at him with doe eyes until he offered me some. I'm pleased to report that the stock was rich and moreish with a slight kick while the soft vegetables fell to pieces in your mouth. Richie actually declared it was the best soup he's ever eaten. Not a bad start! 

Our mains soon arrived and Richie was greeted by a steaming bowl of fresh pasta while I tackled my ginormous pizza. The dough was thin and crispy just the way I like it and the pesto drizzle lifted the fresh tomato base. Nothing was too much for the staff, checking we had everything we needed and were okay for drinks which was lovely. Naturally I had to try some of Richie's pasta and I'm afraid I have to admit to a slight case of food envy. The pasta was cooked to perfection, swirled into a meaty sauce and generously sprinkled with parmesan. I guess it was only fair that I let Richie have a taste of my dessert - a knickerbockerglory of joy filled with generous scoops of creamy chocolate ice cream, crushed amaretto biscuit and a berry compote. Delicious!

The food at Pasqualino's is wonderfully homecooked food and fantastic value for money that is best served with a glass of wine and friends which is exactly what the girls are planning to do very soon!

To browse their extensive menu and find out more information about this fantastic Italian's - visit www.pasqualinos.co.uk

If like me, there just aren't enough hours in the day and you haven't had a chance to check out the new and improved Theatre Royal, or you fancy doing something different with your Saturday night, see what's on at www.theatreroyal.co.uk (I just booked tickets for the Scottish Ballet and can't wait to go back)