As World War Two looms, young William Beech is evacuated to the English countryside to stay with elderly recluse Tom Oakley. This unlikely pairing gradually form a friendship, finding that neither are how they first seem.
Since its publication in 1981, Michelle Magorian’s hugely successful first novel Goodnight Mister Tom has sold millions of copies and been translated into multiple languages, as well as being adapted for television starring the late John Thaw.
This stage adaptation by David Wood premiered at the Chichester Festival Theatre in 2011, and went on to win the 2013 Olivier Award for Best Entertainment and Family.
Wood has a hugely successful track record in adapting children’s novels for the stage, his credits including Babe The Sheep Pig, The BFG and The Witches.
In this production at the People’s Theatre, young local actors Dexter White and Nathaniel Campbell are role-sharing the demanding leading role of eight-year-old evacuee William. William is timid and anxious when he first arrives in the village of Little Weirwold, but his friendship with gruff-but-kind Tom (Keith Wigham) helps him to feel safer, and come out of his shell. Life seems perfect until William’s mother devastatingly summons him back to London.
A testament to the enduring power of kindness, compassion and love, Magorian’s Goodnight Mister Tom has resonated with readers for over 40 years, and this is an opportunity to see this much-loved tale and its characters brought to life on stage.
Listing Information
Date: Tuesday 1 – Saturday 5 April 2025
Time: 7.30pm
Tickets: £16/£13.50
Venue: People’s Theatre, Stephenson Road, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE6 5QF
Box Office: 0191 265 5020
Click here to access the People’s Theatre site directly.
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