This Autumn Season The Riverfront is thrilled to be bringing fantastic entertainment to families across Newport in the form of wonderful theatre shows which are perfect for all ages.
Molly and Bingo the puppy are having a birthday party in Eye Spy With My Little Eye on Sunday 1 October, and you are all invited to come along! There will be a terrific treasure hunt, a range of sing-along songs including The Ants Go Marching, Hickory Dickory Dock and BINGO, and lots of fantastic games to play, including Molly's favourite game, I Spy With My Little Eye! Put on your party clothes and come along to a show filled with fun and laughter. Bingo and the birthday girl will be available after the show to meet and have photos with the guests.
Tom Fletcher’s interactive adventures for big imaginations are leaping from page to stage as There’s A Monster In My Show makes its debut as a brand-new musical show on Sunday 22 October. There will be plenty of fun for all ages as a range of favourite characters, including Monster, Dragon, Alien and Unicorn, come to life in a show that is packed with playful moments to enjoy.
Liquid nitrogen clouds, exploding oxygen & hydrogen balloons, fire tornados, hydrogen bottle rockets, ignited methane and even a self-built hovercraft will all be showcased and demonstrated in Ministry Of Science on Saturday 28 October. As well as taking a look at the inventors and engineers who’ve shaped and inspired the modern world, the show’s presenters will be conducting clever demonstrations aplenty. The resultant loud bangs should certainly keep everybody on their toes!
The music of our modern-day pop superstars will be celebrated on Sunday 29 October in Pop Forever. Audiences will get the opportunity to singalong to their favourite Little Mix songs, dance to Doja Cats famous TikTok music trends and party to the music of other pop stars like Arianna Grande, Olivia Rodrigo and Jojo Siwa! There will also be dance competitions, prize opportunities and a meet and greet with the cast as part of the show.
Iconic and well-loved characters Sooty, Sweep and Soo are celebrating an amazing 75 years in show business and planning a very special birthday party on Monday 30 October. The Sooty Show 75th Birthday Spectacular sees Sooty and Sweep busy baking a cake (what could go wrong?), Soo’s trying to find the perfect party dress, and Sweep’s practising his dance moves and needs some boys and girls to join in with musical statues! Sooty is planning his biggest magic trick yet, but will Richard survive when he is placed in the box of doom? Oh, and watch out for Sooty’s new water pistol. It’s turbocharged to reach right to the back of the theatre, so don’t forget your raincoat!
NEST on Friday 3 November features a tree in a city in which two birds decide to make their home, and soon their cosy nest contains two very precious eggs. Filled with clowning, original song and beautiful shadow play, this highly physical show uses minimal language to tell a tale about taking care, discovering what’s important and learning how to fly.
Families with children aged 5 and over are invited to the premiere of two fantasia-like stories set to music from Hummadruz, The Black-Light Theatre of Wales. Part one of the show, The Planets, is performed to Holt’s classical masterpiece and tells 7 stories based on each planet’s theme. The stories are sad, silly, happy, magical and daft and explore the depths of the sea, visit Happy-land, explore what’s in a magician’s top hat and travel through the galaxy.
The second part of the show, When the Dragons came back to Wales, is an uplifting, multi-coloured, blacklight, psychedelic spectacle and is performed to a new suite of music by Wales-based composer, Lenny Sayers based on a story by Stuart H. Bawler. This part of the show will be accompanied by a live orchestra, conducted by Emilie Godden. Awel, a 10 year old girl from a large town stays with her grandparents over the summer in a Welsh valley with no signal! Bored, she becomes involved in a community project to build a Welsh Dragon for the back of a carnival float. Inspired by insects, hang gliders and birds, she becomes the boss and creates a huge aerodynamic Dragon. The night before the carnival, a fierce storm strikes and the Dragon breaks free starting events that affect the whole world!
Hummadruz are unique in Wales and use masks, dance, small and large-scale puppets, circus, stage illusion and music to tell their stories. Their shows are beautiful, joyous, non-verbal, multi-sensory, performed under black-light and integrate Makaton as a visual language.
On Saturday 2 December Wifi Wars bring a very festive version of their live comedy game show where the audience all play along! Hosted by comedian Steve McNeil, you will be invited to log in with your smartphone or tablet and compete in a range of games, puzzles and quizzes to win prizes and ultimately the show. There is a family centred Wifi Wars at 2pm, with a grownups only competition at 7pm.
The Autumn Season at The Riverfront wouldn’t be the same without the annual Riverfront Panto! This year the theatre are thrilled to be presenting Beauty and the Beast. Written and directed by Richard Gauntlett, who brought last year’s Robin Hood to life, and starring Newport favourite Richard Elis. Beauty and the Beast is on stage from 28 November until 6 January.
When an arrogant Prince is cursed to live as a beast his only hope of salvation is to find love. When a charming village girl, Rose, comes into his life, is this the chance he has been waiting for? Can Rose see beyond the hideous beast before it is too late? Can the evil Hecate seek her revenge? With a miraculous transformation, side-splitting comedy, music, dance, stunning sets and costumes, this extraordinary show has all the ingredients for yet another record-breaking pantomime.
You can find out more about all of the wonderful family entertainment coming up at The Riverfront this August and book your tickets at newportlive.co.uk/Performances.
