Get Carter gets refreshed

Set in 1960s Newcastle, Torben Betts’ adaptation of the novel Jack’s Return Home by Ted Lewis - made famous by the 1971 film Get Carter, starring Michael Caine - is a hard and uncompromising look at a city’s underworld gang culture and a gripping noir thriller, directed by Northern Stage artistic director Lorne Campbell.

Lorne said: “I’m very excited to be bringing this iconic North East story to the stage.

“Ted Lewis is one of Britain’s great crime and thriller writers and this is his masterpiece, in turns brutal and emotional. It’s a tragic noir study of a corrupted man struggling to find a way out of a corrupted world.

“We’ve brought together a fabulous team of North East actors and hope to do justice to the telling of this epic tale.”

The creative team includes set design by Leo Warner/59 Productions, the team responsible for video design at Danny Boyle’s London 2012 Opening Ceremony, as well as more than 100 shows across the world at venues including The Royal Opera House, The National Theatre, The Royal Court, The Young Vic, English National Opera and The Metropolitan Opera in New York.

Mercury Prize-nominated singersongwriter Nadine Shah has record original music as well as new arrangements of songs by 1960s Newcastle band, The Animals, working with sound designer James Frewer. The production will also feature live music from drummer Martin Douglas.

Writer Torben Betts said: “My adaptation is very much a reaction to the novel the film was based on.

“What was more interesting was to look at how we could re-imagine this very well-known narrative, to look at Jack’s environment growing up as he did in a brutalised post-war world.”

Get Carter runs at the Belgrade from tonight (Thursday) until Saturday. Tickets start at £11.25. Call 024 7655 3055.