The Autumn Season at The Riverfront is bringing fantastic entertainment to families across Newport in the form of wonderful theatre shows which are perfect for all ages. They also have some top-class comedy for the adults – more of that shortly.
Let’s start with some entertainment for all the family which includes monsters, science, dragons, and one of our absolute favourites, Sooty.
Molly and Bingo the puppy are having a birthday party in I SPY WITH MY LITTLE EYE on Sunday 1st 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.
Details HERE.
Tom Fletcher’s interactive adventures for big imaginations are leaping from page to stage as THERE’S A MONSTER IN YOUR SHOW makes its debut as a brand-new musical show on Sunday 22nd 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.
Details HERE.
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 28th 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!
Details HERE.
The music of our modern-day pop superstars will be celebrated on Sunday 29th 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.
Details HERE.
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 30th 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!
Details HERE.
NEST on Friday 3rd 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.
Details HERE.
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 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!
Details HERE.
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 2nd December WIFI WARS XMAS SPECIAL 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.
Details HERE.
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 28th November until 6th 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.
Read our feature HERE.
You can find out more about all of the wonderful family entertainment coming up at The Riverfront, and book your tickets HERE
The Riverfront will also welcome a range of big names from the world of comedy to their stage this Autumn season as they present several wonderful evenings of comedy. With a combination of established household names and up-and-coming stars in the field of comedy, each comedian is sure to have the audience doubled over in laughter with their personal and unique brand of comedy.
Hot off the success last Autumn, the mother of all shows MUM’S THE WORD is back on Wednesday 11th October. Full of the stuff nobody tells you about parenthood until it’s too late. This witty and entertaining show stars Netflix and Eastenders’ Cheryl Ferguson and actresses Sarita Plowman and Poppy Tierney. Mum’s The Word is an uplifting and honest show navigating Motherhood and the drama life throws at you. Whether it’s leaving the house without your bra, crying in the supermarket aisles for no reason, or secretly thinking you had given birth to E.T. you won’t feel alone when listening to these women portray the ‘beauty’ of bringing new life into the world.
Details HERE.
MARKUS BIRDMAN: PLATINUM has thundered back into comedy with his Chortle Award Nominated Edinburgh Fringe show and his memorably hilarious performance on the semi-finals of Britain’s Got Talent 2023 and now he comes to Newport on Friday 13th October. In 2021, Markus had his second stroke which resulted in him permanently losing half his eyesight. He found himself in hospital, mid lockdown, with no visitors allowed. In his new show ‘Platinum’ he speaks about his experience, not to create feelings of pity, more a sense of awe and fawning admiration as he aims to make you laugh whilst also raising a little awareness.
Details HERE.
Double Emmy Award winner and star of Smack The Pony FIONA ALLEN is touring her debut stand-up show this autumn, coming to The Riverfront on Thursday 26th October. Like most working mums, since her children were born, she hasn’t had a moment for herself. Now free, she has tried new hobbies, new places and even attempting to get fit – difficult when your spirit animal is a sloth! With nowhere left to turn she decided to go on the road as a stand-up. A show about family, marriage, and things that truly annoy her. It’s a show for everyone, even those passive-aggressive school mums…
Details HERE.
There will be a hilarious evening of World-Class stand-up from live comedy’s internationally acclaimed Irish master JIMEOIN on Sunday 5th November. Award-winning with a wide appeal and a cheeky, no-gimmicks, superbly observed sense of humour, Jimeoin has audiences in stitches across the UK, Europe, USA and of his adopted homeland of Australia. Jimeoin has previously performed on The Royal Variety Performance, Live at the Apollo, Sunday Night at the Palladium and Conan O’Brien and has clocked up hundreds of millions of views of his comedy clips online.
Details HERE.
Co-host of International smash hit podcast All Killa No Filla and as seen on Alan Davies: As Yet Untitled on Dave, Richard Osman’s House of Games on the BBC, and Russell Howard Hour Life Lesson on Sky, RACHEL FAIRBURN presents ‘Showgirl.’ Rachel will be casting her acerbic eye over everything from your children to her pretentious new alcohol-free life (accurate at the time of writing). She’s worried though. Has she mellowed a bit? She carries a lucky crystal now. Catch her on Saturday 18th November before she disappears to the countryside with only joss sticks and taxidermy for company.
Details HERE.
In addition to all of these wonderful evenings of comedy, The Rivefront’s monthly comedy club COMEDY SHED will continue throughout the autumn on the last Friday of each month as three professional comedians gear up to entertain. This series of relaxed cabaret-style comedy club has previously welcomed Alan Carr, Michael McIntyre, Russell Kane and many more giving you the opportunity to experience up-and-coming stars before they hit the big time.
Tickets for all of these wonderful evenings of comedy are available now online HERE or by calling 01633 656757.
