Gerry and Sewell | West End
Project: Gerry & Sewell | West End
Role: Choreographer / Movement Director
Venue: Aldwych Theatre, London (West End)
“...vibrant performances and effective choreography”
Production Overview
Gerry & Sewell is an extraordinary piece of contemporary British theatre that has captured hearts across the UK. Adapted and directed by Olivier Award-winner Jamie Eastlake from Jonathan Tulloch’s novel The Season Ticket (the basis for the cult Geordie film Purely Belter), the play tells a raw, funny and heartfelt story rooted in working-class life in the North East. Its blend of sharp humour, live music and authentic characterisation has resonated with audiences from Newcastle to London.
What makes this production particularly remarkable is its journey: beginning in 2022 in a tiny 60-seat pub theatre above Laurels in Whitley Bay, selling out its initial run and prompting a return season; transferring next to Live Theatre in Newcastle in 2023; graduating to the city’s Theatre Royal in 2024; and ultimately making its West End debut at the Aldwych Theatre in January 2026 to great anticipation.
The piece is a love letter to community, aspiration and camaraderie - a story of two friends navigating hardship with humour and heart, driven by dreams bigger than their circumstances.
Choreography & Movement Direction
My work on Gerry & Sewell was about shaping the physical world of the play in a way that deepened atmosphere and supported the storytelling, rather than creating purely show-dance moments. Movement was woven into the fabric of the play to enhance emotional texture, underscore the comedy, and give physical life to the ensemble in ways that felt true to the characters and the region’s spirit.
A key element of this was developing the presence of the recurring “hooligan” figures - expressive embodiments of the play’s more chaotic and subconscious energy. Their movement vocabulary drew on contemporary technique, hip hop phrasing and swing-influenced dynamics, creating a physical counterpoint that could feel both playful and edgy within the narrative flow.
There was also a boldly theatrical sequence in Sewell’s dreamlike moment set to I Write the Songs, presented in a playful, Busby Berkeley-esque style. This was an intentionally heightened departure from the rest of the show, full-on showgirl chorus line with feathers and cheeky Newcastle-strip costuming, designed to amplify the comedy while giving the cast an opportunity to embrace full ensemble choreography in a distinctly theatrical register.