Dolly Peel Rebel on the Tyne at Customs House Review
Written by Stacy for Theatre & Tonic
Disclaimer: Gifted tickets in exchange for an honest review
Last night at the Customs House I was swept into Dolly Peel Rebel on the Tyne, and it felt less like watching four short plays than being tugged through shifting tides of time, memory and music. Each writer took Dolly’s name and turned it like sea glass in the hand...sharp in places, soft in others, but always gleaming with pride.
Emma Zadow’s The Smuggler’s Daughter hurled us straight into the future, with Helen Chong blazing as a rebellious broadcaster. She gave the piece urgency and fire, her voice ringing with defiance and vulnerability in equal measure. The small ensemble around her grounded the dystopian world, but it was her conviction that made it feel like a warning rather than a fantasy.
John Dawson’s Cleaning Up surprised me with its unexpected intimacy. The actors held the silence so taut it was almost unbearable. The mother’s quiet torment and the son’s unspoken menace played out with such control that it held the audience in stillness, caught between sympathy and dread.
Tom Kelly’s Finding Dolly gave us warmth and humour. The couple’s conversation by the statue was so natural I felt like I was eavesdropping, with the performers sparring gently yet tenderly. Their chemistry made the piece feel both intimate and relatable, capturing the tug between everyday love and the pull of bigger questions about identity and belonging.
Then finally, Janet Plater’s Dolly Peel of Shadwell Street delivered Dolly herself in a performance full of swagger and song. Stephanie Putson, plays Dolly, commanded the stage with infectious energy, drawing the audience in as co-conspirators. The supporting cast added texture and contrast, their banter with Dolly hinting at the bargains and betrayals of survival needed for the time.
What bound the whole evening together was the sheer skill of the five performers - Helen Chong, Stephanie Putson, Marc Akinfolari and Emma Crowley-Bennet. They switched roles and rhythms between the four very different pieces seamlessly, shifting from tense naturalism to playful banter, from swaggering historical character to dystopian rebel with ease. Their ability to transform kept the stories alive and unpredictable, and gave Dolly’s spirit many voices without losing her heart.
Threaded through all four works and binding eras together was the songs that felt both contemporary and rooted in local grit. Their presence gave the performers a beat to move against - sometimes playful, sometimes heartfelt.
But what struck me most was how proudly South Shields this whole night felt. Dolly Peel isn’t just a character plucked from the past...she’s ours. A smuggler, a healer, a protector of men, she stood her ground when others would have bowed. To see her story told and retold, reimagined for today and tomorrow, is to feel the pride of place swell in your chest. It reminded me that our history here isn’t something to be tucked away; it’s alive, it’s rebellious, and it still has teeth.
As the last notes faded, it was clear the actors weren’t just telling Dolly’s story, they were carrying her spirit: bold, unruly and unafraid. Dolly Peel Rebel on the Tyne isn’t just theatre; it’s South Tyneside on stage, fierce and unapologetic, daring us never to forget where we come from.
Playing until Saturday 20th September
★★★★★
