OTHER WISECRACK REVIEWS
Carrying David
2019
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Carrying David is about Annfield-Plain lad Glenn McCrory (1964-) becoming the first world champion of boxing (Cruiserweight) in the North East on 3 June 1989 (Stanley, County Durham). After a successful North East England tour in 2019, it played Northern Ireland before the lockdown and received standing ovations.
Scheduled to play in London before a run at Newcastle Theatre Royal in April 2021 (it would have been the fastest-ever transfer to the region's premier theatre), it was pulled because of the Coronavirus nightmare. Plans are afoot for a tour in the not-too-distant future!
Carrying David was supported by Arts Council England and premiered at the Tyneside Irish Centre, Newcastle, as a one-hander starring Micky Cochrane on 31 May 2019.
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"Superb... it has emotion and heart, you don't need to be a boxing fan to enjoy this"
Sunday Sun
"Inspirational... McCrory's story transcends boxing... dripped with emotion to the final drop... the standing ovation came as no surprise"
Belfast Telegraph
The Great Joe Wilson
2018
The Great Joe Wilson is about "The Bard of Tyneside".
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Joseph “Joe” Wilson wrote around 360 songs and poems in his brief lifetime (1841-75) including well-known songs still sung today like Keep Your Feet Still Geordie Hinny, Sally Wheatley, Nae Work and The Chap That Knaas Nowt.
A Geordie superstar who could pack music halls to the rafters, Joe died of tuberculosis, in Newcastle, in poverty. The copyright of his songs was signed away. Despite that, he leaves a legacy that still stands out today. Joe is one of our great songsmiths alongside Edward “Ned” Corvan (1827-65), George “Geordie” Ridley (1835-64) and Alan Hull (of Lindisfarne fame) (1945-55).
The Great Joe Wilson was a co-production between Wisecrack and Darlington Hippodrome. It premiered as a four-hander starring Micky Cochrane, Jamie Brown, Sarah Boulter and Jordan Miller (also the musical arranger) on Friday, September 7, 2018.
"Exhilarating"
The Northern Echo
"Impressive... the banter is strong, the songs memorable, the harmonies tight and well performed - a fitting tribute to the man"
Evening Chronicle
Hadaway Harry
2015 & 2017
Hadaway Harry is about Henry "Harry" Clasper (1812-70), a forgotten 19th-century Geordie hero and accomplished rower and boatbuilder. Harry was a former Durham miner from Dunston, then in County Durham, who invented the sport of rowing as we know it today.
Rowing was the sport of the working class before football, and Harry was the world's biggest star. When he died on July 9, 1870, 130,000 people (yes, 130,000 (!)) lined his funeral procession in Newcastle. The Geordie anthem, Blaydon Races (Roud #3511), was written for Harry's testimonial at the famous Balmbra's establishment, Newcastle's Cloth Market, in 1862. Sadly, even Newcastle fans don't know the history of their song. History is written and taught in schools about kings and queens, not the working class.
Hadaway Harry also toured in June 2022 (a Von Fox Promotions production).
Hadaway Harry, supported by Arts Council England, premiered as a one-hander starring Jamie Brown on Monday, June 29, 2015, at the boathouse of the North East Marine Trust (NEMT), South Shields, Tyne and Wear. When it played at Newcastle Theatre Royal in February 2017, the show starred Jamie Brown and featured Wayne Miller.
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"A day at the races like never before... tour de force... edge of your seat... very clever stuff"
Hear the Boat Sing
"Truly amazing... [Hadaway Harry] deserves to be fondly remembered and talked about for a long time"
Evening Chronicle